We never truly know if a coach will take a job offer that is offered to him. Sometimes the money is too good to say no, and sometimes the upgrade and the team is too hard to pass on. Sometimes a coach values a program over money and will turn down jobs to stay put. We’re going to take a look at five head coaches and see where they could possibly end up if they were looking for a new school to lead out on Saturdays.
Lane Kiffin -> Texas A&M
I know some of you are probably sitting there and thinking, “What is this guy talking about?”, but let me explain. There were numerous reports going around earlier this year that Kiffin has been extremely upset with how the NIL has been run at Ole Miss. He believes that Ole Miss is losing players due to a lack of NIL opportunities in Oxford. This led to many reports stating that Kiffin was interested in the Auburn job, and there were even reports that he was close to stepping down and accepting that job from Auburn. That never transpired of course, and the Tigers went with Hugh Freeze, but it is clear to me that Kiffin would be open to a move to a school with more money and better NIL opportunities. This got me thinking, what school has unlimited money, crazy NIL, and could be looking for a new HC in the near future? Texas A&M! It makes perfect sense, Lane Kiffin has clearly shown he’s okay with going to another team in Ole Miss’s division. The Aggies also have a program that could be looking for a change at the top if they underachieve again this season. This would be a move that I would watch out for.
Deion Sanders -> Florida State
A lot would have to transpire for this to ever happen, but one can have hope, right? For this to happen, Deion would have to do really well in his first couple of seasons at Colorado, and Florida State would have to be really bad for a couple of seasons. We have already seen how Florida State has come back to relevancy, so they would have to take a turn for the worst. I do have faith however that Sanders can succeed at Colorado. He has a special connection with players which allows him to recruit at a very high level. I’m more interested in his coaching on game day. Can he make the right adjustments, can he put his players in the proper spots to maximize their potential? These questions will all be answered this fall, and if the answer is yes, it might only be a matter of time before Deion Sanders is coaching a big-time program.
Sonny Dykes -> Texas Tech
It would be hard for me to see Sonny Dykes leaving TCU anytime soon, but it’s even harder for me to see him ever leaving the state of Texas again. He had stints as head coach at Louisiana Tech and Cal, but he has been back in Texas since 2017 and has found immense success. He made SMU relevant for the first time since the 1980s and did the unthinkable by leading TCU to a playoff and national championship appearance in just his first season there. I think he stays at TCU for a long time, but if he did leave, I believe it would be for his Alma Mater Texas Tech. Dykes played baseball at Tech, believe it or not, and is the son of legendary Red Raider HC Spike Dykes. Sonny also coached at Texas Tech under the late Mike Leach from 2000-2006. This move makes sense and would be the only one I think Dykes would even consider if offered.
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Lance Leipold Kansas -> Big Ten West Schools
Kansas has Leipold locked up until 2029, but that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate on where he could move to. My thought process would be that he would go to a Big Ten team since he has coached at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Buffalo, and now Kansas. He has connections from Kansas to New York, which is where all the Big Ten schools happen to fall between. A move to the Big Ten would be an upgrade for Leipold and there are a few teams that could consider him in the future. They all come from the Big Ten West, and they are Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Nebraska. Leipold fits the Midwest vibe and could definitely help these teams reach a new level. Iowa makes sense because Kirk Ferentz might be on his way out soon if he doesn’t get that offense fixed. Wisconsin makes sense because he has coached in the state for many, many years. Of course, Luke Fickell would have to do awful there. Purdue just lost their head coach, so we will see what that does to the program. And Nebraska just hired Matt Rhule, so they are okay for now, but Nebraska is where head coaches go to die, so don’t be too surprised if they are looking for a new HC soon.
Lincoln Riley – USC -> NFL
The NFL is the only logical move for Lincoln Riley because he has it absolutely made in terms of the college game. Huge contract, great NIL, a mansion in L.A., and a Heisman-winning QB. USC recruits for itself and has been even better since Riley’s arrival, so I don’t see it being difficult for them to replace Williams when he leaves. If a team such as the Cowboys, Rams, Chargers, Cardinals, or even Raiders comes calling for him, he might want to take on that challenge. These teams make sense for a few reasons. The Rams and Chargers are already in Los Angeles, and the Cardinals and Raiders are very close by. The Cowboys are an attractive destination for anyone, especially now that they have a talented roster. All these teams have talent and have seen relative success in recent years, so maybe Riley could be the missing piece to help Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott, or Justin Herbert reach the next level.
