here were the top college coaching pics to be looked at by the pro's for nfl vacancies back in december '03 (notice whose #1 on the radar and ironically look whose #2 ).... College Coaches 1. Nick Saban, LSU -- I'm not saying he's a Bill Belichick clone, but he was Belichick's defensive coordinator and he's one heck of a football coach. He says he is committed to LSU and isn't crazy about the pro game, but he may be the surest bet for success among the college guys. An owner will have to pay big bucks to get him; LSU may ante up as much as a $2.5-to-$3 million-per-year package to keep Saban in Baton Rouge. 2. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa -- He is a micro-hot candidate with an NFL background as a highly regarded offensive-line coach under Bill Belichick in Cleveland and Brian Billick in Baltimore. Combined with his success at Iowa, he will be on almost everyone's short list. NFL execs who watch him on the practice field and on the sidelines see a coach with leadership skills, organized, disciplined and communicative. Players respond to him. But he isn't anxious to jump because he's happy at Iowa and his son, a lineman, has two years remaining at the school. There has even been a suggestion that he may wait to see if he will be a candidate to succeed Joe Paterno at Penn State, although that is mere speculation and probably unfair in light of his work at Iowa. 3. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma -- He's young, he's a leader, he wins. But there has been no indication he's interested in the pro game at this time -- some believe he's two years away from contemplating such a move. As previously noted, the struggles of Steve Spurrier and Butch Davis knocks some of the luster off the desirability factor of a guy like Stoops. But his name will be bandied about. 4. Ralph Friedgen, Maryland -- He was the offensive coordinator under Bobby Ross when the Chargers went to the Super Bowl in 1994, and he has had great success in building Maryland into a winner. He's gruff and that scares some NFL types, but he can't be ignored. The Buccaneers were looking at him during their "2002: A Coach Odyssey" run. Generally regarded as a guru of offense, but he has become whole in his approach to the game. 5. Jeff Tedford, Cal -- You better keep track of this guy. At least three teams considering a coaching change have privately expressed an interest in Tedford. He is in his second season as the head coach at Cal, where he has taken a broken program and quickly turned it into a winner. USC coach Pete Carroll considers Tedford a significant rival -- Cal handed the Trojans their only loss this year after a near-upset last season. His reputation had been as a quarterback guru who helped Trent Dilfer, David Carr, Joey Harrington, A.J. Feeley, Akili Smith and Kyle Boller experience success. But he's more than a QB guy. He's organized, he's a leader, he's a teacher, he understands staffing, he's got some charisma and he's a game-planner. 6. Tyrone Willingham, Notre Dame -- If you toss aside Notre Dame's disappointing season, Willingham has been a top candidate for a few years. His experience on Dennis Green's staff with the Vikings, his success at Stanford and now the exposure to the wonders and trappings of Notre Dame football should have him well-prepared for the pro game 7. Chan Gailey, Georgia Tech -- He did one of the best jobs of coaching in the ACC (consider that he beat Maryland, North Carolina State and Auburn and should have beaten Florida State with a true freshman at QB) and his resumé is impressive. Even his work as Cowboys head coach (two playoff seasons in two years) during the post-Switzer era should be respected. He has a creative side to him (see Kordell Stewart's best years in Pittsburgh) yet plays every game specifically to win, as opposed to trying to razzle-dazzle everyone. Always will find a way to run the football with success. His time in Dallas and at Georgia Tech (where an academic controversy put him under scrutiny) gives him the preferred thick skin. 8. Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech -- One GM said that leadership, attention to detail and ability to manage a game are still qualities that a head coach needs, and Beamer meets the criteria. He's also a stickler for special teams -- a snapshot of his attention to detail -- and some of the best coaches in recent NFL history (Parcells, Belichick and Marv Levy) have been uncompromising when it comes to special teams. 9. June Jones, Hawaii -- He's making a million dollars at Hawaii, so what else does he need? One GM said Jones was on his short list because of his people skills, his quarterback-coaching success and his experience as an NFL head coach in Atlanta (one playoff season) and San Diego (interim). In fact, he turned down the Chargers permanent job to take the Hawaii gig. His run-and-shoot convictions hurt him with most NFL execs, though. 10. Pete Carroll, USC -- He would be way up the list but there's a general feeling among NFL execs that the former head coach of the Patriots and Jets is in the perfect arena for his personality -- at the college level. Still, he wasn't as bad an NFL head coach as people would believe, he's a few years down the road, he's done terrific work in restoring USC to national prominence. One GM said he believes that if the right West Coast job became available (Chargers?), then Carroll would contemplate a return to the NFL. College Guys "On the Radar" 1. Jim Tressel, Ohio State -- Reluctantly, I'm putting his name on this list, only because I have heard more than one GM expressed admiration for his leadership and attention to detail. In a league where strong defense and a commitment to the run is a basic formula for success, he has a calling card. Otherwise, a stretch, despite his national-title resumé. 2. Mark Richt, Georgia -- He's among a handful of college candidates who has no NFL experience, but he has a few admirers in the NFL because of his work at Georgia. His teams are physical. His offense is balanced. He has assembled an excellent staff. He's relatively young. 3. Randy Edsall, Connecticut -- Don't blink. Edsall has enjoyed plenty of success as a former assistant under Tom Coughlin at the collegiate and pro level. And when you see what he has done at UConn in a relatively short ascension from Division I-AA to Division I, he's a pretty good sleeper candidate. 4. Houston Nutt, Arkansas -- Two general managers echoed similar admiration for Nutt. His teams generally overachieve; they are resilient, physical, they know how to run the football and he consistently wins. 5. Karl Dorrell, UCLA -- True, he's only had a year as a head coach at UCLA, but he's done a solid job and he has the NFL exposure under Mike Shanahan in Denver. It's too early, NFL execs say, but keep him in your file for a couple of years down the road. 6. Doug Williams, Grambling -- He's a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has played under Joe Gibbs and John McKay. He also is paying his dues as a college head coach and a well-deserved promotion to Division I-A should be in his future.
I don't think anyone has ever said it was a surprise that an NFL team or two or twenty would like to have Nick Saban as their coach.
i don't know......looking at the response on this forum i think alot of people were blind-sided especially after nick took the big contract to stay. maybe surprised is the wrong word and disappointed/misled is a better one.
