Hiring washed out NFL coaches has worked for certain college programs in the past. That Nick Saban fella turned out alright after he left the Miami Dolphins and Jim Harbaugh did pretty well for himself when the San Francisco 49ers pushed him out.
But both Saban and Harbaugh, as well as plenty of other coaches that have gone from NFL to college coaching, had demonstrable success at the collegiate level even before their professional careers hit a road bump. They were also hired in an entirely different era, when the transfer portal and name, image and likeness weren’t concerns.
What the 2025 season has shown, though, is that hiring has-been NFL coaches is an archaic practice that needs to be done with. Looking at you, North Carolina.
The Tar Heels’ decision to hire Bill Belichick was horribly ill-conceived. Few rational minds saw it working out for either side. Lo and behold, it hasn’t worked out for either side.
The Tar Heels plummeted to 2-3 five games into Belichick’s first year with Week 6’s 38-10 loss to Clemson, which has its own issues. That means that North Carolina has lost by at least 25 points against all three Power Four conference opponents it has played this season. That’s as many 25-point losses against power conference teams as North Carolina had in eight years before Belichick was hired. Again, Belichick has been around for five games.
Belichick is 73 years old. There’s no untapped upside there. We all know how this is going to end.
Elsewhere, Bill O’Brien’s Boston College fell to 1-4 in a 48-7 loss to a Pittsburgh team that started an 18-year-old true freshman at quarterback. O’Brien had some college experience before he was hired at Boston College — notably, he stabilized Penn State in the wake of the Joe Paterno scandal — but he’s most known for his lackluster tenure with the Houston Texans.
Though it’s a few years past, Arizona State’s Herm Edwards debacle still feels relevant when discussing NFL coaches that failed in college. It should have been a cautionary tale for programs like North Carolina and Boston College. Arizona State would still be digging itself out of the pit that Edwards left it in if it wasn’t for Kenny Dillingham, his replacement, being a miracle worker.
College football programs that need a new coach and can’t necessarily poach an established name would be much better off gambling on a highly regarded assistant. It’s time to stop giving former NFL bosses a chance to drive teams further into the ground.
It’s time to bench Arch
Maybe the Arch Manning experiment isn’t a complete failure yet. He’s certainly shown flashes of the talent that had him so highly regarded as a prospect coming out of high school.
But so far he isn’t anything more than a notable last name. In fact, he’s played so poorly that No. 9 Texas should make the decision to bench him before its season can spiral even further down the drain.
The Longhorns have a laundry list of problems. The rushing attack is almost non-existent. None of their wide receivers pop on tape. The offensive line would probably have its hands full against a high school team.
Even within that context, Manning’s problems are apparent. He had two bad interceptions in his team’s stunning upset 29-21 loss against Florida on Saturday. He struggles with consistency. His footwork is in desperate need of a fix.
He’s also, likely, in his own head at this point. There’s plenty of outside noise about his failure to live up to immense expectations thus far. That’s not his fault, but it’s hard to block it all out.
Some time on the bench should do Manning some good, and Texas could benefit from a quarterback that could at least keep its offense in rhythm even if they don’t have Manning’s play-to-play ceiling.
Don’t fall for it again, Florida
Florida has seen this movie before. Billy Napier’s Gators start poorly. Talk about firing Napier reaches a fever pitch. Napier, miraculously, turns things around, beats a couple of teams no one expected him to and does just enough to survive another year.
Napier’s Gators started the 2025 season with a 1-3 record. Many thought he would be gone by the first bye week. Florida then upset No. 9 Texas 29-21 Saturday. For one night, at least, Napier worked his way back into the fanbase’s — and, more importantly, the administration’s — good graces.
Don’t fall for this again, Florida. You’ve already burned the “vote of confidence” card. A coach that potentially needs two public reaffirmations of faith in as many years should probably be fired.
The writing has been on the wall for a while. No need to keep kicking the can down the road.
James Franklin leaving would be best for everyone
Breaking up is hard to do, but knowing when to call it quits on a relationship is wise. It’s time for Penn State and James Franklin to start seeing new people.
Their time together has run its course. On one hand, a majority of programs would give just about anything to have the stability that Franklin provides for the Nittany Lions. Consistent 10-win seasons are a gift to be cherished.
On the other hand, Penn State is just treading water. Even worse, this season: the Nittany Lions are in danger of drowning following a cataclysmic 42-37 loss to UCLA. Cataclysmic doesn’t do it justice. Week 6 was a new low point for Franklin at Penn State.
Penn State can’t really fire Franklin. Though the loss to UCLA is abysmal, there’s no real justification given his recent track record. Plus, his buyout is hovering around $50 million.
They can let him look around. There will be some major openings during the 2025-26 coaching carousel. Penn State can afford to match any offer that comes Franklin’s way, but that doesn’t mean they have to.
Texas Tech will give the Big 12 its second-ever CFP win
There’s a good chance that the Red Raiders go even further than that. But the Big 12, as a conference, is just 1-7 in the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014.
TCU was responsible for that lone victory during its Cinderella run to the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. Texas Tech will join the Horned Frogs this year.
So far, the Red Raiders are one of just a few teams in the nation to actually live up to their immense preseason hype. They’ve been fairly dominant on both sides of the ball, but the defense has stolen the show through five games. Texas Tech hasn’t allowed more than 14 points in a single contest this season. It’s played on the road against a previously ranked Utah team and a previously undefeated Houston team.
That type of ball will travel and, thanks to a high level of offseason investment, Tech has the talent to hang with most of the top dogs.
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