An interesting trend is developing. Five retired NFL players whose careers were either “Very Good” or even “Great” have come out of retirement to become the head football coach at an HBCU.
- Deion Sanders coached Jackson State for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He posted a record of 23-3 at Jackson State before moving on the coach Colorado starting in 2023.
- Eddie George coached Tennessee State since the 2021 season. His record there has been 24-22.
- Michael Vick was hired to be the head coach of Norfolk State in December 2024.
- DeSean Jackson was hired to be the head coach of Delaware State in December 2024.
- Terrell Buckley was hired to be the head coach of Mississippi Valley State in January 2025.
At a more elevated and visible level of football, all but one of the NFL’s coaching vacancies for this offseason have been filled. The Saints’ job in New Orleans remains up for grabs. So, here are some first impressions of the hiring decisions:
- Bears: They hired Ben Johnson as the their head coach. Johnson was the “prize catch” in this year’s installment of Head Coaching Musical Chairs. The theory is that Johnson’s offensive genius will blend with the high-level innate talent that is QB Caleb Williams to produce something unknown to Bears’ fans for the last 50 years or so – – namely an offensive team that is to be feared. If Johnson can pull that off – – and I have no reason to think it is out of the question – – that will make the NFC North the “Division From Hell” where none of the teams is a pushover. I think this will be the most interesting coaching transition to follow.
- Cowboys: They hired Brian Schottenheimer to be their head coach; since I have advocated for his father, Marty, to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a coach, I obviously think he is “genetically suited” to the job. Having said that, Brian Schottenheimer is 51 years old and has been an assistant coach at the collegiate and NFL levels since 1997. The narrative here is that the Cowboys decided to hire someone who is familiar with the team and its personnel – – specifically Dak Prescott – – in lieu of amore experienced “outsider”. He has his work cut out for him in 2025. In the same division, he needs to deal with the Commanders and the Eagles; in addition, the NFC East will play the NFC North and the AFC West teams next year. That is not a cupcake schedule.
- Jags: The Jags hired Liam Coen whose previous job was as the Offensive Coordinator of the Bucs. In the 2024 regular season, the Bucs were one of only 4 teams in the NFL to score more than 500 points and whatever offensive system was in place it allowed Baker Mayfield to throw for 4500 yards and 41 TDs. Reports say that Coen only took the job after the Jags fired GM, Trent Baalke; somehow, that does not seem to me to be a great way to begin a coaching regime. Maybe that’s just me … The coaching situation in Jax has been a revolving door recently; Liam Coen will be the fourth coach in the last six years for the Jags.
- Jets: The Jets hired Aaron Glenn as their head coach. I think this is an “A+ decision” by a Jets’ franchise that is not known for making “A+ decisions”. Based on reports and having seen Glenn in interview settings, he is clearly a no-nonsense guy; should there be any drama associated with the team, my guess is that he will either use it to the team’s advantage or he will stamp it out. Glenn was a defensive player and has been an assistant on the defensive side of the ball; the Jets were “offensively challenged in 2024”; so, it will be important for him to get an Offensive Coordinator who can light a fire under the offense be it with or without Aaron Rodgers.
- Raiders: They hired Pete Carroll as their head coach. Rumor had it that Tom Brady was personally involved in trying to get Ben Johnson into this job but could not get that done. If I were Johnson in my first head coaching gig, I would surely prefer to work with Caleb Williams than the triumvirate of Gardner Minshew, Aiden O’Connell and Desmond Ridder. Carroll is 73 years old and has been coaching since 1973 with previous head coaching stints at USC, the Jets, the Patriots and the Seahawks. Carroll is a proven commodity here; nevertheless, the AFC West is no walk in the park; the other three teams there all made the playoffs in 2024, and the Chiefs are heading to their third consecutive Super Bowl game in two weeks.
- Pats: The Pats hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach. If Ben Johnson was not the “prize catch” in the coaching search this year, then Mike Vrabel was. If reports are accurate, Vrabel had 2024 “off” because he lost an internal struggle in Tennessee with the GM – who himself got fired at the end of this season. In his time at Tennessee, he made the playoffs three times and made it to the AFC Championship Game once and earning Coach of the Year recognition in five seasons there. Vrabel has already made an interesting hiring decision; back for a third trip around the league will be Josh McDaniels as the Offensive Coordinator for the Pats. McDaniels has been successful in that role to the extent that he has gotten two head coaching gigs from his performance there. Both of those head coaching gigs flamed out badly – – but he is back in a job where he has excelled in the past.
The job as head coach of the Saints is still open. I am surprised that there are not a whole lot of reports of candidates lining up for interviews because the Saints’ job seems very attractive to me for one simple reason. The NFC South is a weak division; the Bucs have won the division in the last four years and in three of those years, the Bucs won 10 games or less.
Finally, since today has been about football coaches, let me close with one of my favorite lines from Lou Holtz:
“Don’t tell your problems to people: eighty percent don’t care; and the other twenty percent are glad you have them.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………