Before Kliff Kingsbury was hired in 2019 as the Arizona Cardinals head coach, he spent six seasons coaching the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Of course, Kingsbury was let go from the Cardinals this offseason after a 4-13 season and a 28-37-1 record as an NFL head coach.
Once Kingsbury was let go, it was widely assumed he’d either land on his feet in the NFL as an offensive coordinator or possibly as a quarterbacks coach since that’s his specialty as a former QB himself.
While becoming a college head coach certainly could have been possible, the most attractive landing spots had already been filled by other candidates.
Otherwise, rumors suggested he Kingsbury could very well enjoy the time away from football, with the Cardinals still paying the final year of his original five-year agreement, where he’s set to make $7.5 million.
Instead, Kingsbury is headed back to college, and it isn’t as a head coach. Yet, Kingsbury will be working with potentially the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, as he’s set to become the QB coach for the USC Trojans, who have Caleb Williams leading the way.
By joining coach Lincoln Riley’s staff, Kingsbury will be working with another young bright offensive mind who could be poised to take his talent to the NFL in due time. Riley is still just 39, the same age as Kingsbury when he took the lead gig with the Cardinals.
Perhaps Kingsbury can offer some pointers while getting to rebuild his resume while working with the next top QB prospect set to take the NFL by storm.
Related: Grading college football coaching hires 2022-’23: Ranking the best hires from the coaching carousel