It’s hard to find a good coach in the NFL. It’s why teams are constantly either making changes or considering a move to swap head coaches. After all, coaches like Mike Tomlin, Kevin O’Connell, and Andy Reid don’t grow on trees.
Teams will look under every rock in search of the next rising star. Whether it’s promoting a coordinator who’s never been a head coach at any level or even dipping into the college ranks, franchises aren’t afraid to think outside the box. That could be what we see again during the 2025 NFL hiring cycle.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: Latest Round 1 projections, including the Patriots, Titans, and Browns
Texas Longhorns’ Steve Sarkisian expected to draw NFL interest
One coach who’s been around for a while, since 2000, is Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian. He’s been the head coach for the USC Trojans, and Washington Huskies, and now he has the Longhorns set to play Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, once the Longhorns’ season is over, Sarkisian could receive some calls from NFL teams with coaching vacancies.
“I would expect some teams to call and inquire about the Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who is drawing some interest from the NFL level.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter on NFL interest in Steve Sarkisian
Related: NFL coaching candidates 2025: Identifying top NFL head coach candidates
A spin on the NFL coaching carousel. pic.twitter.com/VqBSp7CSq2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 5, 2025
As much success as Sarkisian has had at the college level, he’s never been a head coach in the NFL before. He does, however, have three seasons of experience in the NFL. His first opportunity came in 2004 as the Oakland Raiders’ QB coach. Then, from 2017-18, he served as the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator. So it’s not unreasonable to think he’d want to head back to the NFL, this time as a head coach.
