How 7 Former NFL Players Fared After Landing A Job As A College Head Coach

On Tuesday, Michael Vick became the latest former NFL player to step into the role of the head coach of a college team when he agreed to take the reins at Norfolk State. This marks the first time the retired QB will be in charge of a program, and he joins a fairly lengthy list of ex-pros who kicked off a new chapter of their career at the NCAA level.

It’s easy to understand why college football teams are willing to take a chance on former NFL players who don’t have any experience as a head coach—especially when the hire in question is the kind of big name with the potential to make a splash.

There’s no telling what the future holds for Michael Vick at Norfolk State, and history has shown taking a gamble on a guy who played in the NFL can be a hit-or-miss venture for college programs that decide to go that route.

Deion Sanders

It’s only natural to kick things off with Coach Prime, the former NFL superstar who had spent some time coaching at the high school level before Jackson State hired him ahead of the 2020 season.

That ended up being a pretty good call, as Sanders rebounded from a 4-3 start to his tenure by winning two consecutive SWAC championships while going undefeated in conference play.

He posted a 27-6 record before taking over at Colorado, and the program seems to be in pretty good hands based on how the Buffs looked this year after bouncing back in a big way from their 4-8 showing in 2023.

Eddie George

Eddie George was an absolute beast during his nine seasons as a running back in the NFL, and the man who spent the bulk of his career with the Titans was named the head coach at Tennessee State in 2021.

George has posted a fairly lackluster 24–22 record during the four seasons he’s spent with the Tigers, but he had his best one yet in 2024 with the 9-4 campaign that clinched an FCS playoff berth and led to him being named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year.

Trent Dilfer

Trent Dilfer spent 14 years in the NFL before retiring in 2008, and the Super Bowl-winning QB spent some served as an analyst before becoming the head coach of the high school football team at Lipscomb Academy in 2019.

That squad won a state championship after going undefeated in 2022, and Dilfer landed his first gig as a college head coach when UAB hired him in the wake of that title run.

However, it’s been a rocky transition to the next level, as the Blazers went 4-8 during his inaugural season before falling to 3-9 in 2024. The school somewhat surprisingly confirmed Dilfer will be returning for a third year, but he’ll be firmly on the hot seat when it kicks off.

Jim Harbaugh

The first few names on this list had never coached at the college level in any capacity before earning a job as a head coach, but the rest of these former players had a bit more experience under their belt before climbing to the top of the ladder.

That includes Jim Harbaugh, who benefitted from being the son of longtime Western Kentucky coach Jack Harbaugh and being an NFL QB for 14 seasons.

He served as an unpaid assistant to his dad at WKU during the second half of his NFL career and spent two years as a QB coach for the Raiders before being named the head coach at San Diego State in 2004.

He went 29-6 in three seasons with the Toreros, which included two back-to-back 11-1 campaigns that led to him being poached by Stanford to kickstart a coaching career where he spent four years with the 49ers, won a national championship at Michigan, and headed back to the NFL with the Chargers.

DeShaun Foster

DeShaun Foster had a stellar career at UCLA before being drafted by the Panthers in 2002, and the RB’s NFL career lasted for six years before coming to an end.

In 2012, he reunited with his alma mater by serving as an assistant to the younger Jim Mora, and had a brief stint at Texas Tech as an RB coach before heading back to UCLA in 2017.

Chip Kelly promoted him to associate head coach in 2023, and he took over in 2024 before posting a 5-7 record during his first season as the head coach of the Bruins.

Jeff Brohm

Jeff Brohm played football at Louisville and spent seven years serving as a backup QB for six different NFL teams prior to kicking off his coaching career.

He got his first shot as a head coach at Western Kentucky in 2014 and went 30-10 in three seasons before making the leap to Purdue.

He wasn’t really able to replicate that success with the Boilermakers by going 36-34 over the course of six seasons, but he’s rebounded since linking back up with Louisville in 2023 with the 18-8 record he’s posted so far.

P.J. Fleck

P.J. Fleck technically earned the right to be called an NFL player, as he appeared in one game for the 49ers in 2005 while fielding a single punt return and recording a tackle while defending against another.

Fleck served as an assistant coach at Ohio State and Rutgers and agreed to serve as the offensive coordinator at NIU in 2012 a day before he opted to take a supporting role with the Buccaneers.

The following year, he got his first shot as a head coach at the college level at Western Michigan to kick off a four-year stint where he went 30–22. He headed to Minnesota in 2017, and has remained there ever since while going 57–39 with the Gophers.