8 worst college-to-pro head coaching jobs in NFL history
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On Monday, the NFL learned that former college football star Urban Meyer lost his case against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars fired Meyer for cause and won the grievance, saving the franchise more than $30 million.
Meyer is now just a footnote in the NFL’s long history of head coaches who failed to live up to expectations. Unlike Jimmy Johnson and Jim Harbaugh, Meyer could not translate his college football dominance to the professional level. Many college coaches have faced the same challenge.
Here are some of the worst performances by college-to-NFL head coaches in league history.
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Bobby Petrino, 2-11 Record
Petrino may serve as the ultimate case study in failed organizational due diligence. His hiring by the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 turned into a complete disaster.
He quickly fractured relationships with players, appeared overwhelmed by the job, and eventually quit in the middle of the season. Petrino became the blueprint for how not to lead an NFL franchise.
Urban Meyer, 2-11 Record
Meyer’s tenure in Jacksonville was so disastrous that it deserves another mention. He looked overwhelmed from the start, and it quickly became clear he was not suited for the NFL.
From kicking his kicker, to signing Tim Tebow, to getting caught at a college bar during the season, Meyer’s run with the Jaguars became a public embarrassment. It almost raises the question of how he achieved so much success at the college level.
Chip Kelly, 28-35 Record
Kelly’s NFL tenure started well enough. He posted 10-6 records in each of his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and won an NFC East title. Then everything unraveled.
Kelly lost trust within the organization, made questionable personnel decisions, and appeared uninterested in building meaningful relationships. The Eagles fired him after the 2015 season, and his one-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 went even worse.
His return to the NFL in 2025 as an offensive coordinator somehow proved even more disappointing.
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Matt Rhule, 11-27 Record
Rhule looked overmatched almost from the beginning. Warning signs emerged when details of his massive contract demands surfaced. The Carolina Panthers made him one of the highest-paid coaches in NFL history after outbidding the New York Giants.
Rhule never found stability in Carolina, constantly reshuffling both his coaching staff and quarterback room. He may have regretted leaving Baylor as quickly as he did.
Steve Spurrier, 12-20 Record
Spurrier built one of the greatest coaching résumés in college football history at Florida, winning multiple SEC titles and a national championship. However, his tenure with the Washington Redskins never came close to matching that success.
He frequently clashed with ownership and the front office, eventually losing influence over roster decisions, including the quarterback position. Spurrier also developed a reputation for bringing in former Florida players who simply were not NFL-caliber talent.
Lou Holtz, 3-10 Record
The New York Jets hired Holtz over candidates such as Johnny Majors, Darryl Rogers, and Marv Levy. His lone season in 1976 quickly turned into a disappointment.
Holtz later became a legend at Notre Dame, and most fans eventually forgot about his brief and unsuccessful Jets tenure.
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Butch Davis, 24-35 Record
Browns head coach Butch Davis talks with offensive lineman Ross Verba on the sidelines, Sunday Nov. 28, 2004 during his team’s 58-48 loss at the Bengals.
Davis enjoyed tremendous success as the head coach at Miami, leading the Hurricanes to a Sugar Bowl victory in 2000 with one of the most talented teams in college football history.
Unfortunately, Davis chose to join the perpetually struggling Cleveland Browns franchise. He became another casualty in the organization’s long line of failed head coaches after the team returned in 1999.
Greg Schiano, 11-21 Record
Schiano did an impressive job rebuilding the Rutgers football program, which earned him the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching job in 2012. Two seasons later, the Buccaneers fired him.
Still, Schiano successfully returned to Rutgers, where he will likely remain unless the program eventually decides to move on.
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