7 Most Successful Coaches Who Had CFB and NFL Runs Since 2000

Only a select group of coaches can ever say they spent time leading both a college football team and an NFL franchise.

Their levels of success, unsurprisingly, have varied significantly.

Interestingly enough, two of the biggest names in this prominent club—Nick Saban and Pete Carroll—are moving on from their respective jobs following the 2023 seasons. Saban has retired from Alabama, and Carroll will no longer be the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

Oh, and Jim Harbaugh? He just won a national championship before what could be a return to the NFL.

The list does not include every one-time college and NFL coach since 2000. The choices are focused on those who achieved considerable success—such as conference and/or national titles, overall record or playoff trips—at either level, though preferably both college and the pros.

In college? Few better.

In the NFL? Few worse.

That's the short version of Urban Meyer's coaching career, which included stops at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State from 2001-18. He won seven conference titles with two at Utah, two at Florida and three at Ohio State while posting a combined 187-32 record.

Most notably, of course, Meyer guided Florida to a pair of national championships and Ohio State to a third. He's one of only three coaches to win national titles at different schools.

Meyer briefly coached the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. His personal conduct, both on and off the field, caused negative headlines and led to his dismissal after a disastrous 2-11 stint.

One of the more memorable characters in college coaching, Steve Spurrier put together excellent tenures at Florida and South Carolina. He remains the all-time leader in wins at both programs, tallying 122 and 86 victories in 12 and 11 seasons, respectively, with the schools.

Much of Spurrier's success with Florida happened before 2000, although he took his alma mater to an SEC title that season.

The flaw on his resume is a two-year NFL tenure with Washington. Spurrier had a tumultuous relationship with previous owner Dan Snyder, whose reputation to this day is—shall we say—less than stellar.

"I did a lousy job," Spurrier said in 2019. "The GM did a lousy job. He happened to be the owner, so who needed to go?"

After leaving Washington in 2003, the Head Ball Coach took a year off before accepting the South Carolina job. He coached there until resigning midway through the 2015 season.

Chip Kelly played a central role in college football's offensive revolution at Oregon, where he popularized a fast-paced spread offense that ultimately led to changes in substitution rules.

During his four seasons, Oregon notched a 46-7 record with conference titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Additionally, the Ducks finished as the national runner-up in 2010. All of that success resulted in Kelly heading to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013.

And that's where the roller coaster began.

Kelly helped the Eagles—who ended 4-12 as the NFC East's worst team one year earlier—rise to a 10-6 record and division title. Philly duplicated the record in 2014 but missed the playoffs, and Kelly wore out his welcome after eyebrow-raising trades and a 6-9 mark in 2015.

Although he quickly landed with the San Francisco 49ers, they fired him following a 2-14 season in 2016.

Kelly has since returned to the college ranks at UCLA, where he's managed a 35-34 record in six years.

Bill O'Brien accepted the inglorious task of replacing Joe Paterno at Penn State, which was embroiled in the Jerry Sandusky scandal and dismissed its legendary coach in 2011.

To the surprise of many, O'Brien oversaw an 8-4 campaign in his debut season. Penn State went 7-5 in 2013, as well.

He then jumped to the Houston Texans, where he spent six-plus years with reasonable success. Houston won four AFC South titles, although the team never advanced past the divisional round.

An 0-4 start to the 2020 campaign led to his firing; O'Brien exited the Texans with a 52-48 record.

The 54-year-old has served as the offensive coordinator for both Alabama and the New England Patriots in recent seasons.

Nick Saban, the greatest coach in college football history, is officially riding off into his retirement sunset.

Back in 2000, he leapt from Michigan State to LSU—and promptly won a national title in 2003. Saban notched a 48-16 mark during his five seasons in Baton Rouge before taking over the Miami Dolphins.

Saban went 9-7 in 2005 and 6-10 in 2006. However, he's most remembered for telling reporters—amid rumors of him entertaining a return to college—that "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Within two weeks, he was in fact the Alabama coach.

It worked out perfectly for Saban and the Crimson Tide.

Saban notched an absurd 201-29 record in 17 seasons, collecting nine SEC titles and six national championships. He created an iconic dynasty while sparking the sport's facilities and recruiting arms races.

Jim Harbaugh's career is fascinating.

After a superb run at lower-division San Diego from 2004-06, he quickly built up Stanford. The team finished 1-11 in the season prior to his arrival; by 2010, the Cardinal won the Rose Bowl and went 12-1.

Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers, who ascended from 6-10 to an NFC West-winning 13-3 record in 2011. San Francisco made the NFC Championship in each of his first three seasons with a Super Bowl appearance—in which the Niners fell to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his brother John Harbaugh—during the middle year.

Harbaugh, though, was essentially run out of the organization after the 2014 season despite an impressive 44-19-1 mark.

He returned to college with his alma mater Michigan, where Harbaugh won plenty of games yet dealt with a stream of rivalry and big-game losses. But a surge started in 2021; Michigan is currently on a streak of three straight Big Ten championships and just won a national title.

Harbaugh is one of just five coaches to win a national championship and take an NFL team to a Super Bowl.

At this point, it seems inevitable Harbaugh will return to the pros—whether that's in 2024 or later—in hopes of finishing the job.

Many coaches are more accomplished than Pete Carroll in college or the NFL. However, only two others—Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson—have celebrated championships at both levels like Carroll.

His journey certainly wasn't a straightforward one, though.

Carroll secured his first NFL opportunity with the New York Jets in 1994, but they fired him after a 6-10 season. He landed a second chance in New England from 1997-99 and fared a bit better, winning the AFC East in his first year but drifting to 9-7 and 8-8.

Following a year out of coaching, he headed to USC in 2001. Carroll revitalized the proud program with a 97-19 record in nine seasons, earning at least a share of seven Pac-10 titles with one BCS national championship. (USC also claimed a share of the 2003 crown.)

NCAA violations—many of which, today, would not be infractions—unceremoniously ended his tenure after the 2009 season.

Carroll spent the next 14 years leading the Seattle Seahawks, who made the playoffs 10 times and won a Super Bowl in 2013. He guided the team to five NFC West crowns and registered a 137-89-1 record.