Former Texas Tech football head coach Kliff Kingsbury is rumored to be a leading candidate to fill the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach vacancy.
It appears that the post-Texas Tech portion of Kliff Kingsbury’s career could take another fascinating turn. Just a month after agreeing to be the offensive coordinator at USC, it is not being rumored that the former Red Raider head coach is a leading candidate to be the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Since being fired by Kirby Hocutt on November 25th, the career of the 39 year-old has resembled a soap opera. The most recent plot twist came when it was reported Saturday that USC athletic director Lynn Swann was blocking Kingsbury from interviewing with the Cardinals and New York Jets.
Eventually, public perception against that stance seemed to prompt USC to back off of their hard line giving Kingsbury an opportunity to test the NFL waters. Now it appears that he has emerged as a leading candidate to take over in Arizona.
Noted college football reporter Bruce Feldman is reporting that the Cardinals’ general manger Steve Keim is impressed with Kingsbury. And it is easy to see why a team in their situation would be interested in an offensive innovator.
The Kliff Kingsbury situation is pretty interesting. As we reported yesterday he interviewed with the Jets Monday, and has met previously with the Cardinals about their HC vacancy too. Am told the Cards GM is really impressed with Kingsbury, per source.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 8, 2019
After investing the No. 10 pick in last year’s draft on UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, the Cardinals’ future now revolves around their ability to turn their young QB into a franchise cornerstone. But the returns from his rookie year were less than conclusive.
In 14 games, Rosen threw for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns but was far too risky with the football throwing 14 interceptions. Many expected more out of a player that was arguably the most physically talented QB prospect in the 2018 draft class.
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Last week, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com listed his top 25 rookies of 2018 and Rosen did not make the list. On Jeremiah’s list were three quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Allen, who were all taken in the top 10 last year indicating that Rosen may be lagging behind in terms of his development.
That is why Kingsbury could be the best potential mentor for the young QB. There is no coach in the game with a better pedigree of developing quarterbacks, especially in the principals of the spread offense which has become the offense du jour of the NFL, than the man who helped develop Pat Mahomes, Mayfield, Case Keenum and Davis Webb.
Overall, the Cardinals had the NFL’s worst offense this year. Ranked last in total offense, Arizona amassed just 241 yards per game, 48 yards fewer than the next worst team, the Miami Dolphins.
Arizona holds the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft giving them an opportunity to add much-needed talent. But that is a decision that will likely be made by someone other than their head coach, which would be just fine for Kingsbury.
The biggest difference in the responsibilities of NFL and college head coaches is that NFL coaches have to worry most about game-planning and not about assembling the roster as is the case in college. While Kingsbury would have a say in how his team is put together, he will not have to worry as much about the off-field considerations of building a franchise.
His main shortcomings as Red Raider head coach were in his inability to recruit at a high level and his reluctance to be the public face of the program. At the NFL level, he could focus more on the football aspect of the job.
It is fascinating to think that a coach who went 35-40 at a Big 12 school would be a hot commodity with NFL teams, especially as a head coach candidate. But that speaks to the importance of offensive innovation in the modern game. And despite the fact that he has no prior NFL coaching experience, it is looking far more likely that Kliff Kingsbury could parlay his time as the mastermind of one of the most prolific offenses in college football into a NFL head coaching opportunity much sooner than anyone expected.