5 college football coaches who would make good basketball coaches

Ever wonder which college football coaches would make the best college basketball coaches?

College basketball has yet to tip, but we are in the middle of college football season. Both sports are dominated by their strong coaching personalities. Think college basketball and you think of Mike Krzyzewski, Bill Self, or John Calipari. This is because, while their rosters might change year to year, these men will still be on the court ready to lead the next incarnation of college basketball.

Sports are about strategic thinking, tactical execution, and personnel management at the coaching level. Some of those qualities are transferable between one sport to another. Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott was the coach of his daughter’s softball team. Michigan State fans toyed with the idea of handing the football team over to Tom Izzo based on his coaching prowess.

Of course the practicality of having coaches of many hats begins and usually ends at the high school level. The sports emphasize different skills and specializations. They have different rules and terminology. Some games simply appeal to some people while others do not.

What if we could put all those things aside for a moment? What if we could take the college football talent pool of coaches and had to pick a basketball coach from it?

Let’s look at five coaches who would make good transitions from one sport to the other. This is based on their current coaching style in football and not on any previous basketball experience. You may disagree with the list here, if so make sure to say so in the comments. Also none of these selections are criticisms of their current basketball counterpart.