The NFL’s usual habit is to dig through its own coordinator ranks when a head-coaching job opens. But that doesn’t mean pro teams won’t at least look across the college football aisle when the 2026 season wraps up.
And there are three names that could get real attention in the 2027 hiring cycle: Marcus Freeman, Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian.
Marcus Freeman is the clearest fit on the list, mostly because the interest has already been out in the open. Freeman said in December that he would stay at Notre Dame for the 2026 season, a decision that came after reported buzz from teams such as the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.
At 40, Freeman has already put together a 43-12 record at Notre Dame and guided the Irish to a national championship appearance. Just as important, he has shown he can handle the pressure cooker that comes with one of the sport’s biggest brands - the scrutiny, the recruiting, the expectation that never lets up.
His defensive background should play well in the NFL, too. The league has shown more willingness lately to bet on younger defensive-minded head coaches who can build the culture and trust the right offensive staff to do the rest.
The one obvious question is experience, or rather the lack of it. Freeman has never coached in the NFL.
Still, he said he has talked with league executives and used those conversations to better understand what professional teams want in a head coach. If Notre Dame turns in another strong season, those conversations figure to matter a lot more.
Ryan Day’s path looks a little different, but it could be just as appealing to NFL owners. He’s already knocked off two issues that once made his future in Columbus feel unstable: Ohio State won the national championship after the 2024 season, and Day finally got past Michigan in 2025 after four straight losses in the rivalry.
With those burdens off his back, an NFL move would look less like a rescue mission and more like a natural next step.
Day brings the kind of background pro teams tend to like. He comes from offense and has NFL experience as a quarterbacks coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. He has also spent years developing quarterbacks who fit the NFL mold while managing a roster loaded with talent.
The record speaks loudly, too. Day is 82-12 at Ohio State, a number that stands out even with the Buckeyes’ built-in advantages.
He makes sense for a team with a young quarterback and an owner looking for someone who can oversee the whole operation. If Ohio State goes on another deep playoff run, Day’s name should be everywhere once the 2027 carousel starts spinning.
Then there’s Steve Sarkisian, who may be the most attractive offensive name of the group. He gives NFL teams something they chase relentlessly: a proven offensive coach who develops quarterbacks.
Sarkisian has turned Texas into a regular national championship threat, but the bigger selling point for NFL decision-makers is that he runs the offense himself. That matters. A team hiring Sarkisian wouldn’t have to worry about watching its offensive architect get poached every January.
He also has NFL background on his résumé, having coached quarterbacks for the then-Oakland Raiders in 2004 and served as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and 2018.
Of course, there are reasons to hesitate. Sarkisian already has one of the best jobs in college football. Texas can financially keep pace with almost any NFL team, and the recruiting edge he enjoys in college doesn’t exist in the pros.
Even so, NFL owners love offense, quarterback development and familiar names. Sarkisian checks every one of those boxes.
Freeman has the most concrete buzz around him right now, while Day and Sarkisian have profiles that fit the NFL well. None of them has to leave. But that has never stopped pro teams from making the call.
In Other News...
Michael Irvin's Notre Dame CFP Complaint Misses One Huge Reality
Michael Irvins gripe about Notre Dames College Football Playoff path taps into a familiar debate, but it leaves out the part of the bracket structure that matters most to Miami. Under the current rules, Notre Dame can lock up a playoff berth by finishing in the top 12 of the final rankings, a setup that has long fueled complaints from fans of teams chasing spots through conference play. It is the sort of wrinkle that can make a November matchup feel bigger than a single game.
Miami, though, is not boxed out by the Irish being in the mix. The ACC champion gets an automatic playoff bid, alongside the champs from the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, plus the highest-ranked Group of 6 champion, so the Hurricanes still control a different route into the field. Even if they stumble against Notre Dame, they can keep their postseason case alive by winning the league, which is why the real stakes in this discussion go beyond one complaint about one opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Saw An Old Defensive End Twist Help LSU Fast
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From Notre Dames perspective, the move is another reminder of how fluid the roster market has become, especially when a player with experience and versatility suddenly becomes available again. LSU has already fortified that front with help from Ole Miss and Tennessee, along with incoming freshmen, and Tuihalamaka gives the Tigers another piece to sort into the mix while the wider legal backdrop keeps creating unexpected openings. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Could Be Facing A Defensive Line Decision It Wanted To Avoid
Notre Dames late-summer roster picture has picked up another layer of uncertainty on the defensive line, with Junior Tuihalamakas camp indicating the former Irish lineman intends to enter the transfer portal even though he has not officially done so. His path back to campus has already taken a detour, after a temporary restraining order allowed him and other players to return for a final college season and he received special approval to explore that option.
The Irish have discussed the possibility of bringing Tuihalamaka back, but the situation does not appear settled, and that hesitation could end up shaping his next move. For a program that would prefer clarity in the trenches before camp fully takes hold, the unresolved status of a veteran lineman is the sort of roster decision Notre Dame has been trying to avoid. [Read more 🡒]