As the regular season concludes for the NFL this weekend, firings have already started for the Atlanta Falcons, who have decided to part ways with head coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot.
Morris spent two seasons as Atlanta’s HC, also serving as an assistant coach from 2015 to 2020, and was hired as head coach in 2024. He was unable to produce a playoff appearance in either season.
This certainly comes as no surprise to anyone in the league, following the realization that had Atlanta not lost to the New York Jets in late November, they’d be in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 with an outright spot over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whom they tied for first in the NFC South with at 8-9 along with the Carolina Panthers.
5 NFL-Ready College Football Coach Replacements for the Falcons
Now, with the clock ticking til the all-star circuit in college football begins at the end of this month, Falcons owner Arthur Blank will have some big decisions to make for the next leader of his team.
Several big names in the NFL, like 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, are expected to generate some buzz as potential fixtures for the next coach of an NFL team, but what if Arthur Blank decided to head outside the box and dip into the college football coaching pool?
Here are five college coaches who could get a call from Arthur Blank about possibly coaching the Atlanta Falcons next season:
5. Lincoln Riley, USC Head Coach
Deemed college football’s quarterback whisperer, Lincoln Riley has put three Heisman-winning quarterbacks and several first-rounders in the NFL, and now the next step may be for Riley himself to head for the NFL as well. Although he has no NFL experience, Riley remains one of the brightest offensive minds in the country. With the right defensive coordinator, one can certainly transform a team, given the right opportunity.
4. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame Head Coach
One of the fastest-rising stars in the coaching world, Marcus Freeman, had already received NFL inquiries last season, although no move was made, as the head coach at Notre Dame was retained for the 2025 season.
Freeman is an analytically oriented head coach and is certainly calculating his next move when the time comes to leave the Fighting Irish. If any NFL coaching job were to entice him right now, it’d be Atlanta’s opening.
3. Deion Sanders, Colorado Head Coach
No coach on this list may have a more extended history with the Atlanta Falcons than former player and current Colorado Buffs HC Deion Sanders. Prime Time spent five seasons as a Falcon after being drafted fifth overall in 1989.
As a Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion, Sanders knows firsthand what it takes to win as a player. Always welcoming a new challenge as a coach, perhaps the next step for Deion Sanders is to coach in the NFL.
2. Jedd Fisch, Washington Head Coach
With a plethora of NFL experience under his belt, Jedd Fisch may be a perfect fit for a team seeking a new head coach. Although his highest title to date in the league is an offensive coordinator, Fisch has all the makings of an NFL HC, being regarded highly for the utilization of his dual-quarterback-infused offenses.
Fisch has served as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, the Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots.
1. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Head Coach
Longhorn fans look away, but head coach Steve Sarkisian could be one of the top offensive-minded head coaches to make the jump to the NFL from college football. A former Offensive Coordinator for Atlanta, Sarkisian spent two seasons with the team from 2017 to 2018 before being let go after a 7-9 season.
With history in the A, perhaps Sarkisian gets a call back to the place he once called home for two years.
