There will be calls if the Florida job opens up after the season. There will be calls for many NFL jobs when they open up, too.
The hottest coach this offseason might just be one of college football's most veteran CEOs. And unlike past years when it was a quick phone conversation, there could be more to it after 2014.
If you're looking for a big name to make the move from the college to the NFL ranks, one does not have to look any further than Oklahoma's Bob Stoops. The 54-year-old has flirted with the NFL before. While he hasn't pulled the trigger on taking the step up to the pro game, the timing could be just right for him to do so and follow in the path of another Sooners coaching legend, Barry Switzer.
A source told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport in January that Stoops was more open than ever to jumping to the NFL. Another source inside the Oklahoma program recently told College Football 24/7 that it's certainly "feasible" Stoops pursues an NFL gig after a successful run in 2014.
There's nothing that Stoops hasn't accomplished at the college level. He has a national title ring to go with his eight Big 12 championships. He's won every BCS bowl game and is a favorite to make it into the inaugural College Football Playoff. He's produced 13 first-round draft picks and has the program set up for continued success well after he leaves.
It's also his 16th season in Norman. That's a long time in any one place. It's longer than his mentor and close friend, Steve Spurrier, was at Florida and likely longer than he'll be at South Carolina. Only Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and Troy's Larry Blakeney have been in their current spots longer than Stoops.
He's young enough to stay at Oklahoma and channel Bobby Bowden. But Stoops won't.
While the native Ohioan flirted with the Cleveland Browns after his team won the Sugar Bowl, that never seemed like the right fit. The right fit might open up not too far down the road, however.
The Dallas Cowboys remain one of the NFL's marquee programs despite a middling record the past decade. They very well could have a head-coach opening after the season if they fail to make the playoffs. Jerry Jones loves nothing more than to make a splash, and he would do just that in backing the Brinks truck up and hiring Stoops.
It's not just Stoops' ability to build and sustain excellence that would be attractive to Jones, either. He knows defense and the Cowboys' fatal flaw recently has been on that side of the ball. He's faced more spread/up-tempo attacks in college than anybody and should be able to easily adapt to what the more reserved NFL offenses are able to throw at him. Stoops is also not shy in thinking outside the box on offense, either -- good news because whoever takes the Cowboys' job will need to put up touchdowns on AT&T Stadium's massive jumbotron.
Some think Stoops' massive new home in Norman will be an obstacle to him leaving. Chip Kelly's brand-new empty house in Eugene certainly doesn't think so. Stoops, who is very loyal to Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, would give the Dallas job a long look. It wouldn't just be about money -- if he got a say over personnel, it might present an ideal situation for him. Throw in the possibility that his brother, associate head coach/defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, could succeed him at OU and things could work out all around.
There will be a lot of names thrown around once jobs start opening up in the NFL this winter, and a number of college coaches will be high on owners' lists after the success Kelly and Pete Carroll have seen lately.
The No. 1 name, though, might just be Bob Stoops.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
