Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher is going to see one of his quarterbacks go in the first round for the third time in the past five drafts later this month, and he was asked Tuesday if he ever had considered being an NFL head coach.
"I never say never," Fisher told "ProFootballTalk Live". "I'm not one of those guys that that's my end-all ambition. But in this business, you never say never."
Fisher then was asked if he had been approached about being an NFL head coach and he did say there have been some inquiries "through agents and stuff like that." He also said that he had been contacted about an NFL head-coaching job "recently."
He also said, "I don't have that ambition -- not saying, again, I wouldn't -- but it's not my driving force to have to be a pro football coach."
FSU's Jameis Winston is in line to be the first overall pick in the draft; he would join recent FSU quarterbacks Christian Ponder (in 2011) and EJ Manuel (in 2013) as first-round picks.
So what makes FSU quarterbacks so appealing to NFL teams? Fisher said it's because he uses a pro-style offense and his quarterbacks are well-versed in NFL-type offenses.
Presumably, that is why Fisher also would be appealing to some NFL teams, though the most recent coach to make the college-to-pro switch was Chip Kelly, who ran a spread offense at Oregon before he was hired away by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The "Fisher-to-the-NFL" talk could be a double-edged sword on the recruiting trail. There's no question Fisher can tout his system to offensive recruits, saying it will get them ready to play in the NFL. On the other hand, it's naïve to think opposing coaches won't bring up the idea that Fisher could leave for the NFL -- and point out that Fisher himself has talked about just that scenario.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
