Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has assembled a coaching staff of NFL greats, which includes Warren Sapp and, recently, Marshall Faulk.
With Sanders hiring Faulk, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, as running backs coach for the Buffaloes this offseason, it sparks a question. How many well-known NFL players are coaching in college football?
College football has numerous productive NFL players on various coaching staffs, from Offensive Player of the Years to All-Pros. Sanders is a hall of famer himself, as well.
Teams across the Power Four have clearly put an emphasis on hiring former players with loads of success and experience, which definitely doesn’t hurt when it comes to recruiting.
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Here’s a look at some of the most notable former NFL players coaching in the Power Four ranks in college football:
NFL players coaching in college football
Career earningsaccording to Spotrac. Some players’ earnings are not available.
Here are the most notable full-time assistants or head coaches currently in Power Four college football that played in the NFL:
Marshall Faulk, Colorado
Faulk played for the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams from 1994-2005 and was named as Colorado’s running backs coach earlier this offseason.
Faulk is one of the most decorated former NFL players in college football, as he won the 2000 MVP and won three consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards from 1999-2001. The six-time All-Pro running back will earn $400,000 in 2025 in his first season as a coach.
Career earnings: $48,935,000
Deion Sanders, Colorado
Sanders, the electrifying head coach of the Buffaloes, is one of three Pro Football Hall of Fame members on his Colorado staff, along with Faulk and Sapp, an analyst.
The 1994 Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time All-Pro selection went 9-4 at Colorado in 2024 after finishing 4-8 in 2023. The former defensive back also mentored his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter Jr., who are both expected to be among the top picks of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sanders got his college coaching start as the head coach at Jackson State in 2020.
Career earnings: $33,568,331
Brian Hartline, Ohio State
Hartline, who was promoted to be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator and chief play caller next season after Chip Kelly joined Pete Carroll’s coaching staff in Las Vegas, is known as perhaps the best wide receiver recruiter in college football. First-round picks Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are among those who came under Hartline’s mentorship in his short coaching career to date, with Hartline also getting superstar Jeremiah Smith to Columbus.
Hartline, a former fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Miami Dolphins from 2012-13, catching 150 passes for a combined 2,099 yards and five touchdowns in those seasons.
Hartline has been the Buckeyes’ receivers coach since 2018.
Career earnings: $18,567,975
James Lauranitis, Ohio State
Another former Buckeye, James Lauranitis was named Ohio State’s linebackers coach in 2024 after serving as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame and Ohio State in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Lauranitis was one of the better linebackers in the NFL after being drafted in the second round in 2009. The former St. Louis Ram led the NFL in tackles in 2012 and finished his career with 869 total tackles, making starts in 115 of his 117 all-time games.
Career earnings: $35,831,297
Hines Ward, Arizona State
Three-time All-Pro receiver Hines Ward was named Arizona State’s receivers coach ahead of the 2024 season, after previously spending a season as the head coach of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.
The two-time Super Bowl winner and 2005 Super Bowl MVP with the Pittsburgh Steelers caught 1,000 passes for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns in his 14 seasons, all of which were with the Steelers.
Ward played a key role on the Sun Devils’ offensive staff, helping lead Arizona State and second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham to the College Football Playoff in 2024.
Career earnings: $38,919,250
DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
DeMarco Murray coached one season at Arizona in 2019 before returning to Oklahoma, his alma mater, in 2020 as the running backs coach.
Murray was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 with the Dallas Cowboys after rushing for a league-leading 1,845 yards with 13 touchdowns, also catching 57 passes for 416 yards.
Murray played from 2011-17 with the Cowboys, Eagles and Titans, and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and 2014 first-team All-Pro pick.
Career earnings: $25,715,703
Jason Taylor, Miami
One of the most feared pass rushers of the 2000s, former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman has been Miami’s defensive ends coach since 2023.
Taylor, the Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, was a four-time All-Pro pick and holds the NFL record for most fumble return touchdowns (6). He’s one of a few Pro Football Hall of Famers on this list.
The six-time Pro Bowler is one of the most productive former NFL players coaching in college football.
Patrick Surtain Sr., Florida State
Patrick Surtain Sr., the father of Patrick Surtain Jr., who just won the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year for the Denver Broncos, was a great player himself.
Surtain Sr., currently the defensive backs coach at Florida State, was a back-to-back first-team All-Pro selection in 2002 and 2003. He intercepted 37 passes and finished his career with 547 total tackles in 11 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and and Kansas City Chiefs.
Surtain Sr. was a longtime high school coach before becoming a defensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins in 2022. He became the Seminoles’ defensive backs coach in 2023.
Chris Weinke, Georgia Tech
Chris Weinke is currently the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech after joining the program in 2022.
Weinke, of course, won the 2000 Heisman Trophy at Florida State after passing for a nation-leading 4,167 yards with 33 touchdowns. He led the Seminoles to the national championship, where they fell to Oklahoma 13-2.
Weinke played seven years in the NFL for the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers, starting 15 games his rookie season but only five games the rest of his career in a backup role.
Weinke enrolled at FSU at 25 years old after attempting a professional baseball career before returning to college.
Career earnings: $6,564,000
CJ Spiller, Clemson
Spiller returned to Clemson, his alma mater, as a graduate intern in 2020. He was promoted to running backs coach in 2021.
The former No. 9 overall pick in 2010 was a 2012 Pro Bowl selection, and played eight seasons, most of which were with the Buffalo Bills. Spiller’s best season came in 2012, when he ran for 1,244 yards with six touchdowns, also catching 43 passes for 459 yards with two additional scores.
Spiller also played for the Saints, Seahawks, Jets and Chiefs.
Career earnings: $29,633,298
Donovan Raiola, Nebraska
Donovan Raiola is best known for being Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola’s uncle and Dominic Raiola’s brother.
Raiola, the current offensive line coach at Nebraska, played in one career NFL game although his brother was a 14-year veteran with the Lions and started 203 of his 219 games at center.
Donovan Raiola spent time on eight different practice squads in his career, with three separate stints with the St. Louis Rams.
Tashard Choice, Texas
Texas running backs coach Tashard Choice has been an up-and-coming coach in college football, recently interviewing for the Dallas Cowboys running backs coach job. Choice is staying at Texas, however.
The former fourth-round pick ran for 1,579 yards with 10 total touchdowns in his seven-year NFL career with the Cowboys, Washington, Buffalo and Indianapolis. His best season came as a rookie in 2008 when he ran for 472 yards with two touchdowns and caught 21 passes for 185 yards.
Career earnings: $3,551,985
Mike Furrey, South Carolina
Mike Furrey is one of the most interesting players on this list, as he started his college career as a walk-on at Ohio State before transferring to Northern Iowa, where he became one of the school’s best receivers ever.
Furrey, the receivers coach at South Carolina since 2024, went undrafted in 2000 and bounced around multiple teams before finding a role as a receiver and safety for the St. Louis Rams from 2003-05. His best season came in 2006, when he caught 98 passes for 1,086 yards with six touchdowns for the Detroit Lions.
Furrey has also served as the receivers coach for the Chicago Bears and was the head coach at Division II Limestone before being hired by the Gamecocks.
Mike Peterson, Florida
Mike Peterson is the outside linebackers coach at Florida, and is perhaps best known for being Adrian Peterson’s older brother.
Peterson had a solid NFL career himself, however, as he was the combined tackles leader in 2000 and a second-team All-Pro pick in 2005.
The linebacker for the Colts, Jaguars and Falcons finished his 14-year career with 1,220 total tackles, 21.5 sacks and 163 starts in 198 career games.
Peterson was previously the outside linebackers coach at South Carolina from 2016-21. He returned to Florida, his alma mater, in 2022.
Career earnings: $31,839,000
Phil Loadholt, Mississippi State
Loadholt was the offensive line coach at Colorado, serving as one of many former NFL players on Sanders’ staff in 2024. However, he was hired by Mississippi State for the same role ahead of the 2025 season.
Loadholt played seven seasons for the Minnesota Vikings, starting all 89 of his career games. He retired after 2015 season when he tore his Achilles in the preseason.
Loadholt was a second-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2009, and is in his second season as a full-time assistant coach after serving as an offensive analyst at UCF, Ole Miss and Oklahoma prior to Colorado.
Career earnings: $24,227,500