San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was reportedly snubbed for the head coaching vacancy with the Cleveland Browns. As a result, he could potentially have his eye on a transition back to the college ranks.
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio has announced his retirement after 13 seasons with the team, and Albert Breer of the MMQB has pegged Saleh as a possible candidate to replace him:
There are a few obvious names — Fickell, Narduzzi — for the now open Michigan State job. But I wouldn't discount 49ers DC Robert Saleh as a candidate for the job.
He coached there for 2 years, got a master's degree from there, has an uncle who played there. It's home for him.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 4, 2020
Saleh began his coaching career as a defensive assistant at Michigan State. It would not be long before he made the move to the NFL and quickly established himself as one of the most high-profile defensive coordinators in the league.
Saleh is coming off perhaps his best year in the business as the brains behind the 49ers formidable defense. They finished as one of the top-ranked groups in the NFL and served as the central force behind their Super Bowl run. Although they may have fallen short against the Kansas City Chiefs, there is no question they did a stellar job of containing their high-powered offense.
Saleh has deservedly received plenty of credit for the dominance on his side of the ball during the 2019 NFL season and had seemingly emerged as a frontrunner for the Browns job, however, they ultimately opted to go with the offensive-minded Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach.
Regardless, it seems he may be looking to strike while the iron is hot for the opportunity to become a head coach.
It will be interesting to see if Saleh ultimately opts to stick around for his next chance in the NFL.
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