5 college coaches the Vikings could replace Mike Zimmer with in 2022
By Luke Parrish
Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma Head Coach)
The hottest name to be rumored to come out of the college ranks right now is Lincoln Riley. Riley has turned Oklahoma into a quarterback’s dream school while keeping the Sooners in the College Football Playoff hunt every season. Despite a bit of a down year this year, Riley is still one of the best to do it at the college level.
He will make a name for himself as an offensive-minded genius that can scheme up plays to fit his quarterback. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray were both the first overall selection after playing under Riley and Jalen Hurts earned himself a second-round selection as well.
The appeal for Riley would likely require a young quarterback that he can grow with at the next level, which the Vikings don’t have just yet, but that would urge the front office to go land one in the early stages of next year’s draft.
Riley would be an incredible hire for the offense that features some of the best players at their respective positions. Andre Patterson could remain as the team’s defensive coordinator with Riley taking over all of the offensive duties.
While I do think this is a long shot, especially given the other openings that could be much more enticing to Riley, the Vikings do have plenty of pieces to offer.