As many NFL teams face head coaching vacancies, organizations are looking for the next Sean McVay.
In 2017, the Los Angeles Rams made McVay the youngest head coach in NFL history at 30, and he has since led the team to significant success. Teams seeking the stability and winning track record McVay has achieved are now considering young coaches who are rising quickly in the league.
McVay and other young coaches have made hiring early-career head coaches less risky, giving teams confidence to hire before a coach becomes a household name. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the top NFL coaches currently under the age of 35.
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Best NFL coaching candidates under 35
Jaguars OC Grant Udinski (Age 30)
Udinski is a fast-rising coach who has emerged as a hot name during the 2026 coaching cycle. He began his career as a graduate assistant at Baylor in 2019 and followed head coach Matt Rhule to the NFL in 2020, serving as a coaching assistant for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021.
Udinski then spent three years with the Minnesota Vikings from 2022 to 2024, holding multiple roles, including assistant to the head coach, assistant quarterbacks coach, and assistant offensive coordinator. In 2025, he joined Liam Coen and the Jacksonville Jaguars as their offensive coordinator, helping the team achieve a 13-4 record and win the AFC South.
Interested teams: Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills
Broncos OC Davis Webb (Age 31)
A former quarterback who starred at Texas Tech and Cal, Webb had a brief NFL career as a backup with the New York Giants, New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills. In 2023, he retired from the NFL and became Sean Payton’s quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos.
Webb has spent the past three seasons in Denver and was promoted to offensive passing game coordinator in 2025. While still relatively inexperienced, he is widely regarded as a promising, up-and-coming coach.
Interested teams: Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders
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Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase (Age 35)
Scheelhaase is the latest coach to find success working for Sean McVay, whose coaching tree continues to grow. Scheelhaase was once a college quarterback at Illinois, but after going undrafted in 2014, quickly pivoted to coaching by working for the Illini from 2015 to 2017.
In 2018, Scheelhaase joined Iowa State's staff, which is where he gained much of his experience. Scheelhaase started as the running backs coach but got promoted to wide receivers coach, running game coordinator and, finally in 2023, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Before the 2024 season, Scheelhasse joined the Rams as an offensive assistant, and was promoted to pass game coordinator in 2025.
Interested teams: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bears OC Declan Doyle (Age 29)
One of the youngest coordinators in the NFL, Doyle's coaching career began as a student at the University of Iowa, as he was a student assistant from 2016 to 2018. After graduating, Doyle joined the New Orleans Saints as an offensive assistant from 2019 to 2022, under Sean Payton at first, and Dennis Allen for a season.
When Payton became the Broncos head coach, he hired Doyle as the team's tight ends coach from 2023 to 2024. Finally, in 2025, Doyle became Ben Johnson's offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, helping the team go 12-5 and win the NFC North.
Interested teams: Philadelphia Eagles (OC)
Falcons OC Tommy Rees (Age 33)
Rees was a long-time starting quarterback at Notre Dame from 2010 to 2013, but never made it to the NFL as more than a practice squad body. In 2015, Rees moved to coaching as a graduate assistant for Northwesterm, which was followed by becoming an offensive assistant for the San Diego Chargers.
Rees returned to Notre Dame in 2017 as the school's quarterbacks coach, which is a role he held for three seasons, and then served as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2023. Then, Reese joined Alabama offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2023, which was Nick Saban's final year in college.
Finally, Rees moved back to the NFL in 2024, becoming the Cleveland Browns' pass game specialist, and he was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2025. Rees has since followed Kevin Stefanski from Cleveland to the Atlanta Falcons for the 2026 season.
Interested Teams: Atlanta Falcons (OC, hired)
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LSU OC Charlie Weis Jr. (Age 32)
The son of longtime college and NFL coach Charlie Weis, Weis Jr. Has carved out his own path in the coaching ranks. He spent much of his early career in college football, serving as a team manager for his father at the University of Kansas before working as an offensive assistant for Alabama and the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2017.
In 2018, Weis Jr. Became the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic, where he spent two seasons. He held the same roles at South Florida in 2020 and 2021, then reunited with Kiffin at Ole Miss from 2022 to 2025. He is set to follow Kiffin to LSU next season.
Interested teams: Philadelphia Eagles (OC)