Like everyone else here, I was shocked by the news yesterday afternoon that Todd Monken was leaving his job as the head coach of Southern Mississippi and heading to the NFL. College head coaches leaving to be NFL coordinators are rare. The only example that readily comes to mind is Nick Saban leaving Toledo to be the Browns' defensive coordinator. Jeff Jagodzinski did it but was fired first because of his interviewing for an NFL head coaching job against the advice of the athletic department.
The novelty of Monken's actions are enough to make one take note of the situation, but further complicating the issue is the timing.