Cowboys Coach Search: Jerry Jones Talks Up Lincoln Riley - And Volunteers Thoughts on Matt Rhule

The Cowboys Coach Search Already Includes One "College Guy'' In Urban Meyer. Now Dallas Team Owner Jerry Jones Is Talking Up Lincoln Riley And Matt Rhule - With Thoughts On The Jump to The NFL

FRISCO - Jerry Jones, no longer able to disguise the fact that his Dallas Cowboys are preparing to launch a search for a new head coach, on Friday was asked about the Oklahoma success of Lincoln Riley. But he answered, without prodding, about the Baylor success of Matt Rhule.

"I'm impressed with (Riley),” said Jones, who watched OU top Baylor in last week’s Big 12 title game at AT&T Stadium. “But, boy, I'm impressed with Baylor's coach, too. Those were two outstanding coaches at the stadium this weekend. ... That was a great chance to see a couple great coaches out there."

Riley, as we’ve reported often, has developed a friendship with Cowboys COO Stephen Jones. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have long had deep ties with Baylor, though not necessarily to Rhule. Nevertheless, the New York Jets almost hired Rhule away from Waco a year ago. And sources close to the situation tell me Rhule is about to field a series of NFL interview offers.

Jones, who supervised a recent Cowboys visit with college coaching icon Urban Meyer (yes, he’s on Dallas’ wish list) did issue a caution about the college-to-pro leap.

"College coaches,” he said in the visit with "K and C Masterpiece'' on 105.3 The Fan, “coming directly into (to the NFL), have the lowest percentage rate of success ... So, you pay a price for someone to get up to date that hasn’t spent the prior months or years in the NFL.”

But isn’t Jimmy Johnson’s success in Dallas enough to disprove this theory?

“I'm reminded,” Jerry said, “we won one football game the first year we came and brought Jimmy in."

Jerry’s “negative spin” on the concept of replacing Jason Garrett in 2020 with a college coach sounded more like “spitballing” the idea than shutting it down completely.

Jerry Jones is telling “his truth” about what can happen when college coaches jump to the NFL. But I guarantee you the Cowboys can visualize such a jump with the likes of Meyer, Riley, Rhule, Dan Mullen and others - and I can guarantee you that if any of those men are the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 they won’t win just one game.