Division I FBS regular season has come to an end, and even more head coaches have been fired. Many programs who fired their coaches mid-season have since hired a new head coach. The notable hires include Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) to LSU, Matt Campbell (Iowa State) to Penn State, Jon Sumrall (Tulane) to Florida, Alex Golesh (South Florida) to Auburn, Bob Chesney (JMU) to UCLA, Jim Mora (UConn) to Colorado State, Eric Morris (North Texas) to Oklahoma State, Billy Napier (Florida) to JMU, Ryan Silverfield (Memphis) to Arkansas, James Franklin (Penn State) to Virginia Tech, and Jason Candle (Toledo) to UConn.[1] Each day brings more coaching hires and more coaching fires.
Many of these teams will not be playing in the College Football Playoffs, so this does not pose much of a present issue, but for the teams that are, this has caused great debate. Lane Kiffin recently left the #7 team in the country to take a job with another SEC program, prior to the College Football Playoffs. Writer for Yahoo Sports, Dan Wolken, stated “Kiffin leaving the No. 7 team in the country to take a job with another SEC program before the sport’s marquee event is bad for the product, and no other well-run sports league would tolerate it.[2]” Not only does this sabotage the team, but it devalues their playoffs and crushes the fan base. Kiffin was not allowed to continue coaching his team in the playoffs, and as a result, he tried to take his whole staff with him, issuing ultimatums to coaches that if they did not leave with him immediately, they would not be welcome at LSU.[3] In addition to Ole Miss, JMU and Tulane have also had coaching changes prior to the College Football Playoffs. Could this affect their performance in the playoffs? Should this have affected their selection into the playoffs?
Wolken compared this to the New England Patriots dynasty. Other NFL franchises would have loved to break up the New England dynasty and offer Bill Belicheck huge amounts of money right before a Super Bowl run, but the NFL has rules that govern when and under what circumstances a coach may change jobs when under contract.[4]
This turns to the question of when schools should be allowed to hire coaches. Teams are quick to hire a new coach, especially when there are so many openings, because they do not want to lose a candidate to another team. Teams are also offering more competitive contracts to land their desired coach. But on the other end, if you wait until after the College Football Playoff to hire a coach, it disadvantages the athletes, as it gives them little to no time to decide to transfer. Without collective bargaining, this will continue to be a challenge for college athletics; it is something college athletics leaders need to push for. As Congress has recently proven, they are not keen on passing laws that continue to restrict athletes’ rights. If the NCAA wants to see change, something bigger will need to change, and the question that remains is what.
[1] https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46615017/2025-college-football-coaching-carousel-firings-hirings
[2] https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/lane-kiffin-disastrous-exit-from-ole-miss-spells-a-much-deeper-problem-in-college-football-204605040.html
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
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