They were going to lose a LOT more players via the portal if they waited to make a change after the season when semesters were done. Making a change now land locks most of them and at least forces them to wait until a new hire is made, and not bolt based on emotions or unknowns. I expect very few to leave, in terms of impact players. Sure, some 3rd stringers with 17 specials teams snaps on the season will probably bolt, but they would have anyway. It would be pretty shortsighted for a healthy, productive player to give up the rest of his season right now and just sit out. Also, if they hire a sitting HC, say around the first week of December, it triggers the portal window on his own roster, like it did with DeBoer... only this time, a portal window on his new won't be open to combat with since it will have expired during the season. So conceivably, like DeBoer, the new guy could bring some of his own pieces with him. But he also gets a chance to re-recruit his new roster without them having a good opportunity to leave until January (save any who might just withdraw after exams and the final game).
They'll lose some recruits, but I don't think a signing class should ever outweigh a coaching change. The current staff/admin, if they care to, can get some to delay their signing until a new coach is in place. Or, worst case, they eat a turd of a signing class and just backfill it with portal pieces. I haven't seen who was committed to them, but with the direction of the program up until around noon today, I doubt many of the commits were feeling great about the future anyway. But like Bama, they'll get some kids who still commit to the school over anything else... which will be a portion of whatever kids from PA are committed to them currently.
