3. How will this impact assistant coaching hires?
The biggest unintended consequence of the new early signing period will be an industry-wide flurry of assistant coaching movement. Nearly one-third of assistant coaching jobs in college football could turn over in the upcoming weeks. In other words, thereās a one-in-three chance the assistant who has been courting a high school prospect the past 18 months will be slipping on a new polo shirt soon.
Why so much? Well, there are many unspoken agreements for assistant coaches to wait to switch jobs until after the early signing period. Itās an age-old maneuver to lure in the talent and sprint for greener pastures once said talent is secured. This year, that number will uptick for a few reasons. Schools can hire a 10th assistant coach in January, which means thereās basically 130 new jobs. Most of the new hires havenāt filled out their staffs yet at the nearly 20 jobs that have opened, which means thereās at least another 100 jobs. Also, thereās likely 10 NFL jobs opening and a shallow NFL assistant coach pool, meaning a surprise job could pop in college. The quick flurry of movement because of the early signing period gave way to some temporary staff freezes for bowl games and the first batch of signatures.
Once those end, itās easy to foresee nearly 400 assistant coach jobs changing hands the next few weeks. āItās going to be a feeding frenzy,ā Herman said.
And let the bidding begin. One industry source predicted weāll see the first $2 million coordinator in the next few months. (Oregon just paid $1.7 million to keep Jim Leavitt as defensive coordinator, and LSUās Dave Aranda will make $1.85 million next year). There are defensive coordinator openings at Florida State, Texas A&M and Arkansas that will dictate the market. There are offensive coordinator positions at Missouri and South Carolina. Among many, many others. You get the point.
One widely expected move, for example, is that Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch will go to Ohio State as the 10th coach. Thatāll create a significant trickle down, and there will be many more like it. Then there are jobs that could open after the early signing period, as there are rumblings that Matt Canada and LSU could end up parting ways. (Ed Orgeron doesnāt appear enamored with jet sweeping his way through the SEC West.)
The human side of this mass coaching turnover wonāt be fun for families: āItās going to be sad,ā Bloomgren said, āhow close to Christmas this is all going to happen.ā
The biggest unintended consequence of the new early signing period will be an industry-wide flurry of assistant coaching movement. Nearly one-third of assistant coaching jobs in college football could turn over in the upcoming weeks. In other words, thereās a one-in-three chance the assistant who has been courting a high school prospect the past 18 months will be slipping on a new polo shirt soon.
Why so much? Well, there are many unspoken agreements for assistant coaches to wait to switch jobs until after the early signing period. Itās an age-old maneuver to lure in the talent and sprint for greener pastures once said talent is secured. This year, that number will uptick for a few reasons. Schools can hire a 10th assistant coach in January, which means thereās basically 130 new jobs. Most of the new hires havenāt filled out their staffs yet at the nearly 20 jobs that have opened, which means thereās at least another 100 jobs. Also, thereās likely 10 NFL jobs opening and a shallow NFL assistant coach pool, meaning a surprise job could pop in college. The quick flurry of movement because of the early signing period gave way to some temporary staff freezes for bowl games and the first batch of signatures.
Once those end, itās easy to foresee nearly 400 assistant coach jobs changing hands the next few weeks. āItās going to be a feeding frenzy,ā Herman said.
And let the bidding begin. One industry source predicted weāll see the first $2 million coordinator in the next few months. (Oregon just paid $1.7 million to keep Jim Leavitt as defensive coordinator, and LSUās Dave Aranda will make $1.85 million next year). There are defensive coordinator openings at Florida State, Texas A&M and Arkansas that will dictate the market. There are offensive coordinator positions at Missouri and South Carolina. Among many, many others. You get the point.
One widely expected move, for example, is that Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch will go to Ohio State as the 10th coach. Thatāll create a significant trickle down, and there will be many more like it. Then there are jobs that could open after the early signing period, as there are rumblings that Matt Canada and LSU could end up parting ways. (Ed Orgeron doesnāt appear enamored with jet sweeping his way through the SEC West.)
The human side of this mass coaching turnover wonāt be fun for families: āItās going to be sad,ā Bloomgren said, āhow close to Christmas this is all going to happen.ā
opcorn2: A player sign with a school because, of a coach, the next thing that coach leave for another school! 
