New college football landscape presents new ripples for coaching searches

Updated Dec. 3, 2024 3:08 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski spent weeks creating a list of coaching candidates and perfecting his pitch to the finalists. He is also talking about increasing NIL and coaching budgets while monitoring negotiations to keep players from leaving.

The 67-year-old is embarking on a coaching search unlike any he has done previously. Bobinski said he understands this is college football in 2024, and if Purdue is going to turn things around next season and stay competitive long term, he must adapt to the swiftly changing landscape.

Speedy decisions are essential, money talks and investment plans rule the day.

“Our folks didn't necessarily respond warmly to the way NIL evolved in the recent past, but that's going to change," Bobinski said Monday, one day after firing second-year coach Ryan Walters. “You need a coach who understands that and embraces that the new world is going to require a new way of thinking. And you can't dislike the way things have evolved because they have evolved. So you've got to be able to find a way to thrive in that (world).”

The environment rarely rewards decision makers for finding a perfect coach. Instead, biding time can prove more costly than the roughly $9.5 million buyout Walters received.

Players can transfer on a whim, either for a coach or team they feel is a better fit or for higher name, image and likeness compensation. A lot of that money comes from boosters or sponsors who expect sustained success.

Decisons needed in a hurry

Purdue, like other schools, acted quickly following the most lopsided loss in school history, 66-0 at then No. 10 Indiana, on Saturday. Walters was fired the next day leaving the Boilermakers with a gaping hole to navigate during the early signing period that opens Wednesday and the transfer portal that opens Monday.

The compressed schedule has everyone scrambling.

Penn State coach James Franklin said Sunday he will be more involved with this week's signings than his assistants who are installing the plan for Saturday's Big Ten championship game between the third-ranked Nittany Lions and No. 1 Oregon. Both teams are likely to make the 12-team College Football Playoff.

For schools making coaching changes, the longer a vacancy the higher the risk of losing players, recruits and possible replacements for those who do transfer.

It explains why Florida Atlantic hired Zach Kittley from Texas Tech on Monday or Temple plucked K.C. Keeler from Sam Houston State on Tuesday. It also explains why Bobinski and North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham hope to hire new coaches next week, though Cunningham recently noted his top candidates are all with teams still playing.

“It’s a great time for me to get out. This isn’t the game that I signed up for. It has changed so much,” said Mack Brown, who was fired last week despite being the winningest coach in Tar Heels history. “We were recruiting really, really well until the NIL came in. And we’ve really dropped off with our recruiting. The transfer portal is not something most of the academic schools are excited about because it’s hard to get in. So right now I think it’s a wonderful time for somebody else to come in and take over.”

Immediate gratification

Donors, of course, want to put a face with a program before shelling out the big bucks.

Indiana has gone from a three-win team in 2023 to a playoff contender under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, a potential model for how to thrive in the transfer portal era. The Hoosiers invested more money in the program to convince Cignetti to take the job.

With athlete revenue-sharing looming for schools, athletic directors are talking publicly and somewhat urgently to alumni and boosters about their need for enough money to keep football teams competitive. This is not familiar turf for some schools, as Brown alluded to.

“The last 2 1/2 to three years really, with the NIL world, the way it evolved were very different,” Bobinski said. “And, honestly, that world did not advantage Purdue. That was a challenge for us for a variety of reasons.”

College football teams are increasingly using other coaches or administrators to help head coaches manage rosters and monitor potential transfers — something more akin to serving as an NFL personnel director. Over the weekend, Stanford said former star Andrew Luck will be the school's first football general manager.

Could that become the norm? Perhaps.

For now, the focus for Cunningham and Bobinski is finding a new coach. Only four Power Four jobs are currently open — North Carolina, UCF, West Virginia and Purdue. And as Bobinski begins this next search, his message to the candidates is simple.

“This is a good job. That doesn't mean it's an easy job. Those are two different things, but it is a very good job,” Bobinski said. “It will be very well resourced. We will participate fully in revenue sharing. That's a commitment Purdue has made. We're talking about being very much on a level playing field (financially) with the people they're competing against.”

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AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this report.

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