You don’t need to switch head coaches to make big waves in the college football coaching carousel. From Ohio State’s hiring of two Michigan assistants to fill out Ryan Day’s first staff last month to Oklahoma’s midseason firing of defensive coordinator Mike Stoops (which eventually led to the hiring of new DC Alex Grinch away from Columbus), every staff change at a Power 5 program now brings big-picture implications for the season ahead and the recruiting battles to come.
No one endures staff turnover as gracefully as Nick Saban, and the Alabama head coach will spend this offseason breaking in seven on-field assistants who weren’t part of his program last season as the Crimson Tide made their run to the national title game.