2021 has been one of the busiest college football coaching transitions in recent memory. So far, there have been at least 27 coaches who have either left for new schools, fired from their current school, or retired. It’s not uncommon to see coaching changes at the end of the season, but this year there have been so many, and at a rate that I’ve never seen before. Which tells me this- the sport is evolving to a pro type model. Like it or not, that’s where we’re headed. NIL is the game changer. Coaches are not only being drawn to “dream schools”, but to players with potential to boost their team and resume. Like or not, it’s reality.
Here are some of the biggest coaching moves so far:
Mario Cristobal– University of Miami– Formerly Head Coach at Oregon. What seemed like a long shot has now become reality- the prodigal son returns home. After spending the past four years in Euegne, Orgeon, Mario Cristobal comes back to Carol Gables to coach his alma mater. It will be tough, he will deal with constant pressure from boosters and former players, but they were the ones who got him here to begin with. Cristobal comes with a great coaching resume and he’s known as an aggressive recruiter and that is exactly what Miami needs.
Brian Kelly – LSU– Formerly Head coach at Notre Dame. The winningest head coach in Notre Dame history is heading to the Bayou, That’s right, Brian Kelly is now the head coach of the LSU Tigers. I believe it’s a great hire. Kelly is a great coach with a proven track record. He knows how to beat his rivals( USC, Navy, Stanford) and is an excellent recruiter. I know many critics are already saying he’ll be gone in 3 years due to the brutal SEC schedule. That remains to be seen but Kelly knew that coming in. The question is will he be able to adapt to that gauntlet every Fall?
Lincoln Riley– USC– Formerly head of at Oklahoma. I must say I didn’t see this coming. I would have thought Riley would go to the NFL after he was done at Oklahoma. However, like Notre Dame, USC is a special place. It has a lot of tradition and the location is a coaches dream. If he can lockdown California-keep best talent home, he can do some special things here.
Brent Venables– Oklahoma– Former defensive coordinator at Clemson. Here’s another former coach coming back to their roots or where they made a name for themselves. Venables spent over a decade in Norman before coming to Clemson. This will be his first head coaching gig but his coaching smarts will play a big part in the Sooner’s success. I will be curious to see who he brings to Norman to help continue the momemtum Riley had. The fact that Brent is a defensive guy works out great for OU, especially now since they’re becoming members of the SEC.
Billy Napier – Florida – Former Head Coach at Louisiana . This one I’m not entirely sold on. Napier is a heck of a recruiter and has had success building the rajun cajun program up, but I haven’t seen anything that tells me he will make Florida “Florida” again. Then again, I didn’t think Lane Kiffin would make a good OC at bama but he proved me wrong. Time will tell if this be another Urban Meyer hire or another Muschamp.
