In a move that could significantly alter the landscape of college football, the NCAA has decided to shift the December National Signing Day from the end of the month to the beginning. As some sports reporters claim, this decision could lead to head coaches being ‘fired much sooner’ in the 2024 offseason.
Additionally, On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos spoke to those close to the coaching landscape on Wednesday to understand how the December National Signing Day change could impact the coaching carousel.
December National Signing Day Move: A Bad Motion for College Football Head Coaches
Nakos is not the only one who believes the December National Signing Day date shift will affect the college football coaching landscape.
One agent spoke to Nakos, expressing his concern, “I think that you’re going to see coaches getting fired much sooner. Now, the cycle is going to start a lot sooner. If they stumble out of the gates, even if it’s not their contract year, they could be one or two years in; a lot more moves are going to start being made. The pressure coaches are under is going to be tremendously amplified. It’s going to cause a real issue with the coaching stability in the marketplace.” This statement underscores the increased pressure that head coaches will face under the new system.
With National Signing Day moving to early December, coaches will be 'getting fired much sooner'❌
(via @PeteNakos_)
Read: https://t.co/TnDnt3YdQK pic.twitter.com/9YQxhSAuOI
— On3 (@On3sports) March 7, 2024
December National Signing Day will now occur the same week as conference championships and days before the opening of the transfer portal. Nakos and many in the sport believe head coaches will get the hook earlier so the new brass can craft a recruiting class. Head coaches will no longer be able to fight with their team, especially on the cusp of bowl eligibility, if the athletic director is ready to move in another direction.
Nakos predicts, “With the expectation that more athletic directors will want to move earlier, due in part because of the calendar, coaching buyouts will surely be larger.” This highlights the potential financial burden that athletic directors may face due to the shift.
Even the agent Nakos questioned agrees. “The pressure is going to be so intense, and look, the institutions are going to want to get ahead of the game, right? They’re going to want to start looking for the next guy sooner rather than later, especially if they know that they’re going to make a move. The other ramification of this is the school’s buyouts. Oh, they’re going to explode exponentially.”
NIL Plays Large Part In Coaching Buyouts
Nakos believes that NIL will be essential in keeping programs afloat, with head coaching likely having an earlier expiration date during a poor season. Again, his source, an agent for college football head coaches, agrees with Nakos. “It used to be that if the coach was fired, the whole recruitment class fell apart. Now, they fire the coach, and it doesn’t matter because this guy from the collective still called me and said that they’re going to honor my deal.”
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