Making Sense of the Post-National Signing Day Coaching Carousel
The coaching carousel doesn't end in December. Rather, it keeps turning, albeit slowly, all the way until after national signing day.
Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com even wrote that the surge of coaching moves immediately after signing day is unfair to recruits and must be reexamined. (He's right, by the way.)
Until that happens, though—whether it's in the form of an "escape clause" or eliminated signing day—there are going to be coaches who pull in recruits and then leave immediately.
Not every move is measured the same, however. Personnel changes at every level happen all the time in the coaching ranks. Sometimes, departures make way for great additions.
With the help of the fine folks at FootballScoop, here are the major coaching carousel moves that have taken place among Power Five schools in the past week—and what they mean for those programs.
Texas
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One of the post-signing day carousel moves to draw the most (unwanted) attention was Chris Rumph's lateral move from Texas to Florida as the defensive line coach.
News of Rumph's move came on Feb. 5, via Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated. One day later, Florida coach Jim McElwain introduced Rumph as the Gators' new D-line coach, replacing Terrell Williams, who took a job with the Miami Dolphins.
Texas lost a tremendous recruiter and developer of talent. In 2014, junior defensive tackle Malcom Brown led the team in sacks and tackles for loss and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection.
However, the move also didn't sit right with Longhorns commit Du'Vonta Lampkin, who expressed his frustration on his Twitter account. "Really? 2 days after signing day?" Lampkin tweeted. "Guess I was lied to in my face. It's not even the fact he left. Bc thats what coaches do. It's the fact I was told it wasn't going to happen."
Texas has yet to formally fill Rumph's old spot, but it's a big loss for the Horns.
Tennessee
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Tennessee's answer to replace Mike Bajakian at offensive coordinator was met with mixed reviews.
Mike DeBord, announced to that position last Friday, has some familiarity with Vols head coach Butch Jones from their time at Central Michigan from 2000-03. However, as B/R colleague Barrett Sallee notes, that alone goes so far:
"What does DeBord bring to the table that current wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni doesn't? What does he bring to the table that South Carolina wide receivers coach G.A. Mangus doesn't? What does he bring to the table that Alabama wide receivers coach Billy Napier, USC wide receivers coach Tee Martin and Arizona co-offensive coordinator Calvin Magee don't?
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DeBord is responsible for picking up where the Vols left off on offense—which was 461 yards in a 45-28 win over Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl. There's so much young talent, from quarterback Joshua Dobbs to running back Jalen Hurd and an intact offensive line.
DeBord's job is turning that potential into reality.
UCLA
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One of the great signing day drama-mysteries involved now-former UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and 4-star linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith initially pledged to the Bruins on signing day but never handed in his national letter of intent.
Ulbrich was being connected with an assistant job with the Atlanta Falcons, which he eventually took, and Smith is reconsidering his options for a number of reasons. However, in an interview with Jake Reuse of UGASports.com, Smith said that he felt misled by UCLA.
"Coach Ulbrich did say that Coach Dan Quinn (of the Atlanta Falcons) had called him the night before, but he had declined the job offer," Smith said.
There hasn't been a successor named for Ulbrich, but in three years with the Bruins, his defenses finished around the middle of the Pac-12 in points per game allowed. Additionally, takeaways declined over the years, from 32 in 2012 to 16 in '14.
Ulbrich might have been head coach Jim Mora's guy, but he isn't irreplaceable.
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Ohio State
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Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has done an excellent job of keeping his coaching staff together for as long as he could.
Have enough success, though, and assistants are going to start answering the phone calls.
With running backs coach Stan Drayton moving on to a position with the Chicago Bears, Meyer called upon an old player of his at Colorado State, Tony Alford, who spent the last six seasons at Notre Dame.
Drayton's move initially irked Buckeyes running back commit Mike Weber. Asked by
Suffice to say, Alford isn't going to be starving for talent.
Notre Dame
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Lose one assistant coach, gain another. That's how Notre Dame approached the coaching carousel post-signing day.
While it's not official yet, Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reports that the Irish are on the verge of hiring Boise State offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr.:
"The 32-year-old Sanford sparked Boise State to the No. 9 scoring offense in college football last season. The Broncos, 12-2, displayed one of the most balanced offenses in the nation. They ranked No. 29 in rushing, No. 23 in passing and were No. 17 in Red Zone offense in the first season under head coach Bryan Harsin.
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It'd be a great hire if/when it becomes official. Put it this way: Sanford was on Urban Meyer's radar at Ohio State.
The Irish return just about everyone from an offense that averaged just under 33 points per game last year. However, Notre Dame has questions at quarterback and with ball security (26 turnovers lost).
Sanford, just 32 years old, seems to be the complete package. He's young, bright and with stops at Stanford and Yale, knows how to recruit to prestigious academic institutions.
Oklahoma
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It feels like Oklahoma has been dealing with staff turnover for two months now. First, head coach Bob Stoops decided new blood was best by letting go of co-offensive coordinators Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell and bringing in Lincoln Riley from East Carolina.
It's post-signing day, though, and the Sooners are still shifting staff members around. Dennis Simmons has been announced as the outside receivers coach, and Kerry Cooks will coach the defensive backs. The biggest news, though, is that defensive line coach and newly promoted co-defensive coordinator Jerry Montgomery left to take a job with the Green Bay Packers.
As Jake Trotter of ESPN.com pointed out, Montgomery was one of the Sooners' top assistants and recruiters. Losing him, even for a great opportunity in the pros, is no easy pill to swallow. As of Thursday afternoon, Mike Stoops holds the title of defensive coordinator.
Once again, Stoops' brother will be in charge of the defense. For now, at least. Certainly, it could be an awkward situation again if the Sooners have an underwhelming defensive showing in 2015.
Colorado
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Colorado is getting an outstanding football mind in Jim Leavitt, who is the program's new defensive coordinator.
That's what the Buffs need, as they've been Pac-12 basement dwellers in major defensive categories since joining the league.
Leavitt spent the past four years coaching linebackers with the San Francisco 49ers, but he's more famously (infamously?) remembered for being the head coach at South Florida from 1996-2009. And for being fired from South Florida because of an alleged altercation with a player.
Leavitt spent five years away from the college game, which in this era of second chances, can seem like an eternity. As Ted Miller of ESPN.com notes, Leavitt will have to answer questions on the recruiting trail about the South Florida incident.
But there's no questioning Leavitt's defensive acumen. Colorado just got better as a coaching staff. The concern is whether the Buffs took a PR hit in the process.
South Carolina
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South Carolina's defense in 2014 was, to put it one way, cringe-worthy. It wasn't entirely on the shoulders of defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward; the Gamecocks were breaking in new faces along the defensive front and secondary.
All the same, head coach Steve Spurrier has called for reinforcements with the addition of co-defensive coordinator Jon Hoke. Hoke specifically will oversee the secondary.
As B/R's Barrette Sallee writes, "Coaching defensive backs has either been part or all of [Hoke's] responsibility since 1982, and that experience in college and pro football will be a huge benefit in Columbia. In addition to his work with the Bears, he has coached defensive backs for the Houston Texans, the Missouri Tigers and was Florida's defensive coordinator from 1999-2001."
Does South Carolina's defense figure to be better in '15? It has to be. There's experience coming back, and the window for Spurrier to get the Gamecocks an SEC title is starting to close. Bringing in Hoke isn't a good move in Spurrier's eyes as much as it is a necessary one.
Rutgers
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Ralph Friedgen made his return to the college game as the offensive coordinator for Rutgers. That stint lasted just one year, however, as Friedgen has stepped aside for what we'll chalk up to personal reasons.
Per FootballScoop, wide receivers coach Ben McDaniels will be the new offensive coordinator for the Scarlet Knights.
"Tremendous confidence in Ben,'' head coach Kyle Flood said Tuesday during a media teleconference (via Keith Sargeant, nj.com). "I had an opportunity to sit in on a lot of the offensive meetings beyond the headset on gameday and listen to him and watch him teach. Watch him go through the game-planning portion with the rest of the offensive coaches."
What does that mean for the identity of Rutgers' offense? It's not clear yet, but Friedgen's fingerprints had a lot more downfield passing. In 2014, the Scarlet Knights finished third in the Big Ten with 8.3 yards per passing attempt, according to cfbstats.com.
TCU
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Dick Bumpas, the longtime defensive assistant for TCU head coach Gary Patterson, is retiring, according to FootballScoop.
The site also reports that assistants Chad Glasgow and DeMontie Cross will be promoted to co-defensive coordinators. (Glasgow previously served one season as Texas Tech's defensive coordinator in 2011.) Patterson is a defensive guy and has assembled a spectacular defensive staff over the years. He should have absolute confidence in promoting from within.
Don't expect much to change with the Frogs. So much has been made about the addition of co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie and the success they've had, but TCU is still a program with a foundation in defense.
In 2015, the Frogs' biggest challenge should be replacing key names at all three levels, like defensive lineman Chucky Hunter and cornerback Kevin White.
USC
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One of the more anticipated hires of the post-signing day carousel was made official this week: Veteran assistant Bob Connelly will be USC's new offensive line coach.
Connelly replaces Tim Drevno, who left USC last month to become the offensive coordinator at Michigan. Connelly will also be the Trojans' run game coordinator.
"We are delighted to have Bob join our staff," said head coach Steve Sarkisian in an email statement. "He is a great fit for what we do. He is very familiar with Pac-12 and West Coast football, and he is also very versatile as he has coached various offensive styles in his career."
The Trojans ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in rushing offense last year and played behind a line that started three freshmen, per ourlads.com.
Connelly might not be the most high-profile hire, but the importance of his job cannot be overstated if the Trojans are to become an offensive juggernaut in the Pac-12. After all, with defensive question marks, that might be USC's best chance to get to the playoff.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless noted otherwise. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
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