Boston College coach Jeff Hafley’s decision to accept the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator position is the latest sign that college football is in crisis.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news and cited sources as to why Hafley left his head coaching job to become coordinator. The answer does not bode well for the future of the sport left behind.
He would like to coach football again in a football league… University coaching was all about fundraising, NIL, recruiting your own team and transfers,” said a source in Thamel. Hafley is not the only coach to leave a head coaching position for a coordinator role.
Alabama hired two high-profile coaches earlier this offseason: South Alabama’s Kane Wommack and Buffalo’s Maurice Linguis.Last year, Colorado coach Deion Sanders tapped Kent State coach Sean Lewis for the offensive coordinator opening. As college head coaching jobs evolve into the age of transfer portals and NILs, we will see coaches from smaller programs head to the NFL or schools with more resources to fill coordinator positions.
This can create a vicious cycle in Group of Five programs where coaching has a huge impact and turnover becomes extremely high.
The NCAA allows coaches from programs like Boston College, Buffalo and South Alabama to leave for greener pastures, but it would mean a lot more to the institution if a coach from a big-name school burned out and left for the pros. It won’t happen overnight, but over time, if the best coaches move to the NFL, what will be left of college football?
