Making the case for why a SEC coordinator job is better than a MAC, Sun Belt head coaching job

The changes regarding the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness have caused seismic shifts across the college football landscape in ways that many anticipated. But the impact these changes have potentially made in regards to the coaching scene in college football was a little bit more unexpected.

The coaching profession has always been about moving upward towards becoming a head coach at the highest level possible. But this offseason, various coaches have been making moves that may have in the past seemed like lateral moves or steps down that could be pushing them closer to where they want to go.

With that and mind, On3’s Andy Staples and Pete Nakos discussed the current coaching landscape in college football. And if having a Group of Five head coaching job at the MAC or Sun Belt level is the preferred job compared to being a coordinator or position coach at the Power Five or SEC level.

“I’d say the SEC offensive coordinator position job because I think that the climb to be good at that MAC or Sun Belt school is gonna be much tougher,” Nakos said. “From my vantage point Andy you look at it, I kind of feel like if you’re at a MAC or a Sun Belt the bar is you kind of have to win a conference championship to get that SEC, or ACC, or Big 12 job.”

It’s no secret that being a college head football coach has more responsibility than ever before and has become far more difficult than it’s been in the past. Which can be seen through offseason moves like Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley becoming the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator and UCLA head coach Chip Kelly recently being named the next offensive coordinator of Ohio State within the Big Ten Conference.

But for the coaches that do strive to be Power Five head coaches, being a Group of Five head coach may not be the best path to reaching that goal like it used to be. As the new challenges of being a head coach have permeated across college football and are even more exaggerated at levels like the Sun Belt or the MAC. Which comes with a smaller athletic budget and a greater potential for standout players to transfer to bigger programs.

“The other thing I’m evaluating when I’m talking about that is do I really want to try to build a roster that’s just gonna get picked apart if we’re good?” Nakos asked. “Do I really want to try to figure out how to raise money at Toledo or at Central Michigan or something? That doesn’t sound appealing to me one bit.”

Some Group of Five head coaches have already recognized this reality and moved accordingly, most notably with South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack and Buffalo head man Maurice Linguist both joining Kalen DeBoer‘s staff at Alabama for coordinator and assistant coaching jobs this offseason.

Not to mention that many Power Five institutions can likely match or pay coaches more as assistants versus what they would make as a Group of Five head coaches. Throwing yet another fascinating wrench into a college football landscape that continues to evolve in new ways in front of our eyes.