How NIL and boosters changed the role of the college football coach

The End of the College Football Coach as King: How NIL and Boosters Changed Recruiting Forever -Jason Russell

• Let's talk about college football coaches today, and why your favorite school shouldn't overpay them. 

When Penn State football coach James Franklin was fired on October 12, I thought it was the end of the gravy train for college football coaches. 

But four days later, Indiana gave coach Curt Cignetti an eight-year, $93 million extension—fully guaranteed, even if he gets fired (without cause).

• This season, the coaching carousel started early: There have already been nine coaches fired, most of them at pretty big schools. 
• By this time last year, only two coaches had been fired...

I'm usually against knee-jerk firings after a few bad games or one bad season (even if the interim coaches suddenly started winning games), but the schools with coaching vacancies have a huge opportunity: to not overpay a head coach for the first time in college football history.

• I'm exaggerating, of course, but the sport has changed and the coaches might just be less important than ever...