Missouri. Toledo. Illinois. USC. Minnesota. What do each of these teams, representing four different conferences, have in common? Obviously they’ve all recently hired new head football coaches.
Excuse me. They’ve promoted new head coaches.
On the outset that little tidbit seems unique to this season. Five programs spanning from historic juggernauts to would-be Cinderellas all looked internally for the captain that would steer their flagging ship. But considering that of all five, only one of the positions became available due to what could be considered “football reasons.” It’s no wonder the decision makers were comfortable making a battlefield promotion.
It was Toledo, forced to make a change, not because of any failures, but because their coach’s success outgrew his relatively humble position. Meanwhile, USC very publicly divorced themselves from a once heralded prodigy with substance abuse issues, and Illinois discovered prior to the season that their coach had less than ideal policies regarding player injuries.
But is was illness induced departure of two beloved and successful leaders, Missouri’s Gary Pinkel and Minnesota’s Jerry Kill, that stood out the most to us. While each had a less than stellar season, with Mizzou’s redefining the word “distractions,” neither could ever be considered a failure.
While the ultimate decision to promote from within may not have been predetermined, all five scenarios still represent the value of thoughtful succession planning.
Unlike a situation where change is desired, all of these programs recognized the value of providing continuity to their players and staffs. The head coach may not have been able to continue, but the system wasn’t broken.
This is a lesson that transcends football, and sports in general. We can’t know immediately whether each will be a success as a head coach, but we can derive from the enthusiastic social media posts from players that they are inspired and encouraged. So, while the names of these former coordinators may not carry the weight of Mark Richt or even Justin Fuente, history tells us it is more valuable to win the locker room than the press conference.
This isn’t at all to say that every (or really any) university should have a coach in waiting, but we should always take into account someone’s ability to step up into a higher role when hiring.
In the world of college sports where coaches bounce around like superballs this may mean risking a short tenured stint for a rising star coordinator. The same can be said for the office bound leaders of our industry. But it is always better to lose someone to success than struggle to bridge a gap at the top.
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