Former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley popularized the saying in college football, and the phrase often recirculates this time of year. Though the sentiment was likely derived from Henry Kissinger, it’s only fitting that the quote about how “what must be done eventually should be done immediately” is often attributed to someone who spent their career hiring and firing coaches.
More than ever, the industry appears to be taking the expression to heart. Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy became the third Power Four coach fired on Tuesday, less than a month into the 2025 college football season.
Why are schools moving so quickly to change regimes? More so than ever, there are advantages to doing immediately that which must be done eventually.
While it may not have been a primary motivating factor for the coach firings at Virginia Tech, UCLA and Oklahoma State, changing dynamics with the transfer portal could make in-season firings more popular.
Oklahoma State coaching candidates: GJ Kinne, Dana Holgorsen among options on hot board to replace Mike Gundy
Chris Hummer
With the sport moving to a single portal window that is likely to land in January (exact dates will likely be determined next month), programs that move early could have an advantage on those that wait.
All players have 30 days to enter the portal after their current coach is fired or resigns. But for the three who have made September moves, there has been no mass exodus. Why? It’s the middle of the season, and entering the portal could jeopardize compensation amid a record-setting year for player pay.
The 30-day portal window at UCLA, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State will almost assuredly be over by the time coaches are hired at those three schools. Thus, the new coaches won’t be conducting their introductory press conferences with rosters crumbling beneath their feet.
It could look much different for programs that wait until late November to fire their coaches. At that point, the 30-day window will cover most of December. The season will be over, direct deposits will have landed, and players from those schools will be able to get a head start in the portal before it opens for everyone in January.
Retaining players from the previous regime under those circumstances will be more challenging. Make no mistake: there will be significant attrition at UCLA, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State. Their new coaches may not see much they like in that first team meeting.
But there won’t be an immediate exit hatch for players on those teams when the new coach is introduced. The new coaches, whoever they may be, will have time to evaluate the existing rosters and pitch the players they want to keep on staying around.
Depending what sort of organizational structure schools choose to build, making an early coaching change could also help in high school recruiting. Yes, getting a sitting head coach in place well in advance of the Dec. 3-5 early signing period will be tough.
But the day of programs hiring general managers to supersede the head coach in organizational hierarchy has arrived. The GM is a hire which can be made in October, and that’s a person who can lay some roster groundwork before the head coach arrives.
Cal and Stanford — obsolete as they may be — are two Power Four examples of programs with GMs at the top of the food chain. More are coming. Virginia Tech legend and Super Bowl winning head coach Bruce Arians suggested in an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” that the Hokies will follow that blueprint by hiring a general manager to be “in charge of football” before hiring a coach.
Such an organizational overhaul further necessitated early action for the Hokies amid an 0-3 start.
Horrendous on-field results ultimately dictated the decisions at UCLA, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State. But they could reap some benefits from acting quickly instead of delaying the inevitable.
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