The Two-Job Tango: College Football Coaches Navigating the CFP and Carousel
As the College Football Playoff expands and the coaching carousel spins faster, a growing number of coaches find themselves simultaneously leading teams in championship contention and preparing to take the helm at new programs.
The phone buzzed with a familiar, upbeat tone, yet even that cheerfulness carried a hint of exhaustion. For Collin Klein, a week remained before he’d call offensive plays for Texas A&M in their inaugural College Football Playoff game against Miami at Kyle Field. Calling plays in the CFP represents the pinnacle of responsibility for any coordinator, demanding every ounce of energy and focus. But Klein’s mind was also consumed by a new reality: he was nine days into his tenure as the head coach at Kansas State, a dream job for the Wildcats legend who led the team to a Big 12 championship and Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2012.
The situation was, as Klein described it, “just very strange and different.” “The difference of hats is pretty stark,” he said. “One day, you’re doing one job. The next day, you go to the next one. You’re like, ‘Wait a minute. Is this even real?’”
This year’s expanded 12-team CFP field has amplified the clash between postseason play and the coaching carousel, placing coaches like Klein in uniquely challenging positions. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and James Madison’s Bob Chesney are already preparing to lead Florida and UCLA, respectively, despite still having CFP commitments with their current teams. A contingent of former Ole Miss assistants are supporting both the Rebels’ CFP run and Lane Kiffin’s transition to LSU.
Beyond head coaches, four primary coordinators – Klein, Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, and Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline – are simultaneously preparing for their first FBS head coaching opportunities. Stein will take over at Kentucky, Lupoi at Cal, and Hartline at South Florida. While Sumrall and Chesney are accustomed to the “CEO” role of a head coach, these coordinators are navigating uncharted territory, attempting to balance existing responsibilities with the demands of a new program.
Unfortunately for Klein, his dual role was short-lived. Texas A&M suffered its worst offensive performance of the season – just three points, three turnovers, and seven sacks allowed – in a loss to Miami. The following night, Klein updated his social media profile to reflect his commitment to Kansas State.
Stein and Lupoi, however, are continuing to juggle both roles, with Oregon facing Texas Tech in a CFP quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 1. Hartline, hired by South Florida on December 3, will remain with Ohio State for their CFP quarterfinal against Miami at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on December 31, though he has relinquished play-calling duties to Buckeyes coach Ryan Day.
“It’s such a strange calendar, and the timing is brutal,” Day acknowledged. “But he’s handled it great, as you can imagine. It’s a lot on his plate. It’s a lot to manage.”
Tosh Lupoi has embraced a strict routine to maintain focus. When game-planning for Oregon’s first-round matchup against James Madison, he sequestered his cell phone, ensuring uninterrupted concentration on practice, playcalls, and film review. His wife, Jordan, knew to contact football operations staff, Matt Noyer or Kodi Look, if she needed to reach him. “That’s the only way to do it,” Lupoi stated. “Just lock in and focus.”
This approach extends to the coaching carousel itself. Lupoi dedicated Thursday nights – typically his only day off during game week – to conversations with interested programs. Prior to Oregon’s first-round playoff game, Lupoi even made a whirlwind trip to Hawaii to reassure Cal’s quarterback, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, of his commitment to the Bears in 2026, flying back to the mainland immediately afterward without even packing a change of clothes.
“Compartmentalizing your time is really important,” Lupoi explained. “It’s enormous for me, writing things down and making sure I accomplish those things, and sticking to that. By doing that, you’re going to hurt some people’s feelings by not texting them back or not calling them back. I look at it as, every 10 seconds, every 20 seconds of conversations or text messages, that ultimately adds up, and I might have two hours away from the priority at hand.”
Klein, upon accepting the Kansas State job, collaborated with Texas A&M coach Mike Elko to identify dates when he could return to Manhattan. He spent several days with the K-State staff and players the week before the Miami game, familiarizing himself with the roster and beginning the hiring process. He prioritized roster continuity while remaining mindful of the impending transfer portal opening on January 2.
“The biggest thing is not just even multitasking, but just, ‘OK, whatever’s in front of me this second, I’ve got to kill that and then knock that out of the park, and then whatever the next one is,’” Klein said. “Just try to live in the now as much as you possibly can because that’s all that you can do.”
This isn’t a new phenomenon. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban frequently saw his coordinators accept head coaching positions during the four-team CFP era. Kirby Smart (Georgia), Lane Kiffin (Florida Atlantic), Jeremy Pruitt (Tennessee), and Mike Locksley (Maryland) all balanced CFP duties with new head coaching roles. Steve Sarkisian landed the Texas job days before the 2021 national championship game.
While some of these situations resulted in championships for Alabama – Smart, Pruitt, and Sarkisian all helped deliver titles before moving on – others were less successful. After Alabama’s offense struggled in a 2016 CFP semifinal, Saban dismissed Kiffin and appointed Sarkisian as playcaller for the national title game, a game Clemson ultimately won.
Ohio State appears to be employing a similar strategy with Hartline, recording season lows in points and rushing yards in a loss to Indiana shortly after his hiring at South Florida. “Ultimately, it will be my decision of what calls go into the game,” Day said. “Kind of wanted to take that off of Brian’s plate, as we head into the playoffs, because he has so much going on.”
Former Alabama assistant Mike Locksley, reflecting on his experience, emphasized the importance of prioritizing the current job. Hired by Maryland in December 2018, he resolved to focus entirely on Alabama’s championship run. Maryland’s early recruiting efforts were minimal, and staff construction was deferred until after the national championship game against Clemson on January 7, 2019.
“I don’t think there’s a perfect way to do it, other than my mantra was work for the job I have, and not for the one I’m going to,” Locksley said. “Because what will help me at the place I’m going is if I win and take advantage of being on TV and the things that being a part of a championship run can do for your future program.”
Locksley acknowledged that his approach might not be as effective today, given the immediate impact of the transfer portal and the need to quickly assemble a staff. The current landscape demands that coaches devote some attention to their future programs, even while focused on the present.
“Giving these players in [Oregon’s] organization everything I’ve got in the approach, and then having a few energy drinks and a coffee at night, resetting and getting involved [at Cal],” Lupoi said.
Having witnessed this dynamic firsthand during his time at Alabama from 2014-2018, Lupoi and Stein are also benefiting from the leadership of Dan Lanning, who navigated a similar situation when he landed the Oregon job while serving as Georgia’s defensive coordinator during their 2021 national title run.
“It’s not easy,” Stein said. “Dan has done it before, so I’m leaning on him. Tosh is in it as well. … If you let it get to you, it could be an issue. I’ve chosen not to let it get to me and focus on the task at hand, and when I need to delegate to the University of Kentucky, I do that. But when I’m here at Oregon, in the building, all focus is on the Ducks.”
The CFP has become a pivotal factor in coaching decisions, influencing opportunities after the regular season. Coaches from programs not in the CFP – such as Iowa State’s Matt Campbell (Penn State), South Florida’s Alex Golesh (Auburn), and Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield (Arkansas) – have made immediate moves. Even Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey accepted the same role at Missouri without finishing the Wolverines’ bowl game.
However, those involved in CFP teams are reluctant to abandon the championship chase. Lane Kiffin even attempted to remain with Ole Miss through the playoff before fully committing to LSU. Several of his assistants, already working for LSU, are simultaneously assisting Ole Miss in preparing for their CFP quarterfinal matchup against Georgia.
As Day succinctly put it, it’s “a strange calendar, indeed.” For coordinators like Stein and Lupoi, the thought of starting their new jobs before finishing their current ones was unthinkable. Even Hartline, despite relinquishing play-calling duties, remains committed to Ohio State’s pursuit of back-to-back national championships.
“I would feel like a complete fraud if I left these guys throughout this playoff run, this opportunity in front of us, it would honestly be crazy,” Stein said. “And Tosh is the same way. We poured so much of our lives, so much of our time, our family’s time, into this team and this program. Coach Lanning gave me an opportunity from UTSA. The last thing I would ever do would be to leave these players.”
The dual-jobs period demands exceptional organizational skills, discipline, delegation, and a steady supply of caffeine. But Stein and Lupoi are determined to see it through for at least another three weeks.
“I made it very clear: Over my dead body would I ever leave the individuals here,” Lupoi said. “I want to finish what we started.”
