Conference realignment was the most talked-about topic during the offseason leading up to the 2023 college football season. When the season finally started, focus shifted to the stories taking place on the pitch. Georgia held the top spot for the whole regular season. Jim Harbaugh was back on the pitch for the College Football Playoffs. Ohio State was defeated by Michigan for the third straight year. Everything had stayed the same as it had for the previous few seasons.
Nobody had it better than Michigan on Monday, January 8, following the Wolverines’ victory over Washington in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Nobody had it better than Alabama for the preceding seventeen years.
But on February 1st, both programmes lost their head coach who had won a national championship.
Jim Harbaugh’s alma mater won its first national championship since 1997 two days before, and college football’s finest coach, Nick Saban, announced his retirement. That set off what may have been the sport’s craziest January ever.
Jim Harbaugh’s alma mater won its first national championship since 1997 two days before, and college football’s finest coach, Nick Saban, announced his retirement. That set off what may have been the sport’s craziest January ever. Did you find the coaching carousel over Thanksgiving weekend in 2021, with Brian Kelly departing Notre Dame for LSU and Lincoln Riley leaving Oklahoma for USC, noteworthy? The last three weeks have been so crazy that it seems like a Wednesday night MAC game in November.
After Saban retired from Alabama, Kalen DeBoer left Washington to take on the enormous responsibility of succeeding the legend in Tuscaloosa. Jedd Fisch was able to depart Arizona to take a position with the Huskies because to DeBoer’s action. After Fisch left, Brent Brennan took over as head coach of the Wildcats, resigning from his position at San Jose State.
Oh, and then, Jim Harbaugh decided he was ready for an NFL return. That paved the way for offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to take over the reigning national champions.
All of that chaos has unleashed a flurry of recruiting activity during a month that’s become quiet since the advent of the early signing period in December.
