The college football season’s already taken a wild turn. UCLA’s DeShaun Foster and Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry are both out after rough 0-3 starts.
These early coaching changes don’t just shake up those two schools. The ripple effects spread out across the entire college football world.
Player transfers, recruiting chaos, and all sorts of unexpected fallout—it’s a lot to take in. Let’s dig into what these moves might mean for the future of both programs.
Immediate Impact on Player Transfers
When a school fires its head coach mid-season, players get a 30-day window to jump into the NCAA transfer portal. That gives them a shot at exploring new teams while still keeping the door open for a move after the season.
Virginia Tech’s Dante Lovett didn’t waste any time—he entered the portal just days after Pry left.
Transfer Portal Dynamics
If players join a school on the quarters system, like UCLA, they can start practicing with their new team as soon as classes begin—September 25, for example. But here’s the catch: they can’t suit up for games in the same season.
That leaves players in a tricky spot, weighing whether a mid-season transfer is really worth it.
NIL Agreements and Transfer Complications
Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals have made transferring even more tangled. Schools sometimes add clawback clauses to these agreements, aiming to recover money if a player leaves.
Back in April, Arkansas’ NIL collective tried to enforce buyout provisions with two departing players. It’s messy, and honestly, who knows how often we’ll see this play out?
Recruiting Fallout
Coaching changes almost always mess with recruiting. When a head coach gets fired, decommitments usually follow.
At UCLA, seven recruits from the 2026 class bailed within 48 hours of Foster’s exit. That’s a lot of uncertainty for everyone involved.
Reopening Recruitment
Once the head coach is gone, a lot of committed prospects start looking around again. This happens even more if rumors about the coach’s future were already swirling.
Offensive tackles Johnnie Jones and Thomas Wilder both decommitted from UCLA and Virginia Tech, respectively, right after the firings.
Financial Implications
Most top programs have already spent their revenue-share budgets for the 2026 class. That means recruits who hit the open market again might not see the same financial offers they had before.
Long-Term Program Stability
Early-season coaching changes can gut a roster. Purdue and Marshall both lost over 50 scholarship players each when they switched coaches.
Redshirting and Opting Out
Since 2018, players can play up to four games and still keep their redshirt. Some use this rule to test things out, then transfer if they’re unhappy.
But if a player already redshirted, they can’t just opt out and get that year back—unless an injury knocks them out early in the season. It’s a tough call for anyone in that spot.
Challenges for New Coaches
New coaches inherit a mess. Kennesaw State lost 25 scholarship players to the portal in just a week after their coach left.
That’s a mountain to climb for anyone taking over, no matter how optimistic they might be.
Timing and Future Hires
By firing coaches in September, UCLA and Virginia Tech have a head start on the 2025 coaching carousel. They can start working with search firms and see who’s interested before the rest of the pack jumps in.
In-Season Hiring Challenges
Trying to hire a sitting head coach or coordinator in the middle of the season is almost impossible. Texas Tech tried to snag UTSA’s Jeff Traylor in 2021, but it didn’t work out.
They ended up with Baylor assistant Joey McGuire, who left with three games still on the schedule. It’s rarely a smooth process, no matter how you slice it.
Administrative and Resource Considerations
Both UCLA and Virginia Tech have some big questions hanging over them. Administrative leadership, resources, and the level of university support for football are all up in the air.
Any serious candidate will want clear answers about these things before they even think about taking the job.
- Schools Covered
- College Football Articles
- Men's College Basketball Articles
- Men's College Soccer Articles
- Women's College Basketball Articles
- Olympic Athlete Articles
- Men's College Baseball Articles
- College Sports Media Professionals Articles
- Hall of Fame Member Articles
- Former College Player Articles
- Game Previews
