While we're having fun waiting for the new OC to be brought in, I had a thought that because of the timing perhaps Kirk is looking at the NFL for the next OC.
The only real basis I have for this is the lack of any movement for Iowa on this front from the college ranks, and knowing that new NFL coaching hires (and staff displacements) historically heat up quick and are announced after the Divisional Playoff rounds.
To date in 2024, only a single NFL head coach has been announced - Jerod Mayo, New England - and that was an internal hire.
Kirk has deep roots in the NFL, so his landscapes and pools are very broad. There is a ton of staff coaching talent in the NFL who will be looking very soon, and cannot move until contracts separations are taken care of.
Think of how Harbaugh snagged his DC, Jessie Minter. He went to his brother Jim, asked him for his best non-DC guy to run his defense, and John put Minter forward. Minter was DB coach at Baltimore for four season then took the DC job at Vanderbilt for a single season before Jim plucked him out of there.
Smart hires are neither simple or linear, especially when the college pool is drying up quick and the pro pool is going to fill FAST starting next week. Those college teams who have made all of their coaching moves in quick fashion have absolutely missed out on (potentially) a far richer vein of talent that is about to open up.
JMO
The only real basis I have for this is the lack of any movement for Iowa on this front from the college ranks, and knowing that new NFL coaching hires (and staff displacements) historically heat up quick and are announced after the Divisional Playoff rounds.
To date in 2024, only a single NFL head coach has been announced - Jerod Mayo, New England - and that was an internal hire.
Kirk has deep roots in the NFL, so his landscapes and pools are very broad. There is a ton of staff coaching talent in the NFL who will be looking very soon, and cannot move until contracts separations are taken care of.
Think of how Harbaugh snagged his DC, Jessie Minter. He went to his brother Jim, asked him for his best non-DC guy to run his defense, and John put Minter forward. Minter was DB coach at Baltimore for four season then took the DC job at Vanderbilt for a single season before Jim plucked him out of there.
Smart hires are neither simple or linear, especially when the college pool is drying up quick and the pro pool is going to fill FAST starting next week. Those college teams who have made all of their coaching moves in quick fashion have absolutely missed out on (potentially) a far richer vein of talent that is about to open up.
JMO