End of the ‘analyst army’? Why revenue sharing could curb college football’s off-field staff swell

When Mike Locksley arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he had already been a head coach (New Mexico), offensive coordinator (Illinois, Maryland) and position coach at several schools.

Despite his long list of accomplishments, there was no grand welcome or red carpet arrival when he joined Nick Saban’s army of analysts. Instead, Locksley was given some Nike school gear, a seat at a folding table in a windowless room, and told to start working as just another cog in the machine.

“People are like, who is this guy?” said Locksley, now a coach at Maryland. “You’re there for three or four months before anyone gets to know you.”

Saban discovered a market advantage that revolutionized the sport. He could take experienced coaches who may have failed elsewhere and bring them into his Alabama program as off-field analysts.

Locksley joined Steve Sarkisian, fresh off a failed stint as USC’s head coach, to help offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin with third-down and red-zone strategy. The duo earned US$80,000.

“He would take it, put it on the call sheet and go ahead and call a hell of a game,” Locksley said. “I’m telling myself this is genius because you have two guys who called the plays, the game plan and it gives Lane a tremendous starting point.”

Hiring coaches like Locksley, Sarkisian and Billy Napier on the cheap for behind-the-scenes roles helped spark an unbelievable run of success for Saban. But with the imminent sharing of athlete revenues sure to eat into athletic department budgets across the country, could the days of armies of analysts be numbered?

New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer’s on-field staff is actually slightly more expensive than Saban’s starting in 2023, but the program has reduced its off-field analyst workforce from 12 to eight. This number is skewed slightly due to the creation of a general manager role (Courtney Morgan) and increasing the number of special assistants from two to three, which included the hiring of two FBS strength and conditioning coaches (Ron McKeefery and Matt Shadeed) .

Gone are prominent coaches-turned-analysts like Charlie Strong (ex-Texas) and Derek Dooley (ex-Tennessee). Former Rutgers offensive coordinator John McNulty and former Tide linebacker Jamey Mosley are the only remaining analysts from Saban’s latest staff.

This is not a coincidence. Power Four schools are responsible for a new annual expense of $22 million as part of the terms of the House v. Board of Education settlement. Alabama has been quietly working to stay ahead of the budget curve and avoid drastic decisions like cutting sports.

Alabama spent more than $1 million on analysts alone in 2023, according to public records. Alabama also listed 69 off-field employees in its 2023 media guide, including five in recruiting, four in player personnel, three in player development, two special assistants (former Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt was one) and two chefs.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to be more efficient in what we do, but we also make sure we do it at the level we expect,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne told CBS Sports. “We’re in a new world and we have to adjust to it.”

Bigger is not always better

When Florida hired Billy Napier in December 2021, it gave him a $5 million salary pool for off-field analysts and other personnel.

“We’re going to hire an army of people here,” Napier said after being hired. “We will create an infrastructure not only for the personnel department, but also for in-person recruitment, creative media, name, image and likeness. We have a great vision for the organization we will create here.”

Napier took what he learned from Alabama and Clemson and added 21 non-coaching positions, including a “GameChanger Coordinator,” a director of player engagement and NIL and several full-time nutritionists.

But after just 11 total victories in two years, Napier’s army did not lead to a marked improvement in the field. In the future, these off-field position requests will come under greater scrutiny.

College football has long been seen as the sacred cow in athletics departments as schools pour money into their programs in hopes of a national championship. The House agreement will not end this, but it could cause a slowdown in spending in some areas.

“Are we going to increase revenue?” said Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin. “If you look at it just from a revenue standpoint: does having another coach, another analyst, increase our revenue numbers? I don’t think it does.”

Not everyone is slowing down, however. After benefiting from the help of Sarkisian and Locksley during his time at Alabama, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin took over the analyst baton from Saban this offseason. The Rebels added former New York Giants coach Joe Judge and former Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett as analysts to a group that already included former UCLA defensive coordinator Lou Spanos.

Future of the Analyst Position

While shrinking budgets threaten to reduce the number of analyst jobs, there is pending legislation that could change the very nature of the role. The FBS Oversight Committee approved a proposal last month that would eliminate the current limit of 10 on-field assistant coaches and allow analysts, graduate assistants and quality control employees to directly coach players. The Division I Council is expected to make a decision at the end of the month after rejecting the same proposal a year ago.

Concerns about rising costs and competitive imbalance were the reason for rejecting the rule last year, according to Atlético. Those concerns have only been amplified over the past 12 months, with several Power Four schools poaching Group of Five field assistants for analyst roles.

Whether the new rule is approved or not, athletic directors across the country are expected to consider personnel hiring with greater scrutiny in the future.

“As much as people think there is unlimited money, there isn’t,” Byrne said. “You have to make financial decisions.”