When the 2017 season comes to a close, every FBS college football team will begin a coaching search as the NCAA Division I Council announced on Friday that it has approved a 10th on-field assistant coach to be hired nationwide.
The additional position will be available effective Jan. 9, 2018. This decision will be final on April 26 at the conclusion of the Division I Board of Directors meeting.
Florida coach Jim McElwain recently explained why adding an extra assistant will be helpful, noting that the ratio of coaches to players in college football is drastically different than, say, college basketball.
"You think about it, your roster, we'll travel 100 people, players," he told Thomas Goldkamp of 247Sports. "And there's some sports that have one guy for every two people or maybe one of them."
For most, the 10th assistant coach will likely be a promotion for either a team analyst or someone working in quality control with the program.
Some of the nation's top teams -- particularly those with unlimited coffers -- may use that additional staff flexibility to take a big swing and bring on another high-priced coach or perhaps an additional top-tier recruiter.
