Head Coaches

[Hoos]

Do head coaches add any value to a team? I see that there is a prestige color code on the team staff page for the head coach, but it is yellow for every head coach. Scouting and development are done by the coordinators, so does the head coach have any affect on a team. If not, are coaching changes (hirings/firings) just a fluff aspect of the game? Looking at this part of the game as it exists, has anyone seen any head coaches retire/get fired at a higher prestige school and be replaced by a successful coach at a lower prestige school (the Urban Meyer scenario).

[Roll Tide]

Yes, I've seen the upper tiers (via AI) hire unemployed coaches and assistants to fill the openings.

[MirageAg99]

Has anyone had an assistant get a HC job?

[Hoos]

This thread really didn't catch on the first time and maybe it's an aspect that people don't care much about, but Head Coach movement and influence on a team was one of the aspects that I think made FBCB a great game and if implemented correctly could be an enjoyable "immersion" aspect of BBCF. Right now it seems that it only exists to say that Head Coach movement exists... What set me off to come back to this topic was the following that happened in 2020 of my current game... In the offseason after 2020 my email box was filled with emails on coaching changes. Among them was that Minnesota hired a new coach (I assume the current coach retired since there was no message that he was fired and does not show up on another team. Also I've never seen a head coach simply switch jobs without being fired first). Anyway, Minnesota (Prestige: 79) coming off a combined record of 34-2 over the last 3 seasons (which included 1 national championship) hired Rip Terrell an assistant coach at Ball State last season to fill the head coaching vacancy. Ball State has a prestige of 29 and a combined record of 8-25 over the last 3 seasons in the MAC conference... Not only should Minnesota not be going after a coach from a team this bad, but it isn't even the Head Coach. I've also seen things like the coach of Rutgers (Prestige: 33) getting fired after leading the team to an avg of 2 wins a year for 6 years only to be hired immediately by Kansas State (Prestige: 75). Based on what I have witnessed in my current 15 year dynasty, head coaches have no affect on a team, so at the end of the day it doesn't matter what coach is hired, but it should. Recruits have as one of their priorities "Head Coach" so there should be prestige/recruiting/amenable attributes that differentiate coaches from a recruit's standpoint. Other potential ideas include some kind of motivation rating that also impacts the mood of current players, a leadership/managerial rating that would provide small positive/negative adjustments to the abilities of the coordinators. Someone also mentioned the idea of giving head coaches an offensive/defensive/balanced bias that maybe could give slight bonuses/penalties to the gameplanning and development ratings of the coordinators. Every coach (OC/DC/ST) should have all of these ratings and the computer AI should use those in determining who they will hire to fill openings. The human coach should have all of these ratings as well but my thoughts are based more around having computer controlled head coaches influence their teams. I realize that redesigning this element of the game is not going to be in the next update, but maybe for a v1.2 or at least something to keep in mind for the next iteration of the game.

[Arlie Rahn]

I think it's definately something I will keep in mind for the next version. With multiplayer on the brain, I wanted the assistants to matter more and not have inheirant biases for teams starting in MP with a certain head coach type. I also thought it added more emphasis on the budget if the assistants and budget/scouting mattered more. But, I do think the head coach aspect needs to be developed more in the next version.