40 interviews is crazy. I can understand 4-6, maybe 8 but if you can't screen better than needing to do 40 interviews then you have a problem somewhere.
Maybe it was at that coaches’ event, so with everyone there it’s a great opportunity to interview people AND expand your network of like minded coaches. Talking to more coaches during this process gives you a better Rolodex for future hires. The lifespan on a coach in college, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, is about 2-3 years. Especially for coaches that have a good reputation. If I’m coaching for a school that doesn’t have unlimited funds, I want to have a succession plan in mind and a list of coaches who I can call.
I have been saying this for awhile, but I really feel that the most important thing Key learned at Alabama was how to run a program. Saban didn’t just luck out in his “rehabilitation” projects, he had a plan and approach that allowed him to bring good coaches into the fold and leverage their abilities, even when they were tainted and working off-field. The hiring of high school coaches into staff roles, potentially Scherrer staying as an analyst, things like that. I feel like Key knows what it takes to align the program towards success, and honestly we got lucky with the J Batt hire because he gets it too.
I’ll jump off of my soap box now!