And after speaking with a source familiar with the situation on Friday, it sounds like fans will have to remain patient on that front.
The source indicated that Cristobal is taking his time throughout this process because he wants to sort through multiple available options. With the NFL regular season finished, he wants to see if any other names emerge that could be of interest. It’s also possible that teams who are eliminated from the playoffs early could see some staff turnover.
There has also been some movement on the college front even recently, and the source believes that Cristobal is going to be extremely thorough with the process. The source used Manny Diaz’s tenure as an example of the importance of getting things done correctly rather than quickly.
Diaz had to let go of his offensive staff in his first year as head coach and then shook up the defensive staff after year two. It sounds as though the priority is bringing in the right people rather than making a quicker decision.
The process probably gets delayed a bit longer as well because priority No. 1 for Cristobal and the staff in place is to recruit now that things opened back up for in-person and on-campus visits. Coaches, including Cristobal, will be on the road for most of the month and that doesn’t necessarily leave a lot of time for coaching interviews and other necessary actions that come with the vetting and hiring process.
The source also noted that they believe things are closer to being wrapped up on the defensive side. No names in particular were given, but there is reason to believe that Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk are amongst the names sitting near the top of Cristobal’s wishlist.