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College football's first-year assistants to watch in 2024

Chip Kelly opted to leave his head-coaching job at UCLA to become Ryan Day's offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Tony Ding/Icon Sportswire

Before Nick Saban retired as Alabama's coach on Jan. 10, many of the coaching carousel's most intriguing transactions had taken place at the coordinator and assistant-coaching levels. That doesn't mean there hasn't been substantial movement since his announcement.

Arkansas has a new offensive coordinator in Bobby Petrino, who elevated the program to a No. 5 finish in his final season as Razorbacks head coach in 2011 before being fired for lying about an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. USC coach Lincoln Riley addressed a floundering defense by reshaping the staff with notable names. After three straight losses to Michigan, Ohio State coach Ryan Day distanced himself a bit from the offense and brought in UCLA head coach Chip Kelly as the lead playcaller, after Bill O'Brien left for Boston College. Notable assistant moves also were made at Notre Dame, Oklahoma, LSU and at other programs poised to contend for the 12-team College Football Playoff.

The fallout from Saban's retirement also overhauled the staff at Alabama -- which plucked two sitting FBS head coaches for its defensive staff -- and at programs such as Washington and Arizona, which will have new staffs as they move into new conferences this fall.

Here's a look back at the most significant coordinator/staffing nuggets from the past few months and how those moves will impact the 2024 season.