There is no coaching carousel in recent memory that has had the impact with recruiting, the transfer portal and the transition of power from one blue-blood to another in college football like the past week has provided us.

In the span of a few days, Oklahoma head man Lincoln Riley decided to leave the Sooners for greener pastures known as Los Angeles to take the USC job, followed by Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly leaving the Irish to become the coach of LSU.

The transition to one blue-blood to another is rarely seen in college football, especially in one fell swoop. Urban Meyer went from Florida to Ohio State, but that was after a brief “retirement” period.

Now, we have two examples in a short span of time. Oklahoma to USC and Notre Dame to LSU are examples of two coaches who think they can still take a step up in their careers, rather than viewing it as a lateral move.

Most of it comes down to recruiting. California and Louisiana are gold mines for football talent, especially when compared to Oklahoma and Indiana. Gone are the days where Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State can go into California and Louisiana and pick and choose whatever players they want. Many of those recruits will stay put now, if the coaches have the success that is expected from Riley, who has led the Sooners to multiple playoff appearances, and Kelly, who is the winningest coach in Irish history.

The implications are harsh and far-reaching. OU had already lost five recruits, their best receiver in Haselwood and preseason Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler. Who knows how many of them follow Riley to USC? Will Sooner QB Caleb Williams go to Los Angeles as well?

So, the landscape goes from three premier blue-blood jobs being available (USC, LSU, Florida) to two new blue-blood programs looking for head coaches (OU, Notre Dame) following Riley and Kelly’s departure and Florida hiring Billy Napier. Additionally, the Virginia Tech job is an upper-level job that just went off the market.

What happens next is anyone’s guess, but the only thing for certain is it will impact the college football world in a myriad of ways. Lane Kiffin is already rumored for the OU job. Meyer and Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell already rumored for the Irish job. Dan Mullen is available. However, both the OU and ND programs could easily promote from within, such as what happened with Riley at OU and Ryan Day at Ohio State. The “promote from within” method would be a way to keep the impact at a minimum. It would help recruits stay put and likely lead to a smooth transition of power. The quicker they make a hire the lesser chance of losing recruits in a mass exodus seen at Oklahoma currently.

It is also worth mentioning that nobody saw the Riley and Kelly moves coming. Therefore, the next moves for big name programs could be unforeseen entirely. More good jobs could become available, such as Ole Miss or Cincinnati.

The impact is seemingly endless, with more surprises to come.