Keeping Up With the Well-Traveled Robert Bala

A disappointing 4-8 record for Florida put everyone out of work before Napier, who was 22-23 in four seasons at the SEC school, rebounded with the James Madison job, which opened when Bob Chesney was hired away by UCLA.

Chesney, of course, was the Dukes replacement for Curt Cignetti, who left for Indiana and instantly turned the long-suffering Hoosiers into winners and the top seed in the College Football Playoff.

Bala's situation was unique because he came to the UW from Alabama, going in the opposite direction of Kalen DeBoer and some of his select assistant coaches to the Crimson Tide.

He worked on Nick Saban's final Crimson Tide staff and his legendary coach apparently put in a good word for him with Fisch in Montlake.

Bala seemed to be well received last season by a group of Husky linebackers headed that included Carson Bruener, Alphonzo Tuputala, Drew Fowler, Deven Bryant, Bryun Parham and Kmori House. Bruener made it to the NFL. Parham and House led Connecticut and North Carolina in tackles this season, respectively.

What was somewhat amusing about Bala was he sat and answered questions in February news conference in advance of UW spring football while furiously texting throughout the media exchange. Within 48 hours, he was headed to Florida.

He might have been negotiating for one job while maintaining a public presence with the other.

Yet Bala appears to have landed on his feet again at James Madison, though he might be wondering why he ever left the sanctity of a Big Ten coaching job under Fisch rather than cause himself to move from Seattle to Florida to Virginia.

Again, he had to pack up all of his stuff twice over 10 months while moving three time zones.