Colorado State’s two highest-paid assistant football coaches will soon be leaving the program.

Last week, defensive coordinator Marty English ($229,050) announced his retirement at the conclusion of the Rams’ season, which wraps up Dec. 16 against Marshall at the New Mexico Bowl. Thursday, it was reported that offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Will Friend ($534,450) will join the staff of his college roommate, Jeremy Pruitt, at Tennessee as the Volunteers’ line coach. CSU defensive backs coach Terry Fair ($147,610) is also reportedly heading back to Tennessee.

Those moves, with the addition of a 10th on-field assistant the NCAA will allow teams to hire for the 2018 season (coach Mike Bobo said in July he expects to add a defensive coach), leave the Rams with four vacancies to fill on staff — and nearly $1 million in extra cap space, so to speak, which will be important to keep other valued assistants on staff and the recruitment of new faces.

Per the language in Bobo’s contract, he has at least $2.4 million to spend on a staff of nine assistant coaches, a strength coach, a director and assistant director of football operations, a director of player personnel and a director of player development and community/alumni relations (14 positions). The combined salary of CSU’s nine assistant coaches in 2017 was $1,759,790, leaving approximately $650,000 to be distributed among the five remaining staff members. It’s likely the salary pool will increase slightly next season with the addition of a 10th assistant, but CSU has the opportunity to — and likely will — save some money on staff pay with Bobo’s base salary increasing to $1.65 million Jan. 1, 2018.

There’s no questioning Friend’s value to CSU over the past three seasons. Under his tutelage, the Rams have one of the Mountain West’s best offensive lines and arguably the conference’s best pass-protecting unit. In addition, without him coordinating the run game, 5-foot-9 Dalyn Dawkins never would have blossomed into a 1,300-yard rusher while still splitting carries with Izzy Matthews (583 yards) and Rashaad Boddie (254). But the title of “offensive coordinator” was always more ceremonial, as it’s been Bobo running the Rams’ offense since he and Friend arrived from Georgia in 2015. Understand that this isn’t uncommon. Jim McElwain was calling the shots on offense in his first season at CSU before handing those duties off to Dave Baldwin, and before him, Steve Fairchild — never his offensive coordinator — called plays for the Rams.

The O.C. title is an important one — establishing a coach as the top assistant on offense, regardless of duties — and usually carries a pay bump. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising if CSU promoted wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted to the offensive coordinator title. Whitted, who’s helped establish CSU as having one of the country’s top stable of receivers on an annual basis, is making $157,790 and will likely have the opportunity to coach at a larger program soon. The same goes for running backs coach Bryan Applewhite ($147,610). Doing so in either case would bring a deserved raise while still not having to pay someone at the level of Friend, who, according to USA Today, was the highest-paid assistant coach in the Group of 5 this season.

If CSU is going to spend big on an assistant coach, expect it to be at defensive coordinator. The Rams rank 91st (out of 130) in total defense this season by allowing 425 yards/game, their worst mark since 2005 (428.8). An internal promotion here is less likely. One possible replacement for English is the man who previously replaced English before English subsequently replaced, Tyson Summers. (English was the Rams’ co-defensive coordinator from 2012-14 under McElwain.) Summers spent the 2015 season as the Rams defensive coordinator ($300,000 salary) before taking the head coaching job at Georgia Southern in 2016. He was fired this season after an 0-6 start.

According to 247Sports.com, none of the Rams’ 2018 commitments had Friend as their recruiting contact. Five, including three-star tight end Trey McBride (younger brother of CSU’s Toby McBride) and three-star linebacker Zach Schlager (younger brother of CSU’s Jake Schlager), were recruited by English.

Don’t expect any moves to be announced before the Rams’ bowl game. The American Football Coaches Association conference is Jan. 7-8, and it’s often that networking there leads to hires.