So obviously they don't want people leaving the game because of getting fired, but does anyone leave the game because they just realize it's impossible to get their dream job because no one ever gets fired? I feel like that frustration may cause some losses that they don't know about.
Honestly, they have a legitimate concern, but it's a legitimate that causes a ton of unrealism and a lot of frustration among coaches pining after high major D1 jobs. I think it's fixable. Or perhaps not easily fixable, able to be mitigated. Here's what I'd do if I were in their position (keep in mind I'm not a D1 coach, but I do have some modicum of intelligence. I think):
1. Increase firings. Obviously, that's what people are asking for. I also think that if firings are increased, people would be less likely to quit the game after being fired. Some people might quit after a bad recruiting class sinks their NT hopes for a couple years, but most people just buckle down and try to rebuild. If a couple bad recruiting classes can get you fired (say, a firing after three straight PTs from a program you took over at A+), firings will be seen as more of a normal part of the game and a reason to buckle down and get yourself back at a BCS job, instead of a reason to quit forever. There will still be folks quitting, but I don't think the percentage would be as high as it is now.
2. Change hiring logic. There are two main points to this.
2A. Make sure a coach who just got fired from a BCS job is qualified for roughly the level of job they left from. For instance, Billy Clyde was able to get a Big 12 job after being fired from Kentucky. If they have a decent place to go instead of having to retreat all the way back to Savannah State or Lamar, they're more inclined to stick with the game.
2B. Make sure a coach who makes the Sweet Sixteen with a mid-major, or builds a D-prestige school into a perennial NT team, etc., is qualified for at least low-level BCS jobs. If jobs are opening up more often, you need people to be able to get those jobs. These standards are fairly realistic and I think (although, like I said, I'm not in D1) will put enough people in the hiring pool.
In addition to giving more people the opportunity to land big jobs, this also allows fired coaches the opportunity to land big jobs again. if they lose a job at Georgia Tech, they don't have to despair ever making the ACC again, because there will be more turnover and they'll be qualified again with a few strong seasons at a mid-major. This, I suspect, will seriously decrease quitting after firings.
3. Parachute payments. In real life, contracts come with buyouts. In HD, there's an obvious parallel that would seriously disincentivize quitting. Give fired coaches two seasons free (perhaps even free and not transferable to another world). Yeah, it costs HD something, but if it keeps fired coaches playing the game and keeps other people interested (because they have a chance at big-time jobs), they'll come out ahead in the long-run. I can't see a coach taking two free seasons, getting his recruits in place over a period of 2-3 months, and then quitting because he had been fired several weeks earlier.
4. Monitor your revenue increase/decrease compared to current patterns. if they changes aren't working, you can always go back to the "never fire" logic. But I think there's a pretty good chance this would help, not hurt, the game if done correctly.
Am I a dumbass, or are these actually realistic and workable solutions? (not saying solutions that will be enacted, just saying could in principle and could make the game better without costing HD)