Set aside Kiffin, what is the optimal timing for the hiring of a new coach?

I presume the sooner we hire the new coach, the better it is for the program. But certainly we would want a new coach in place by the first week of December, to give him at least a month to establish rapport with key players prior to the new unified Jan. 2-16 portal window, right?

I hope Verge is vetting and interviewing multiple serious candidates in parallel.