Signing any players without knowing for sure who the head coach is going to be would be a pretty good audition, at least for recruiting skills.
Late May or early June sure seems like a long time for a head coaching search, although Kest's departure did come kind of late. Then again, there is no need to wait until the season ends as BGSU probably had to do with Fralick. According to Wikipedia, "2018–19 season - as of May 8, 2018 there are 41 vacancies or newly filled positions (counting one interim head coach), of which 10 are still vacant." Not sure of their exact source.