Thursday was one of those days like nobody has seen at Arkansas … ever.
To be fair, it’s because Arkansas has never been in this position before. It’s the first time the athletic director position has been vacant (sorry Julie Cromer Peoples, but you’re not the AD) at the same time as the head football coach.
It started with sources telling us and other media outlets that Tulsa athletics director Derrick Gragg was the choice to be the next AD for the Razorbacks.
That rolled around for a couple of hours before the UA jumped out to walk it back, saying, well, it’s not official.
“No decision has been made,” UA spokesman Mark Rushing told WholeHogSports.com.
Apparently, though, he is the leader in the clubhouse for the job and had no comment in Tulsa when he came out of a board of trustees meeting.
According to sources, Gragg is the choice of the board of trustees. Chancellor Joe Steinmetz, however, is reportedly pushing for former Arkansas quarterback Kevin Scanlon, who has worked at Stephens Inc. for years.
It was reported by other media outlets that the search committee retained this week would still be vetting candidates and no decision expected until midweek next week.
And if you thought confusion was only on that side, the football coach search continued to get more interesting.
There are multiple reports that mercurial Washington State coach Mike Leach reached out regarding the Arkansas position, but there was no interest from the Hogs.
Some fans have had him high on their list, but he will not be considered for the position. That is a good thing because he would be a horribly bad fit at Arkansas in my opinion.
Oh, Leach is entertaining, but has only shared a Big 12 South championship in 2012, was fired at Texas Tech for cause and really hasn’t exactly turned Washington State into a championship contender.
While he may make press conferences interesting, there’s zero proof he’s prepared for what’s required these days in the SEC in terms of recruiting. His only time in the league was offensive coordinator for Hal Mumme at Kentucky from 1997-98.
Scratch Leach off the list.
Gus Malzahn is still the No. 1 choice and more people are starting to believe he’s going to come to Arkansas regardless of how the Tigers fare in the
Even those who didn’t believe it possible two weeks ago are now actually thinking there is a good chance.
Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan, who lives in Alabama, said on a radio show Thursday if the Tigers lost to Georgia on Saturday, Malzahn was headed to Arkansas. He said if they win he puts the odds at 65 percent and if they win the national championship, he said it’s 50-50.
So, Gus MAY still be coming to Arkansas, who doesn’t have an athletic director, although it appears there is a power struggle going on for that position.
And we still don’t know WHO is in charge of anything.
Welcome to the most memorable silly season in Arkansas football history.
