CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish talked Wednesday with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas about how much he likes Eric Musselman and the Hogs playing Memphis, recruiting harder there against Penny Hardaway.
Yes, there’s a path for Hogs to get to bowl … but it’s bumpy, requires luck
While just about everybody looks at Arkansas’ schedule, the last two years and writes a 3 or 4 in the win column, there actually is a path to even a bowl game.
That’s not saying it’s easy, exactly clear-cut or needing an awful lot of fortunate bounces along the way.
“I doubt it, but I think they could,” Lynn Scarbrough of Lindy’s Football magazines hitting the news stands said Tuesday afternoon with Derek Ruscin and Zach Arns (Ruscin & Zach) on ESPN Arkansas.
It will provide hope for some while others say it’s impossible. While pre-season predictions are generally wild guesses and I avoid those at all costs, Scarbrough and I agree on this one.
There IS a path. Whether it will happen or not is anybody’s guess.
The key is the schools in Mississippi.
“Ole Miss and Mississippi State do not tremendously out-class Arkansas,” Scarbrough said.
Lane Kiffin with the Rebels and Mike Leach with the Bulldogs have a better track record than Sam Pittman but just as many questions. They are just very different questions.
Arkansas will play three SEC teams with coaches (don’t forget Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri) that have as many wins as a head coach in the league as Pittman does.
Pittman does have more years coaching in the league than the three of them combined times two.
The pressure is on mainly Kiffin and Leach. They were hired to produce instant results while Pittman sorta flew under the radar.
“He got a big advantage on this because so much prominence was given to Ole Miss and Mississippi State’s hires,” Scarbrough said. “They soaked up all the headlines.”
Scarbrough likes Arkansas’ offense … a lot.
“I really like Treylon Burks and the other young receivers,” he said. “Rakeem Boyd is excellent and was on our second team in a league that is really good this year at the running back position.”
Then there’s Feleipe Franks coming in at quarterback and he’s won more SEC games than every Arkansas quarterback combined over the last four seasons.
“It’s a great move,” Scarbrough said. “I’m excited about ya’ll’s offense. Your offense is not going to get the credit due. His record at Florida was good. He’s going to be the thing that’s going to be the difference.”
The personnel on the Hogs’ offense have gotten the headlines on potential the last year but didn’t show it on the field which is either a spectacular evaluation bust … or a coaching staff that really didn’t have a clue.
New offensive coordinator Kendal Briles is what makes the offense interesting for Lindy’s and all the pre-season guesses.
“Briles is picking up some good people,” Scarbrough said. “Arkansas’ skill people among the best in the SEC. It’s hard to find a team that’s got better skill people than what Arkansas will put on the field.”
But then there’s the other side of the ball.
“I’m not excited about the defense at all,” he said.
Nobody else is, either, but the guess is they will be better simply with a change in the leadership. New defensive coordinator Barry Odom is going to be better with today’s players.
But good enough to get this teams to six wins?
Check back with me in a couple of months. They really should be able to have at least one practice before we start making a lot of bold predictions.
Either way.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Justin Smith a Hog, Tom Murphy and more!
Tye & Tommy on Justin Smith choosing Arkansas, Tom Murphy joins, plus Sam Pittman on Finebaum!
Proposal by NCAA would give college football teams extra practice time
It is becoming apparent with every passing day everyone is pushing full speed ahead towards football as the NCAA is proposing starting with coaches the second week of July.
It’s not really where it should be, but it is a step forward, according to published reports.
Last week, Hogs coach Sam Pittman hinted at this but didn’t let any details get out but now his comments have some additional context.
“We’ve talked about it and we’re prepared for it,” Pittman said. “It just depends on what the hours situation is.”
Since spring training was disrupted so drastically with many teams not getting a single practice this is a critical window.
“We need on-the-field movement,” he added.
The story was first reported at Sports Illustrated on Monday.
Under the proposal, expected to be approved by a vote from the D-I Council on June 17, would let football coaches begin interacting with their players as soon as the second week of July and by mid-July, conducting walk-through practices with a ball.
That probably should be backed up to the first of June but the NCAA has never exactly moved fast with a lot of forethought.
A draft of the plan below has been circulated to conference offices and athletic departments for feedback.
Apparently, though, the vote is going to be a mere formality, according to the story:
“We’re 90% there,” Shane Lyons, the West Virginia athletic director and chair of the Oversight Committee, told Sports Illustrated in an interview Monday.
Here is the summary of the proposal:
• Voluntary workouts: June 1-25 (virtual instruction 8 hours per week)
• Mandatory workouts: July 13, 25 days before first permissible preseason practice date
• Walk-throughs and meetings: July 24, 14 days before first preseason practice date (8 hours weight training, 6 hours walk-through with football, 6 hours for meetings)
• Preseason practices: Aug. 7, 29 days before first game (20 hours per week)
Van Horn reportedly adds games against ASU, UCA on Hogs’ schedule
Considering Dave Van Horn has been one of the biggest proponents to opening Arkansas’ schedule to include games against in-state schools the report Monday that’s happened isn’t surprising.
WholeHogSports.com reportedly had the Razorbacks adding Arkansas State and Central Arkansas to a schedule that already included Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Van Horn has repeatedly said he thought it would be a good idea for the Hogs to schedule games against in-state schools and did play Little Rock and UAPB last season.
According to reports, all four games will be played at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Before the covid-19 shutdown of the baseball season this past spring, the Hogs were scheduled to play a solo game against Little Rock in addition to a pair of games with UAPB.
Musselman lands Indiana grad transfer, putting Hogs over scholarship numbers
Either Isaiah Joe is definitely leaving for pro basketball or a player currently on the roster is leaving are about the only possible explanations for the announcement of Justin Smith signing with Arkansas as a graduate transfer.
Eric Musselman probably knows, but he isn’t really saying anything right now.
The Razorbacks now have 14 players after landing the 6-7 Smith, who started all 32 games for Indiana last year, and the NCAA only allows 13.
Joe declared for the draft but there is nothing but rumor and guesses about whether he’s going pro or coming back to college.
The original date for collegiate athletes to withdraw and remain eligible was set for June 3, but that’s been backed up to Aug. 3 or 10 days after the NBA Combine, whichever comes first.
And there hasn’t been a date set for the combine yet.
Smith averaged 10.4 points a game and 5.4 rebounds but maybe the most interesting part for Musselman was the number of positions he can defend against.
He is the third grad transfer to sign with the Hogs after Jalen Tate and Vance Jackson.
Campbell on Halftime talking about not throwing pitch in live game for a year
Former Arkansas pitcher Isaiah Campbell’s last time on the mound in a game was a year ago in the College World Series against Florida State and he talked about that Monday afternoon with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas.
Governor’s press conference Monday on numbers with Covid-19 over weekend
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson delivering the numbers from a weekend where cases increased in the state after a large number of tests.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Playing ASU/UCA, games in LR, and more!
Tye & Tommy on the policy change playing ASU/UCA, games in War Memorial, and more!
