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Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Hunter Yurachek comments, Tom Murphy and more!

Tye & Tommy on what Hunter Yurachek had to say yesterday, plus Tom Murphy joins the pod!

Yurachek on plans bringing players back and how they can use a football

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If nothing else, it was clear from Hunter Yurachek’s press conference Wednesday morning and a later appearance on ESPN Arkansas they have a plan to get players back working out but it’s not in concrete.

The entire Covid-19 situation is a constantly moving target and there likely isn’t a solution anytime soon. The best vaccines for respiratory viral infections in history have only been 60 percent effective, so living with it is something we may all have to get used to.

Even Yurachek, who appears to be fairly aware of that. Like some of us, he’s wearing a mask when he might be in close proximity to people because, well, it doesn’t hurt anything.

“I’ve got four masks now,” he told Derek Ruscin and Zach Arns (Ruscin & Zach) on ESPN Arkansas after his earlier press conference. “People a great deal smarter than me are recommending I wear a mask. I don’t want it to not be a college football season because I’m not wearing a mask.”

That’s the same approach some of us have taken, too. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. Regardless, I’m not making a stand on that hill.

The Razorbacks will have players back on campus for on-campus workouts starting June 8. It is a phased-in approach, Yurachek said, that is custom-made for the Hogs in accordance with state guidelines.

Yurachek met with about 150 parents the last couple of evenings on Zoom and none have had problems sending their kids back to Fayetteville.

“If they’re like me and had their kids living at home the last seven or eight weeks they are ready to get them out of the house,” Yurackek said with a grin, while saying he was doing that “with some levity.”

Right now, the rules by the NCAA don’t allow balls to be used at practices. Of course that really means the players can’t use balls from the school.

“All of these games are played with balls,” Yurachek said at his press conference. “At some point in time you’ve got to be able to have access to that piece of your game to hone your craft.”

While the rules right now don’t permit any of the coaches to watch, the way he said he removed any doubt he’s pretty sure the players will find a way to work out with the tools of their sport.

“If Feleipe Franks has a football and he gathers his receivers together and they find a place to go throw balls, they can have access to balls,” Yurachek said. “We just can’t have oversight of that and our coaches can’t be involved in that process.

“I think you’ll see the leaders of all our teams, football, soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball take some onus on themselves to figure that out.”

Unlike some other teams in the SEC, the Hogs will not be testing players upon their return to campus. It will be if they have symptoms such as a fever above 100.4 and have had exposure.

“We have a plan that is customized to the State of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas,” Yurachek said.

If they show symptoms, players will be tested and if positive quarantined with their roommates for a period of time to see if they develop symptoms.

Yurachek made it clear a couple of positive tests isn’t going to shut things down.

“I was very candid with the parents,” Yurachek said of his Zoom meetings with them. “I told them that there will be a student-athlete that tests positive for Covid-19 on our campus.

“We’re equipped to handle that. We have a plan to handle that. And all we can do is mitigate their risk. There’s a great deal of onus that’s going to come on the shoulders our of student-athletes.”

Don’t ask about how many fans will be able to come to games. Yurachek doesn’t know right now. They are planning — physically and financially — to have a complete seasons in all sports.

How that plays out will probably be determined over the next month.

Yurachek updates protocols, handling players’ return to on-campus workouts

With the announcement that Arkansas players will be returning for voluntary on-campus workouts June 8, athletics director Hunter Yurachek held a Zoom press conference Wednesday with more details on protocols, safety issues.

Counce on playing, coaching; legacy of Sutton at Arkansas

Dr. Jim Counce was Eddie Sutton’s first signee when he came to Arkansas in 1974 and he was the ultimate role player, then delayed going to medical school while he coached with the Razorbacks.

He talked about that Wednesday morning, plus Sutton’s legacy with the Hogs, with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas.

Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Trust in Hog FB, Mase>IJ in mock draft and more!

Tye & Tommy on trusting in Arkansas FB again, Mase & IJ mock draft, Jim Counce, plus Hunter Yurachek questions!

Former Razorback Dr. Jim Counce joins The Morning Rush

Former Razorback Dr. Jim Counce joins The Morning Rush to discuss the passing of his former coach, Eddie Sutton. Hear his conversation with Tye and Tommy here!

Yurachek to outline plans for players coming back, getting sports restarted

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Hunter Yurachek has walked a political tightrope about as well as any Arkansas athletics director has done in managing a complete shutdown of sports in an unprecedented manner.

We’ll probably never know his true feelings because, quite simply, we don’t need to know. It was a decision made for him by folks higher up the pecking order.

When he made the announcement March 13 everything was suspended until April 15 he was obviously pained. He also said his initial thoughts when they cancelled the SEC Tournament in the middle of it was that might have been a little quick.

Then he quickly added he understood the concerns of everyone as everyone in charge of anything has struggled to hit a target that is constantly moving against something nobody can see and fewer understand.

Not even the so-called experts really have a clue. Based on their public flip-flops this has gone all over the place. The numbers say the overwhelming majority of infections occur in closed spaces and even the CDC has said transmission from surfaces is far less risky than they originally thought.

It appears this entire thing still has far more questions than answers, but Yurachek is at least taking a leadership role and getting things ready to get players back on campus for those infamous “voluntary” workouts that in reality are’t that voluntary at all.

Things might get interesting if some players don’t want to come back for those workouts.

The guess is that won’t happen. Everybody is tired of being limited in their actions and many are probably ready to roll right now.

He will outline his plan for re-opening things Wednesday morning. Because of the way the entire Covid-19 crisis changes from day to day, Yurachek knows without me telling him that plan has to be flexible and could probably change by the first of July based on what we find out.

Many expect the virus to reduce significantly as the temperatures increase. If that’s the case by the end of June in Arkansas it won’t be around much, especially for people that get outside.

Razorback great Brewer on recruiting from Westark, playing for Sutton

Ron Brewer was one of The Triplets along with Marvin Delph and Sidney Moncrief and recruited out of Westark (now UA-Fort Smith) by Eddie Sutton and he talked about playing for him during the early years Tuesday afternoon with Derek Ruscin and Zach Arns (Ruscin & Zach) on ESPN Arkansas.

PTN’s Irwin recounting Sutton’s history putting basketball on map in Arkansas

Pig Trail Nation’s Mike Irwin saw Eddie Sutton from the beginning to the end at Arkansas and talked with Derek Ruscin and Zach Arns (Ruscin & Zach) on ESPN Arkansas Tuesday afternoon about the drastic changes he made.

Williams talks about past with Sutton on ESPN Arkansas’ ‘Halftime’

Arkansas current assistant Corey Williams played for Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State and with Sutton’s passing Saturday, Williams talked about his former coach with Phil Elson and Matt Jenkins (Halftime) Tuesday on ESPN Arkansas.