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Wilkes named winner of Burlsworth Trophy on Monday afternoon

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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SPRINGDALE — Michigan State’s Kenny Willekes was named 10th winner of the Burlsworth Trophy at a ceremony hosted by the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation and the Springdale Rotary Club.

The award is given to the nation’s most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on. On hand to present the trophy to Willekes was Marty Burlsworth, Chairman and CEO of the Burlsworth Trophy.

The Burlsworth Trophy Presentation ceremony was held at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center.

Willekes, a preseason All-America selection and last year’s Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, has 59 tackles this season with 24 solo tackles, including 6.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries.

He was named Defensive Player of the Week by the Big Ten and the Walter Camp Football Foundation after recording seven tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks against Tulsa earlier this season.

Willekes, named a Burlsworth semifinalist in 2018, did not receive scholarship offers from any Division I schools. He was invited to walk-on at Michigan State, where he redshirted as a true freshman in 2015. Willekes was named a mid-season All-American by Rivals.com in 2019.

He suffered a broken fibula in a bowl game to end last season and rehabbed in the offseason. He is the active career leader in tackles for loss per game (1.22).

Other finalists for the award were California safety and returner Ashtyn Davis and Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.

Davis recorded 47 tackles this season with 27 solo stops. He has also forced two fumbles, intercepted a pass and returned 12 kicks for 149 yards. He is a four-time All-American in the 60 meter hurdles indoors and the 110 meter hurdles outdoors.

He was a second-team midseason All-American selection by Athlon Sports and The Athletic and is on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, given annually to the nation’s most versatile player.

He walked on the Cal track team and after several unsuccessful attempts to contact the football staff, joined the team in the spring of 2016. He was named first-team All-Pac 12 by the Associated Press, Athlon Sports and Pro Football Focus in 2018, recording 56 tackles and an interception with an 89-yard kick return. Davis was recognized as Cal’s top special team’s player in 2016 and 2017.

Blankenship ranks No. 14 nationally and second in the Southeastern Conference in scoring with 92 points and has hit 100 percent of his extra-point kicks this year for the fourth-ranked Bulldogs (9-1).

He has made 19 of 23 field goals attempts this season with a long of 50 yards. Blankenship, who started his career as a preferred walk-on, is the NCAA active career leader in field goals with 72.

Blankenship has hit six field goals of at least 50 yards in his career and as a sophomore in 2017. That season Blankenship secured a scholarship spot on the team and hit field goals of at least 50 yards in the Rose Bowl and National Championship Game.

Blankenship holds the record for longest field goal in Rose Bowl history at 55 yards. He is a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s top placekicker.

Past Burlsworth Trophy winners include:

  • 2018- Hunter Renfrow, Receiver- Clemson
  • 2017- Luke Falk, Quarterback- Washington State
  • 2016- Baker Mayfield, Quarterback- Oklahoma
  • 2015- Baker Mayfield, Quarterback- Oklahoma
  • 2014- Justin Hardy, Receiver- East Carolina
  • 2013- Jared Abbrederis, Receiver- Wisconsin
  • 2012- Matt McGloin, Quarterback- Penn State
  • 2011- Austin Davis, Quarterback- Southern Mississippi
  • 2010- Sean Bedford, Center- Georgia Tech

Hogs’ Harris named to SEC’s second team for third straight year

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Hogs’ Harris named to SEC’s second team for third straight year

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas linebacker De’Jon Harris has been named to his third consecutive Associated Press All-SEC Team award after turning in another strong campaign in his final year.

Harris earned second team honors for the third-straight year, giving him six all-conference accolades during his time as a Razorback.

He received first team recognition from Pro Football Focus in 2017, as well as third team honors from Phil Steele that year, while getting recognized as an All-Freshman team member by the conference coaches in 2016.

A senior from Harvey, Louisiana, Harris started all 12 games for the Razorbacks in 2019, playing a total of 666 snaps, with 318 in run defense.

He racked up a team-best 101 total stops, 52 solo, with 6.5 tackles for loss, including a sack. He also had two fumbles forced, two fumble recoveries, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries over the course of the season.

His final season consisted of five double-digit tackle games, giving him 20 over his collegiate career.

It marked the third-straight year Harris has broken the 100-tackle threshold, making him one of four Razorbacks to accomplish the feat (Caleb Miller, Tony Bua and Ken Hamlin). He completed his Arkansas career with 371 tackles, the fifth-most in school history.

Harris was voted by his teammates as a captain in 2018 and 2019.

For more information on Arkansas Football, follow @RazorbackFB on Twitter.

2019 Postseason Honors

Treylon Burks – Pro Football Focus All-Freshman Team (Honorable Mention)
De’Jon Harris – Associated Press All-SEC (Second Team)
Trey Knox – Pro Football Focus All-Freshman Team (Honorable Mention)
Ricky Stromberg – Pro Football Focus All-Freshman Team (Third Team)

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday

Pittman may have been Yurachek’s ‘ace in the hole’ after wacky week

Andy Hodges
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Pittman may have been Yurachek’s ‘ace in the hole’ after wacky week

In today’s world of need for immediate satisfaction, Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek allowed other names to make repeated headlines, then quietly got the guy he wanted all along.

Georgia associate head coach and offensive line coach Sam Pittman is going to be the one to step up to fix the mess that Razorback football now finds itself.

Fans were in a mounting tizzy for the last week that built to a boiling-over stage as Lane Kiffin accepted the Ole Miss job, but just as we saw in the search that landed Eric Musselman back in April there’s a new way these things go.

Yurachek and his trusty sidekick Jon Fagg were the main two people in charge of things and there weren’t many leaks that turned out to be very accurate. Some are saying they actually had things pretty much resolved Wednesday.

While people were tracking planes and reading every change in wind direction, everybody had a source and they were pointing in several directions at once.

Nobody was doing much talking and letting all of the rumors and whirlwind of gossip just go unanswered until the news broke Sunday that Pittman suddenly was the name at the top of the list.

Once again Yurachek proved to lay down enough false trails everybody was running in circles, often colliding as one source after another proved to be completely wrong. Arkansas may have known all along Kiffin wanted Ole Miss, who knee-jerked and fired their coach to win the headlines.

Pittman was busy. He was trying to stay focused on the Bulldogs winning an SEC championship and finding a way into the College Football Playoff.

After LSU thumped the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship game Saturday, the guess here is things with Pittman heated up fairly quickly.

While fans blasted everybody from the Board of Trustees to the media, even some in the media were critical although we may never really know how things actually played out for the past couple of weeks … unless Yurachek tells us.

Pittman, though, may have been as good of a choice all along as Yurachek could have made. He didn’t have to win the headline. No, Arkansas football needs a coach who can put things back together again.

During a three-year term in Fayetteville under Bret Bielema, he built an offensive line that got national attention.

But his frustration with Bielema’s halfway approach to things finally got to be too much and when Kirby Smart offered him the chance to come to Georgia he didn’t waste a lot of time getting there.

Pittman will take over a program that has fallen into the worst period in history, going 4-20 over the last two seasons without an SEC win.

He knows all this.

And, we’re hearing, it’s basically been a done deal since Wednesday of last week. That means in our day and age where too many fans want affirmation over information, a lot of people were turning their wishes into guesses that suddenly became fact.

The fact is it’s now Pittman as the coach. Rehashing history at this point doesn’t do a whole lot of good. It is what it is. All that should matter is the players will be ready to jump on a grenade for Pittman within five minutes of meeting him.

And I’m sick to death of folks throwing up he doesn’t have head coaching experience. For every successful head coach experienced taking over a new job I’ll show you one that bombed, despite success elsewhere.

Then I’d point out there’s been some pretty good head coaches that were never even a coordinator. There are three coaches in the CFP in their first head coaching job.

In the end, all that will matter is how many games Pittman can win as a head coach at Arkansas.

Pittman officially announced Sunday as new coach for Razorbacks

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Pittman officially announced Sunday as new coach for Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE — Former Arkansas assistant head coach Sam Pittman has been tabbed as the 34th head coach in Arkansas football history.

Pittman returns to The Hill after four seasons on staff at Georgia, including this last season when he served as the associate head coach and offensive line coach for the Bulldogs.

Georgia was just the most recent stop of Pittman’s career that has spanned the high school, junior college and collegiate levels.

The Oklahoma native has coached at seven different Power 5 schools during his 32 years of coaching, including Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. With a wealth of experience, Pittman is widely regarded as one of the nation’s best offensive line coaches and recruiters.

He has coached 12 players that have been selected in the NFL Draft since 2013, including first round picks Frank Ragnow (20th in 2018) Isaiah Wynn (23rd overall in 2018), Ja’Wuan James (19th overall in 2014) and Jonathan Cooper (7th overall in 2013).

Travis Swanson also became the highest drafted Razorback center in school history when he was picked 76th overall in 2014.

“Sam Pittman has been an integral part of successful teams that have competed at the highest levels, including for SEC and NCAA Championships,” athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in a press release. “As one of the nation’s premier offensive line coaches, he has built a remarkable body of work thanks to his tremendous passion for his student-athletes, including teaching the fundamentals and developing his players on and off the field.

“Sam instills in his players the motivation, grit and determination required to compete and win. Throughout this process, I heard from many of his former players about the tremendous influence he had on them as a player and as a man.

“Sam knows the Southeastern Conference inside and out and is one of the nation’s best recruiters. His connections throughout football will enable him to build a quality coaching staff. In his previous tenure, Sam and his wife Jamie fell in love with the state of Arkansas and with Razorback fans.

“They know what a special place this is and are excited for the opportunity to come back to the Home of the Razorbacks.“

Pittman arrived in Athens in 2016 as the offensive line coach as part of Kirby Smart’s first staff. In his four seasons with the Bulldogs, Pittman helped Georgia to unprecedented success including three-straight Southeastern Conference Eastern Division titles.

This season, the Bulldogs’ rushing attack has been led by D’Andre Swift, who finished fourth in the league with 1,216 yards just ahead of Arkansas’ Rakeem Boyd (1,133).

The 2017 Bulldogs were a special team, winning 13 games, the SEC championship and making the school’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance — a win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl.

Georgia’s offense that year was the best in the SEC and ninth nationally in rushing, led by Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. During his four seasons in Athens, he was part of a staff that produced four Top 10 recruiting classes, including the nation’s No. 1 class in 2018.

An original member of Bret Bielema’s staff at Arkansas in 2013, Pittman helped build the Razorbacks’ offensive line into one of the best in the league.

He quickly made an impact, helping Swanson earn first-team All-America honors and be a Rimington Trophy finalist in 2013.

His first two offensive lines at Arkansas led the SEC in sacks allowed per game and his offensive line in 2014 paved the way for two 1,000-yard rushers in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins.

That line also averaged 328.4 pounds per player as the largest offensive line in the FBS and NFL that season. In Pittman’s final year in Fayetteville his offensive line contributed to an offense that finished second in the SEC in total offense (456.8 ypg), second in scoring (40.2 ppg) and third in passing offense (264.2 ypg).

During his tenure with the Razorbacks, Pittman mentored some of the best offensive linemen at Arkansas in recent memory, including Swanson, Sebastian Tretola, Dan Skipper and Frank Ragnow.

Pittman’s coaching career began in 1987 as the head coach at Princeton (Mo.) HS. He coached at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC for three seasons, including the final two as the head coach, before getting his first FBS opportunity at Northern Illinois in 1994.

He later returned to NIU to help the Huskies to a pair of division championships and two bowl games. Pittman got his first experience in the SEC in 2012 when he joined the staff at Tennessee.

Pittman played defensive end at Pittsburg State, where he was a first-team NAIA All-American and twice earned all-conference recognition.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1986 and was inducted into the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998. He is married to his wife, Jamie.

Pittman will be announced at a public celebration on Monday on the field inside the Walker Pavilion at 3 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to park in lots west of Razorback Road, including Lots 72, 73, 73A and 74. Doors on the east and west side of the Pavilion will open at 2 p.m.

Sam Pittman Profile
Birthdate: Nov. 28, 1961
Birthplace: El Reno, Okla.
High School: Grove HS – Grove, Okla.
College: Pittsburg State (Kan.), 1986 B.S. Education
Family: Wife, Jamie

Coaching Experience
1987-88 Princeton (Mo.) HS (Head Coach)
1989-90 Trenton (Mo.) HS (Head Coach)
1991 Hutchinson (Kan.) CC (OL)
1992-93 Hutchinson (Kan.) CC (Head Coach)
1994-95 Northern Illinois (OL)
1996 Cincinnati (OT/TEs)
1997-98 Oklahoma (OL)
1999 Western Michigan (Assistant Coach)
2000 Missouri (OL)
2001 Kansas (OL)
2003 Northern Illinois (OL)
2004-06 Northern Illinois (Assistant Head Coach/OL)
2007-10 North Carolina (OL)
2011 North Carolina (Associate Head Coach/OL)
2012 Tennessee (OL)
2013-15 Arkansas (Assistant Head Coach/OL/Recruiting Coordinator)
2016-2018 Georgia (OL)
2019 Georgia (Associate Head Coach/OL)

Playing Experience
1980-83 Pittsburg State
First team NAIA All-American, twice All-Conference… inducted into PSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

Pittman deal to be new Hogs’ coach ‘all but signed,’ according to report

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Pittman deal to be new Hogs’ coach ‘all but signed,’ according to report

Chris Low at ESPN.com reported early Sunday afternoon he had emerged as the top candidate. 247Sports.com has said the deal is all but signed, according to “strong sources.”

Pittman is the associate head coach and offensive line coach at Georgia and is widely viewed as one of the best recruiters and offensive line coaches in the SEC.

Several former Arkansas players, some of whom have played in the NFL, sent letters of support to Arkansas officials expressing support for Pittman.

Pittman was promoted to Georgia’s associate head coach in February and is the highest paid offensive line coach in the FBS with an annual salary of $900,000.

Pittman has gotten most of the credit for recruiting and building an offensive line that helped the Bulldogs win the SEC East each of the last three seasons.

He was the assistant head coach, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Arkansas from 2013-15 before joining Kirby Smart at Georgia.

Pittman, 58, also coached at Tennessee and North Carolina before going to Arkansas in 2013. He is a native of Grove, Oklahoma, about 70 miles from the Fayetteville campus, and has said before coaching the Razorbacks was a “dream job” for him.

This story will obviously be updated as events progress

Fans’ frustration level boiling over after Kiffin chooses better job

Andy Hodges
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Fans’ frustration level boiling over after Kiffin chooses better job

Arkansas fans’ frustration level probably went to the stage of boiling over Saturday as Ole Miss announced the hiring of Lane Kiffin.

Hunter Yurachek and his merry band had conversations with Kiffin, but we don’t know how those actually went … or really even if they got to the stage of serious.

Oh, everybody has some sources that know somebody. I’ve had people insist to me they knew people that were related to somebody that knew it was going to be first one, then the other.

Even Houston Dale Nutt has been mentioned along with Butch Davis as the senior candidates.

The actual ones who may still be in the picture are Appalachian State coach Eli Drinkwitz and interim coach Barry Lunney, Jr., who likely will be with the Hogs in some capacity if he wants regardless who’s hired.

The lack of information out there is what has driven Razorback fans to the point of where they are totally, completely and hilariously off the rails as of Saturday night.

Many feel the Board of Trustees blocked the hiring of Kiffin. Others have said there was never an offer on the table for Kiffin. There will be a few that go to their grave believing the Hogs were out-negotiated by Ole Miss.

What actually happened is not known, but reports out of Oxford are saying Kiffin’s deal with the Rebels is for $4 million a year and I’ve been told Arkansas could have topped that.

The fact is right now the Ole Miss job is a better job than the one currently open in Fayetteville.

Yeah, I know, Hog fans tend to assume everyone should share their view, but having been all over the SEC, I can tell you right now that view hasn’t been widely shared for at least the last 10 years.

Believe it or not, today’s world of college football coaches doesn’t mean you throw enough money out there and that’s all it takes. Coaches ain’t starving these days and the track record of success in Fayetteville hasn’t been particularly appealing.

They aren’t going to risk career suicide for a shot at a couple of million bucks. And, yes, I know most reading this would in a second, but coaches look at the roster, what’s there for assistants, attractiveness to recruits and, finally, the money.

At least that’s what several have told me over the last few years.

Right now Arkansas football is mired in a death spiral.

Every coach not already listed as the one expected to be named to a head job somewhere is on the wishlist of Razorback fans.

What started as confusion for the fans has turned into complete chaos. Somehow I still think Yurachek has played this exactly how he wanted all along.

Yeah, I know. Fans will disagree with that, but I didn’t expect anybody to be announced before this weekend at the earliest unless somebody unexpected all of a sudden had an interest in the job.

This is a similar situation Jeff Long found himself in back in 2012 trying to replace Bobby Petrino, who had been fired for a year and a half. Then-current coordinators in the SEC weren’t even interested and Long remembered a love letter from Bret Bielema and found someone trying to get away from having adult supervision.

If there was any doubt, the Arkansas job is not considered a top job. That happens with five head coaches since the end of the 2011 season and the most recent was fired less than two seasons into it.

Razorback football is not even in the Top 100 in winning percentage over that time.

A lot of coaches don’t think you can win in Fayetteville.

Yurachek’s task is to find somebody that might be able to win that’s willing to try.

Arkansas closes chapter on Western Kentucky deal with loss in OT

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas closes chapter on Western Kentucky deal with loss in OT

Arkansas is finally finished with playing Western Kentucky and, hopefully, they won’t be doing any more deals like that anytime soon.

The Razorbacks lost in overtime Saturday night, 86-79, and ended a deal where they paid the Hilltoppers $1.5 million for two basketball games and a football game … and lost all three.

This loss was the final game in that expensive little series and it happened because the Hogs went stone cold from the field in the extra period, hitting just 2-of-7 while Western Kentucky got 23 points from Taveion Hollingsworth.

Arkansas was outscored 13-6 in overtime and committed four of its 16 turnovers in the extra period. The Razorbacks’ loss leaves Auburn as the last unbeaten team in the SEC.

“You can’t play well on the road and in a building that’s full like this and turn the ball over 16 times,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said later. “Certainly not happy about tonight.”

Desi Sills led Arkansas with 20 points and Isaiah Joe added 18 on 5-of-14 shooting from the 3-point line.

Arkansas moved into the lead in the first half on a 3-pointer from Joe at 24-23 but made just two field goals over the last six minutes of the half and trailed the Hilltoppers 33-28 at the break.

The Razorbacks came out firing in the second half by making seven consecutive shots to move into a 44-39 lead.

Neither team separated by more than one possession until the Sills’ wide open 3-pointer at the 1:39 mark to make it a 68-63 lead for Arkansas.

The Hilltoppers mounted a rally with Jared Savage’s 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining to force overtime.

Neighbors recaps big win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors talked after the 81-72 win over the Wildcats on Saturday about his team’s solid play and going to 8-1 on the season.

Wildcats’ Mittle on turnovers costly in loss to Razorbacks on Saturday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Wildcats’ Mittle on turnovers costly in loss to Razorbacks on Saturday

Kansas State coach Jeff Mittle talked with the media and said his team has struggled with turnovers “even with nobody else in the gym” in the 81-72 loss on Saturday afternoon.

Tolefree, Dungee talking about big days in win over Wildcats

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas players Alexis Tolefree (21 points) and Chelsea Dungee (32 points, 5 rebounds) on getting big 81-72 win over Kansas State at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday.

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