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Fans all have their favorite to be Hogs’ coach, but Yurachek has the parameters

Andy Hodges
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11
Fans all have their favorite to be Hogs’ coach, but Yurachek has the parameters

Anybody that would know who the next Arkansas football coach is going to be, they aren’t saying anything … and, as usual, the only ones jabbering don’t really know anything.

The guess here is Hunter Yurachek knows what he wants and he deflected that Monday.

“All will be considered,” he said.

He has the parameters he’s got to work within and most of us have no idea exactly what that is, but it’s a good guess he knows a lot more about what’s needed, who might be interested and what might work than anybody knows.

Most fans will trust his decision more than the last hiring process, which in hindsight looks more like a knee-jerk reaction based on a little too much urgency.

Shoot, even Gus Malzahn may be on the table right now. Tigers defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is the best coach at Auburn right now and it’s a good bet the powers that be down there might be willing to work out a deal just to get the Gus Bus out of town.

Whether he’s really a fit at Arkansas is not known. He has won with the Tigers, but he can round up better players there than he could in Fayetteville. Can he win games in the SEC coaching up two-star and three-star players?

Remember, just because a coach has had success somewhere else doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen at Arkansas, which is a unique place.

And right now there’s a lot of coaches that think it’s where coaches go to disappear.

All of that calls for the requisite listing:

You don’t really want these guys

• Mike Leach. Yes, he was able to recruit at Texas Tech, so he knows a thing or two about Texas, but he’s never really been able to win the biggest games when it counted.

For those of us in the media it would be fun times, but is he really the answer? I don’t think so, but that’ just my opinion.

• Lane Kiffin. There’s always a buzz about him but everywhere he’s left has been a path of destruction behind him. Sorta like what you see after a tornado.

Plus, does he really know anything about Arkansas? He was a toddler when his dad Monte was Lou Holtz’ defensive coordinator from 1977-79.

• Bobby Petrino. A lot of people want to just talk about his apology for getting caught in an inappropriate relationship after flying through the handlebars, but he was going to do a repeat of what just happened at Louisville.

Yurachek wouldn’t be bullied like Jeff Long was and the main baggage with Petrino had nothing to do with his relationship. Yes, he can draw up plays and call ’em, but he discovered in Louisville II he can’t bully the players any more, either.

• Jon Gruden. Please, not again

Intriguing possibilities

• Houston Nutt. He wants back in coaching, is a convert to a spread offense that is a lot like what Morris had and has won at Arkansas in the SEC. He also has a ton of support from former players and a lot of boosters.

But is he the right fit at this time for Arkansas?

• Sam Pittman. It’s not a very well-kept secret he would be interested in the job, can recruit like crazy and develop offensive linemen. But can he do the same magic at other positions on the field, build a staff and handle in-game decisions?

He’s at Georgia now which has managed to blow key games under Kirby Smart with incredibly bad sideline management. That’s not just my opinion, but what other SEC current and former coaches tell me.

• Barry Lunney, Jr. If you want a similar situation to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, it’s Lunney, not Chad Morris. Remember, Swinney was the wide receivers coach with zero coordinator experience when handed the keys to the Tigers.

And, don’t forget, he’s got the keys to the car to drive around for three weeks.

• Tim Horton. Another former player who has spent time at various college football coaching stops and knows the ropes about as well as anyone could imagine.

Whether he’s a viable candidate or not, there should be a place for him somewhere in the program.

The water-cooler favorites right now

• Mike Norvell. The Memphis coach has a lot of support, mainly because he puts an offense on the field that lights up scoreboards. His defense also lets the other time light up the other side of that scoreboard, but I’m not sure that matters after watching LSU and Alabama combine for 87 points in one game.

• Eliah Drinkwitz. Having an 8-1 success in his first year at Appalachian State, has ties to Arkansas and has worked as an assistant (with success) around the country.

But he’s likely going to come at a premium, which is what happens when you have big success in your first year, accomplishing what he’s done in his first year.

There’s at least a baker’s dozen of other names being thrown out there, but it’s hard to see any of them being a fit for Arkansas.

In the end, that’s the most important thing. Coaching the Razorbacks is unique, from just about every perspective you can think of.

It’s going to take someone different is the guess from here and, no, I don’t have the answer.

But I am pretty sure Yurachek has an idea.

???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Nikki Chavanelle

Tye Richardson
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0

Phil & Tye on Hunter Yurachek’s future, remedies for Tye’s cold, plus Nikki Chavanelle!

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Tuesday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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0
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Tuesday

Lunney wins press conference, but he’s got to do more to be considered

Andy Hodges
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1
Lunney wins press conference, but he’s got to do more to be considered

Barry Lunney, Jr., may never win a game as head coach at Arkansas, but he won the press conference Monday and it’s been awhile since a head football coach has been able to do that.

“We’ve lost what it’s like to be Razorbacks the last few weeks,” he said Monday after being announced as the interim coach after Chad Morris was fired Sunday. “We’re going to do our best to pump that back into the players the next few weeks.”

The first sentence got the attention of a lot of a fan base that is exhausted. Poor old Eddie in Clarksville may even take the bag off his head during games … in his own living room.

Lunney delivered one sound bite after another that fans have been desperate to hear from a Hogs’ football coach. Morris, bless his heart, ran laps around questions with tired clichès and coachspeak.

Maybe the biggest difference with Lunney is he played for the Hogs, he’s coached at the highest level of Arkansas high school football, had college experience elsewhere … and he’s been in this spot before.

“Twenty-seven years ago I was thrust into a similar situation,” he said Monday. “Joe Kines took over in 1992, and he said at that time, ‘We’re all interim.’ I told the players last night that I saw firsthand what it was like.”

He also was part of some big-time turnarounds for the program. In that 1992 season when Frank Broyles hauled off and fired Jack Crowe after an opening-day loss to The Citadel, Lunney was a freshman.

Nobody gave them much of a chance that first year in the SEC and they appeared to be proving that to be prophetic.

Lunney, maybe as much as anyone connected with Razorback football right now, knows exactly how much it means to play for the Hogs.

“You’ve got to understand the history and the heritage of this program,” he said.

That alone could be the defining statement for a lot of Hog fans. Never mind the fact he actually DID it on the field, leading the team to a win over No. 4 Tennessee as a freshman, then hitting a touchdown pass late to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

During Lunney’s time as a left-handed quarterback, he pretty much was a prototype for Bear Bryants comment that, “you can never tell about left-handed quarterbacks and left-handed crapshooters.”

He proved he would figure out a way to win. Even when he started a couple of those seasons as the backup after missing spring practice playing baseball, he didn’t gripe or complain … he just won the starting spot back a couple of games into the sesaon.

“I’m a believer in what has been done before can be done again,” Lunney said. “What one team in history can do, another can do.”

He knows, though, it’s not going to be a traditional path and he wants to keep a talented group of freshmen together.

“There has to be a perfect storm of events,” he said. “Sticking together is going to be important.”

Nobody is picking Arkansas to beat LSU. That would be too much to really expect. But there is talent on this team and it was not playing at the level of that talent, which is why Yurachek kicked Morris to the curb.

“There is plenty of talent in this locker room,” Yurachek said Monday. “It may not be Alabama-type talent, but there is talent.”

Enter Lunney. He’s trying to stay focused on what he’s got to work with and that’s an off week before going to Baton Rouge for that game, which will be at 6 p.m. on ESPN, then closing out against Missouri in Little Rock.

“We have to play with more heart,” Lunney said. “If our guys don’t believe they can win, it doesn’t matter. That’s what we’ve seen the last few weeks. We lost some heart after the Kentucky game.”

Yurachek didn’t rule out Lunney having a shot at getting the job on a more permanent basis.

“We will look at head coaches, former head coaches and others,” Yurachek said. “All will be considered.”

Don’t get carried away. It’s unlikely Bobby Petrino or Houston Nutt are coming back. The truth is that of those two, probably the latter has a better shot than the former. Yurachek wouldn’t let The Great Playcaller operate without adult supervision like Jeff Long did.

“Being the head coach at Arkansas is a dream of mine,” Lunney said.

He knows what has to happen for him to even get any type of serious consideration.

“My sole focus is getting our players to play their best game when we go to LSU,” he said. “I just want it to be the best we’ve played. That is my sole focus.”

Which is, when you look at closely, is exactly what it should be.

???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Connor O’Gara

Tye Richardson
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0
???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Connor O’Gara

Phil & Tye on who will be the next Arkansas football coach, plus an interview with Connor O’Gara!

COMPLETE PRESS CONFERENCE: Hogs’ Yurachek, Lunney on Monday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek and new interim coach Barry Lunney, Jr., met with the media Monday after Chad Morris was fired as coach on Sunday.

Hogs pick up another big win, downing McNeese State, 101-58

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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0
Hogs pick up another big win, downing McNeese State, 101-58

FAYETTEVILLE — No. 23 Arkansas won its second straight game Monday night, moving to 2-0 with a 101-58 win over McNeese State.

It was Arkansas’ first game this season scoring 100 or more, and the third time in the Neighbors Era the Hogs have reached the century mark.

Redshirt junior guard Chelsea Dungee led the way for the Razorbacks, dropping in 19 points on an efficient seven of eleven shooting.

Dungee also pulled down eight rebounds and picked up two steals. Taylah Thomas recorded her second straight double-double of the season, scoring 11 points while snaring 11 rebounds.

Turning point

Arkansas once again started fast, this time getting out of the gate on a 19-7 run. Dungee was excellent in the first frame, going for 11 of her 19 in the period.

Senior guard Alexis Tolefree also got off to a nice start, scoring all nine of her points in the period. She also dished three assists, including a sweet over-the-head pass to Dungee for a three in the first.

The Razorbacks led 27-15 after the frame, and didn’t look back after that.

Hog highlights

• After not having a double-double in her career, Thomas now has two in her first two games of this season.

• Dungee extended her double-digit points streak to 19 straight games.

• Both Amber Ramirez and Makayla Daniels got into double-figures once again. Ramirez went for 13 points while Daniels dropped 11 points.

• Redshirt freshman Erynn Barnum was a force on the inside during her nearly-17 minutes played, scoring a career-best 11 points while pulling down six rebounds.

• Sophomore Rokia Doumbia also had a nice game, scoring seven points, gathering eight boards while dishing two assists.

• All 12 Razorbacks that dressed for the game scored, including freshman walk-on Avery Hughes, who scored her first points as a Hog in the fourth quarter.

Next time out

Arkansas’ homestand continues Thursday, when Oral Roberts comes to Bud Walton Arena.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be stremable on SECN+.

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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0
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday

Familiarity with Arkansas might be biggest key to hiring new coach

Andy Hodges
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0
Familiarity with Arkansas might be biggest key to hiring new coach

Even before Hunter Yurachek finally sighed and pulled the plug on the life support of Chad Morris’ tenure at Arkansas, fans were speculating about who his replacement would be.

Of course, speculation may be putting it mildly. Just plain wild guessing might be a more apt description.

At this point, the people who know probably aren’t going to talk about who’s next and the only ones jabbering about it don’t really have a clue.

Remember, everybody knows somebody.

But Yurachek and his main deputy, Jon Fagg, have proven they don’t leak during coaching searches. There has been no announcement of a search committee and probably won’t be one.

Those usually lead to leaks.

One thing Yurachek needs to consider, though, is finding something that’s familiar with the state of Arkansas and looking close at how the Razorbacks have been successful in the past. We may have lost sight of that with the emphasis on Texas recruiting.

The Hogs have always had some home-grown players heavily involved in the success mixed in with some Texas players and a smattering of guys from across the country.

Yes, I’m well aware there aren’t a lot of highly-regarded recruits coming out of this state every year. What there is, though, is a pretty good number of mid-level players that will play just a tad bit harder in the fourth quarter because they know what it means to the team and, to a large extent, the state.

Right now, there is as good of a group of freshmen home-grown playmakers on the roster as there ever has been in the state.

Keeping in-state players like Treylon Burks, Hudson Henry, Malik Chavis along with some others like K.J. Jefferson on the roster is critical during this transition. Going after some out-of-state commitments like Jacolby Criswell from Morrilton might not be a bad idea, either.

It was the legendary Bear Bryant who said one time he always took some Alabama kids because in the fourth quarter of a big game “it just meant a little more to them.” He was a master at getting a bunch of unknowns to make that one play that made the difference.

Morris was trying to duplicate in a recruiting sense what Nick Saban has at Alabama and Dabo Sweeney wins with at Clemson. He didn’t openly neglect the state, but he failed to close the deal on some pretty good players.

That has never worked at Arkansas and probably never will … for whatever reasons (books could be written on that). The Hogs have never been a consistent Top 20 recruiting program and probably never will.

When they’ve won in the past, it’s been with coaches who could motivate players they developed. Shoot, Houston Nutt, Ken Hatfield and Frank Broyles won a lot of games they simply had their players more ready, willing and able to lay it on the line.

It’s the reason the Hogs mean so much to so many in this state.

Folks remember the days when a bunch of kids that were probably a little under-sized and under-respected won fans’ hearts by simply making games close in the fourth quarter that never should have been close.

Or competing for national championships with linemen that weighed about 175 pounds by the end of the season. Granted, that’s mostly for us old folks, but the younger ones have heard the stories.

For a few years now, Arkansas hasn’t had a coach that could motivate a frog to jump into the pond and either took in-state kids for granted or couldn’t evaluate. Forget development. That has been in a four-year slide.

All of that is why Yurachek’s next hire better know something about this state.

Or be willing to listen to a staff member who does.

Lone Razorback ‘family’ member takes over football for rest of year

Andy Hodges
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7
Lone Razorback ‘family’ member takes over football for rest of year

It made sense athletics director Hunter Yurachek would put Barry Lunney, Jr., in charge of Arkansas football when he finally pulled the plug on Chad Morris’ two-year experiment Sunday morning.

We’ll find out from Lunney on Monday morning at noon how he feels about it, but the guess is he was fine with it.

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see Lunney included on whatever the new staff is in some capacity.

He’s a Razorback. There’s no doubting his pedigree going all the way back to his school days in Fort Smith as a left-handed quarterback at Southside.

In his seven years as the tight ends coach with the Hogs, Lunney coached a Mackey Award winner in Hunter Henry, now spending his time with the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.

Lunney has proven he can work with tight ends. You wonder how he would have done in the quarterback merry-go-round the last couple of years coaching that position. He DID quarterback the Hogs’ first SEC win back in 1992 over Tennessee.

Maybe more importantly, he knows about winning in the league. His first season as a graduate assistant on Houston Nutt’s staff in 1998 Arkansas won twice as many games in that one season than they did the last two seasons combined.

While being one of the best interviews of all the assistant coaches, time with him has been limited for a couple of seasons. That’s been to the detriment of fans.

Lunney is at ease with the media in Arkansas, many of us go back to when he was a freshman. It was an area where Morris was an abject failure, at times appearing to have very little regard for the most popular method to communicate with fans.

Here’s a look at his resumè:

• Started 40 games at quarterback from 1992-95 for the Hogs, including the SEC Championship Game in 1995.

• As a grad assistant for the Hogs during a two-year run where they were ranked in the Top 25 nationally and beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

• His first coaching position was with Tulsa as quarterbacks coach from 2000-02.

• Two seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks at San Jose State.

• As offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Bentonville from 2005-13 on his father’s staff. Barry Lunney, Sr., was a legendary coach in Arkansas high school ranks. The Tigers had two state titles, four title game appearances and six straight conference championships.

Of most importance, though, Lunney probably knows every high school coach in the state of Arkansas on a first-name basis that doesn’t include “coach.” It’s not a stretch to wonder how much the last two head coaches listened to him.

Now, for at least a few weeks, Lunney will guide a team through the remainder of a schedule that includes a bye week, a road game in Baton Rouge and finishing in Little Rock against Missouri the day after Thanksgiving.

But the most important part of his job is recruiting … the players on the current roster. The NCAA transfer portal has made that an important job.

And nobody can sell the Hogs better.

He is part of the family, after all.

 

BREAKING: Hogs announce Morris out as coach; Lunney to serve as interim

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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BREAKING: Hogs announce Morris out as coach; Lunney to serve as interim

Chad Morris said after a 45-19 loss to Western Kentucky on Saturday he was the man for the job of turning around Arkansas football.

Instead, he will be a footnote to the worst two years in program history.

Morris coached just 22 games and delivered miles of coachspeak doubletalk, but just four wins. None of them came over a Southeastern Conference opponent.

Despite his confidence he could turn things around, nothing appeared to change for the Razorbacks and, apparently, everyone finally threw their hands up over it all following the loss Saturday, according to multiple media reports.

Here is the press release from the UA:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas has made a change in leadership in its football program. Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek announced today that Chad Morris has been dismissed as the head football coach.

Morris was hired in December 2017 and was in his second season as the head coach of the Razorback football team. The Razorbacks had a 4-18 record in Morris’ tenure at Arkansas, including a 2-8 record this season.

“As part of my continued evaluation, I have come to the conclusion that a change in leadership is necessary to move our football program forward and position it for success,” Yurachek said. “It is clear that we have not made the progress necessary to compete and win, especially within the Southeastern Conference. Throughout our history in football, as well as with our other sport programs, we have demonstrated that the University of Arkansas is capable of being nationally competitive. I have no doubt that as we move forward, we will identify a head coach that will help lead our program to that benchmark.

“I want to express my personal and professional regard to Coach Morris and thank him for his investment in the lives of our student-athletes.”

Yurachek announced that a national search for the next head football coach will begin immediately. Assistant Coach and former Razorback quarterback Barry Lunney Jr. will serve as the interim head football coach for the remainder of the 2019 football season.

That was made worse because former Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey, who was part of a quarterback shuffle that saw six different players behind center, was the quarterback for the Hilltoppers and showed against the Hogs what fans had hoped for when he came out of Charleston.

Tight ends coach Barry Lunney, Jr., the Razorbacks’ longest-tenured assistant, serving as the interim coach. The Fort Smith native has been on staff since 2013 and was a four-year starting quarterback at Arkansas from 1992-95.

We will keep you updated on the details.

Chad Morris Fired After 22 Games As Arkansas Coach

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