40.6 F
Fayetteville

???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Chad Morris’ contract

0

Phil & Tye explore contracts in CFB, expectations for the basketball team, and more!

Could staff shakeup combined with contract be only way Morris keeps job?

6

Chad Morris has a problem … with Arkansas football fans if not folks higher up in the pecking order.

If he thought starting his time with a 4-15 overall record and not winning a single game in SEC play would not cause problems, he’s not following his own statements he’s repeated every time he’s changed quarterbacks.

“It’s not a lifetime appointment,” he’s said in what has becoming a revolving door behind center halfway through his second season.

As usual in these situations, everybody has talked to somebody and there’s one wild story after another coming out of the Smith Center. Take that with a double dose of salt.

The Hogs certainly have issues, but there’s no guarantee Morris is gone.

But you have to wonder if it’s as much economics as anything else. Let’s face it, Frank Broyles probably would have already fired him. Frank threatened to fire just about everybody after every loss and Jim Lindsey or other boosters would talk him off the ledge.

If athletics director Hunter Yurachek has that immediate reaction it’s probably Jon Fagg who talks him off the ledge.

The guess here is Morris might be in a better position to keep his job than most people think, although at some point the financial aspect of it has to take into account the retention bonus he gets paid on January 1 every year plus lost ticket revenue.

Right now, though, is Arkansas ready to pay millions to two coaches to NOT coach here?

Let’s face it, attendance percentage at a funeral similar to what Arkansas is putting in the stands at football games these days would be considered downright sad.

For a team in the SEC, where it just means more, it’s a fast track to oblivion.

Can Morris have a coaching staff shakeup that would buy him at least another year?

Most fans tend to agree that is a minimum requirement, mostly centered around offensive coordinator Joe Craddock.

Now this is not personal because I like Craddock, but it has looked like he started off confused and that was the high-water mark. Sorry, but going through five starting quarterbacks in 15 games and you still have major technical flaws comes back to the coach.

Especially when the one freshman that started won one of those four games. Connor Noland was the starter against Tulsa last year.

Does Craddock have the experience to handle adversity? Anybody can keep the train on the tracks when everything is working correctly, but the key is how they handle problems.

The Hogs’ offense hasn’t made improvements.

Now, granted, the offensive line has struggled. After Sam Pittman built a nationally-recognized line for Bret Bielema, it has gone steadily downhill since he left for Georgia after the 2015 season.

Bringing in the equivalent of an NFL graduate assistant combined with Bielema’s lack of attention to recruiting the position caused degraded things across the entire line.

There’s no fair way to judge offensive line coach Dustin Fry because most of his time has been spent juggling players that are either newcomers in years or playing on the line.

In football there may not be a position group that requires more experience and time spent together than in the offensive line. The SEC literally requires you be at least average there to have any success at all.

Something’s got to give, but that’s not going to be this week unless the Alabama team bus gets hijacked on the way to the stadium.

After the worst start in program history, Morris going to have to make changes and there better not be a bunch of youngsters brought into key coaching roles, either.

Of course, that’s assuming the change doesn’t start at the top, which is still a real possibility.

But the odds of a change there might be a little different than anyone thinks.

Boyd on wearing No. 5, hoping they don’t retire it until he finishes playing

Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd talked Tuesday after practice about Darren McFadden, but he doesn’t want No. 5 retired until his playing days here are over.

Harris on facing another really good Alabama team Saturday

Razorbacks linebacker De’Jon Harris talked with the media after practice Tuesday about another game against another No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide team.

Clary says he doesn’t know who quarterback is behind him most of time

Arkansas center Ty Clary talked with the media after practice Tuesday and, when asked about the quarterback battle, said he’s not even aware who’s back there as he stays focused.

Morgan on playing in Tuscaloosa, another strong Bama team

Razorbacks linebacker Grant Morgan talked after practice Tuesday about the game with the No. 1 Crimson Tide on Saturday.

Brown on great receivers Hogs will face against top-ranked Tide

Arkansas defensive back Montaric Brown talked after practice Tuesday about the corps of receivers Alabama has and the tall task in front of the Hogs.

Wolken: Morris among worst contracts this year in college football

0

Dan Wolken is opinionated. Like other columnists, sometime he can be right, sometimes wrong. On Tuesday, Wolken published an opinion piece on USA Today picking out the seven worst contracts in college football.

Chad Morris was the final coach listed. Most believe Morris was not the first candidate the Razorbacks went after. Multiple reports from several outlets suggested Arkansas tried its hand at Gus Malzahn only to be turned down.

Morris has been the “Head Hog” since Dec. 6th, 2017. Arkansas has yet to win a SEC game, leaving fans questioning the contract and the head coach himself. The USA Today columnist took that a step further.

Here’s Wolken’s take on Morris contract is one of the seven worst in college football:

Plucking a successful coach from a Group of Five program is always a bit of a gamble for a Power Five school because you just don’t know if it will translate. But in Morris’ case, he hadn’t even been particularly successful at SMU with a 14-22 overall record. Though in fairness the team had improved each year, going 7-5 in his final season there, Morris’ reputation was largely formed due to his work as Clemson’s offensive coordinator. So far, though, it’s been a debacle at Arkansas as he’s 0-12 in the SEC (4-15 overall), has yet to beat a Power Five team and has lost to the likes of North Texas, Colorado State and San Jose State.

Maybe Morris will turn it around, but that uphill battle looks daunting to say the least. Heck, a SEC win this year looks near impossible at this point. Hammer Down though, right?

To read the full article on the six other coaches he came up with click here: 7 worst deals among college football coaches contracts

???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Kevin McPherson

Phil & Tye on if Kelly Bryant ended up at Arkansas, Houston Nutt’s motivation, plus Kevin McPherson!

Dungee named to watch list for Ann Meyers Drysdale award to top guard

FAYETTEVILLE — Chelsea Dungee was one of 20 players selected to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

Named for the first player, male or female, to make the All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual award, in its third year, recognizes the top shooting guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.

Dungee was recently named to the Preseason First-Team All-SEC, while also being of just three players in the league, joining Rhyne Howard of Kentucky and Chennedy Carter of Texas A&M, to receive at least one vote for the Preseason Conference Player of the Year.

Last season was a special one for Dungee, as she set the school record for scoring in a single season (759 points), the school record for free throws made in a single season (229), set the game record for most points in Bud Walton/against an SEC opponent (41) and was the first Razorback in 13 years to tally 30+ double-figure performances in a single season.

Dungee was even better in the postseason, scoring a record 103 points in the SEC Tournament, propelling the Hogs to their first-ever SEC Tournament Final.

The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.

New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds.

By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.

The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five.

Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.

2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates

Aari McDonald – Arizona
Chelsea Dungee – Arkansas
Juicy Landrum – Baylor
Christyn Williams – Connecticut
Lauren Loven – Denver
Becca Hittner – Drake
Haley Gorecki – Duke
Kathleen Doyle – Iowa
Taylor Mikesell – Maryland
Destiny Pitts – Minnesota
Aislinn Konig – NC State
Lindsey Pulliam – Northwestern
Taylor Robertson – Oklahoma
Minyon Moore – Oregon
Erica Ogwumike – Rice
Kiana Williams – Stanford
Stephanie Watts – USC
Jocelyn Willoughby – Virginia
Amber Melgoza – Washington
Tynice Martin – West Virginia