Phil & Tye on John Daly’s comments concerning Lane Kiffin, Nikki on the coaching search, plus Kevin on the basketball team!
Alabama’s potential slide another reason this hire has to be right
We may have started to see the first cracks in Alabama football since Nick Saban finally got to his second season in 2008 and it’s just one more reason Hunter Yurachek has to get his hire right.
No, that doesn’t mean the Hogs are ready to challenge for the top spot but it might see some shuffling in the power structure and the Tide may be more reachable … soon.
With a sad fall into the pit of hell the Razorbacks find themselves now, Yurachek has to find somebody to just (as Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones said about his team) “win a damn football game.”
After falling to Auburn last Saturday in a game where Saban was completely, hilariously, out-coached in embarrassing fashion, several people (including former Saban assistants) say Alabama is falling.
“They aren’t going to be as good next year,” that assistant said Sunday evening.
When you are 7-29 for the last three seasons and one of the worst programs in the country, you have to wonder just how attractive the Hogs’ job is right now. If you think you’re going hit a sitting coach at a title contender, well, you’re just wrong.
If Yurachek gets this wrong, you may be looking at another decade where being 6-6 a December trip to Shreveport would be cause for a celebration.
The only two coaches that have popped on the list that have ever won a game in the SEC are Lane Kiffin and Hugh Freeze.
Baggage is something Arkansas is probably going to have to deal with regardless who the final choice is. Fans don’t like it hearing it, but that’s what you get when you have a 1-23 league record over the last three seasons.
Freeze’s baggage is pretty clear and I’m not entirely sure the SEC wouldn’t block Arkansas from hiring him. Kiffin’s “baggage” is something I’m still trying to figure out what everybody is talking about.
Most of the stuff I’ve seen or heard about regarding Kiffin is ridiculous. Don’t throw stuff out about him being a party animal and that stuff. I don’t care.
Yes, Saban more or less kicked him out of Tuscaloosa between college football playoff games. You can bet your bottom dollar Saban wasn’t worried about the Crimson Tide’s offense or Kiffin would have been there.
Alabama’s loss to Clemson in the title game wasn’t due to a lack of offensive production. It was more what Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson did.
Kiffin had a head coaching position. Yes, he was going to have to do some things to get ready for that job and Saban knew that from the start. He and Kiffin had a strange relationship anyway.
Some have tried to point out that USC athletics director Pat Haden, a pompous jerk on his best day, fired Kiffin after USC lost to Arizona State, their second league loss of the 2013 season.
The truth is that was an ego contest and Haden won. Kiffin had dealt with the NCAA issues, a loss of 30 scholarships, and still won games … including a 10-win season when the Trojans were banned from postseason play.
It was especially rich to hear whining from one media member who was highly critical of Arkansas for firing Bret Bielema at the end of the Missouri game in 2017.
Besides, exactly what do any of those things have to do with whether he can coach or not?
Kiffin has proven he can coach … at the SEC level.
While some are holding out hope for Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, apparently some are having selective amnesia remembering a Big 10 coach that came to Fayetteville with what some considered an impressive resume. The Cyclones are in the Big 12 … located smack in the middle of Big 10 country and resemble that conference more. Maybe he’s the answer. Maybe not.
It just means more in the SEC and the coach better know how to coach in this league or that losing streak is going to continue. Maybe Mike Norvell can handle it. Maybe not.
Norvell has never built anything, but has done quite well not letting Memphis drop after Justin Fuente built a program from the ruins.
Hog fans tend to think because a coach has success in another league that will automatically carry over to the situation in Fayetteville. Maybe it will … maybe it won’t.
By the way, the same argument carries over to Mike Leach, who reportedly has said he has an interest in the Arkansas opening. I’ll have to see his act work in the SEC before I buy into him.
I’m not sure in today’s world and as far down the rabbit hole Razorback football finds itself these days if there’s anybody who would be a slam dunk.
Fans won’t be completely united behind whoever the final choice is. That’s been the case with every hiring for the Hogs in the last 60 years.
Don’t believe it?
When Lou Holtz was hired in 1976, some wanted Barry Switzer or Fred Akers. Neither were interested, but that didn’t seem to register with some folks.
Ken Hatfield had a faction of people that wanted Jimmy Johnson to be hired in 1984. Tommy Tuberville had a large number of folks pushing him for the job in 1998.
Nothing has changed.
Except that whoever is chosen better be able to win some games … quickly.
It’s only the entire football program teetering on the decision.
???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — Plane Tracking SZN plus Dan Wolken
Phil and Tye on fans tracking the planes, Dan Wolken on the Arkansas job, and more!
Musselman on Yurachek’s hiring style, previewing Austin Peay
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman talked about his hiring process with athletics director Hunter Yurachek as the search for a new football coach continues.
FLAVOR OF DAY: Latest rumors Sunday center on Florida Atlantic’s Kiffin
Three years after getting kicked out of the Nick Saban rehab center for coaches a week before graduation, could Lane Kiffin find his way back into the SEC, courtesy of Arkansas?
That was the hottest of rumors Sunday, right behind the one about Iowa State coach Matt Campbell being tempted with a lot of money and he still said no thanks.
To be fair a couple of trusted sources told us over a week ago that Campbell had declined interest and apparently reinforced that over the weekend.
Sunday, there were twitter reports chasing a plane from Springdale Airport to Boca Raton, Florida, and back. Unless it was a a quick jaunt for a Florida late lunch, the chances for coincidence are small.
Kiffin, 44, would be an interesting choice by athletics director Hunter Yurachek to replace Chad Morris as the Razorbacks’ football coach. Morris was fired November 10.
It will mark a return to Fayetteville for Kiffin, who was a toddler when his father, legendary defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, was the defensive coordinator for Lou Holtz during a time the Hogs went 30-5-1.
Kiffin’s first head coaching job was with the Oakland Raiders at age 31. He was fired after 20 games, publicly called a liar by Al Davis. By then an aging Davis bore a remarkable resemblance to The Emperor in Star Wars … and was acting a lot like him.
Don’t consider that anything to be worried about. Davis called everybody that disagreed with him the last 50 years before his death in 2011 a liar. It’s a list that includes nearly every NFL commissioner, several Hall of Fame coaches and general managers, including Tex Schramm of the Dallas Cowboys.
It didn’t work out for Kiffin, who made his name as Pete Carroll’s offensive coordinator during USC’s last glory days from 2001-04.
Kiffin was hired to replace Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee in 2009 and came within a blocked field goal at the end of beating Alabama during Nick Saban’s first national championship season.
He guided the Vols to a 7-5 record (4-4 in the SEC) before falling to No. 12 Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
But he left after a year to return to USC, compiling a 28-15 record. The Trojans never finished lower than third in the Pac 12 South and won a division title in his second season, going 10-2.
Then he was fired with the team at 3-2 on the year by athletics director Pat Haden after the team returned from a road trip loss at Arizona State. He was called off the team bus on the runway and fired.
Saban brought him to Tuscaloosa where he served as offensive coordinator for three seasons, winning a national championship and two playoff appearances before he accepted the job at Florida Atlantic.
He was encouraged to leave for Boca Raton a week before the national championship game against Clemson by Saban after the Crimson Tide’s offense struggled in the semifinal win over Washington.
Obviously there is no word on Kiffin other than rumors, but there are multiple reports and sources are saying it’s their impression that he met with Arkansas officials Sunday.
The Owls won the Conference USA East title with a 9-3 overall record this season (7-1 in the conference). They will be hosting Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday in the CUSA title game.
Kiffin took FAU to an 11-3 record his first season, winning East division and a bowl game.
Time for Razorbacks’ ‘Coach Search 2019’ to go into high gear
About the only conclusive thing anybody has told me regarding Coach Search 2019 is that nobody really knows anything about what’s going on with Hunter Yurachek in these things.
At Saturday’s basketball game, which was a dandy as Eric Musselman gave more evidence he was a solid hire, there were four people who have been fairly reliable in these things previously and five phone calls from folks claiming to know giving me “the scoop.”
Out of those nine contacts, I was told five different names that were “locks” for Arkansas’ coaching vacancy.
As usual the only people talking don’t really know anything and the folks doing the talking aren’t saying a word to anybody.
There is one person I get really solid information from, though. He doesn’t know anything yet, but he will know very early in the process.
Not that it really matters, but here are the names I keep hearing about:
• Gus Malzahn: People have insisted over the past week he wants out of the continuing circus at Auburn. It resembles Arkansas except with winning instead of losing. But the Florida State job may be his primary focus.
• Lane Kiffin: A former assistant who worked for Kiffin told me Friday that the biggest negative about him is he makes Bobby Petrino look like a good guy. When he was fired at USC the entire football office nearly threw a party. Conference title game Saturday.
• Matt Campbell: Several people were insistent Saturday that “they knew” Campbell was the choice and Yurachek was wrapping things up. Whether that’s true or not is anybody’s guess, but it will be interesting to see what he can do, although he has won games at Toledo and Iowa State.
• Justin Fuente: After losing to Virginia for the first time in awhile, there are now questions about whether he is tired of putting up with the drama after following legendary Frank Beamer with the Hokies. That is always a difficult spot to be in because a lot of people don’t want anything to change.
• Mike Norvell: He’s shown he can continue what’s built, but does he have a clue HOW to build something? The former UCA player is also being mentioned as one of the hot names for the Missouri job after Barry Odom was fired Sunday. Conference title game Saturday.
• Bryan Harsin: He did win at Arkansas State, but that’s a big, big pill for a lot of the Razorback fans to swallow. Yeah, some will say they don’t care, but there are others that will have a problem with it. That’s assuming, of course, he wants to leave Boise State. Conference title game Saturday.
• Hugh Freeze: This one caught me by surprise, but I covered Ole Miss his final season in Oxford and outside of being dumb about not getting a burner phone, he knows how to take over a drama-ridden situation and smooth it out. A lot of NCAA questions, though, but that was more Freeze not wanting to know what was happening. It really wasn’t different from a lot of schools except Ole Miss folks tend to brag about what they do.
• Mike Leach: Barry Switzer chimed in that he felt Leach was the Hogs’ target because he talked to someone from Arkansas while he was in Stuttgart duck hunting in the last couple of weeks. Whether Leach could succeed in Fayetteville or not is still a question to me. He’s a nut.
If there’s no announcement in the next day or so it’s a good bet one of the coaches still dealing with a conference title game is in the mix.
Tolefree keys fourth-quarter run as Hogs down Badgers in Bahamas
NASSAU, Bahamas — Arkansas wouldn’t be denied in its final game at the Bahamas Hoopfest, as the Hogs stormed back from 11 points down to beat Wisconsin, 68-64.
The Razorbacks were exceptional in the fourth from deep, going five of six from distance in the final frame.
Redshirt junior Chelsea Dungee led the charge once again, going for a game-high 27 points. Senior Alexis Tolefree stole the show down the stretch, however, scoring all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter to key the Arkansas comeback.
Redshirt junior Amber Ramirez was also great in the win, going for 15 points (5-10 3-pointers), six of which came in the fourth.
Turning point
The Hogs closed the gap several times in the game, shaving the lead down to two entering the halftime break.
Wisconsin responded, stretching the lead back to as much as eight in the fourth period.
At that point, Tolefree took over. Her first three points of the game would make it 54-51 Badgers. After a technical foul, and two free throws from Dungee, Tolefree hit another three from the opposite corner to put the Hogs up 56-54.
The Badgers would have their chances late in the game, but the 3-point shooting from Tolefree and Ramirez proved too much to overcome.
Arkansas’ defense tightened up down the stretch, too, as Dungee drew a critical offensive foul with under 30 seconds to play and the team forced a miss on the next possession after Tolefree split a pair of freebies.
Tolefree iced the game at the line after that, making both to make it 68-64.
Hog highlights
• Dungee, Ramirez and junior forward Taylah Thomas were named to the All-Tournament Team following their performances in Nassau.
• It was Dungee’s fourth straight game scoring at least 20 points, and her 27 in the game matched a Razorback season-high (Daniels, 27, Oral Roberts, 11/14/19).
• Ramirez nearly double-doubled in the game, setting a new career high in rebounding for the second straight contest with nine.
• Ramirez has scored in double-figures in all but one of her games as a Razorback.
• All 12 of Tolefree’s points came in the fourth, a quarter in which she went a perfect three of three from deep, and three of four from the free throw line.
Next time out
The Razorbacks are set to return home after three straight road contests, as they will host Kansas State in the Big 12-SEC Challenge on December 7 in Bud Walton Arena.
That game will tip-off at 2 p.m. and will be streamable on SECN+.
Musselman glad to get a win, Bell joining basketball team Saturday
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman after the 66-60 win over Northern Kentucky on things to work on and football player Jamario Bell joining the team before Saturday’s game.
Whitt, Sills on stepping up in Hogs’ 66-60 win over Norse
Razorbacks Jimmy Whitt, Jr., (24 points, 9 rebounds) and Desi Sills (17 points, 4 rebounds) picked up the slack after Mason Jones missed Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury.
