Gus commits to Auburn for 2018 … or did he really?
The question came at Auburn coach Gus Malzahn during the SEC Championship game teleconference on Sunday, and it was pretty direct.
Gus was asked, point blank, if he could commit to being at Auburn in 2018.
To some, it sounded like he did make that commitment. But it could actually be interpreted as something else entirely.
“Yeah, I’m honored to be the head coach here at Auburn, like I said [Saturday] night,” Malzahn said Sunday. “We’re playing for the SEC Championship, and I’m excited to be the head coach here.”
That’s one of those good ol’ comments that can be taken, well, however you want to take it. Nobody asked a followup for clarification.
In Southern vernacular, starting responses with “Yeah …” is kind of like acknowledging you understand the question and what’s about to follow is a tap dance around it.
On a day when Arkansas announced they had retained a search firm and coaches were hearing from multiple people representing the Hogs, many were wondering if that means they are starting the search from dead zero.
Not really, in my opinion.
Search firms aren’t necessarily hired to find the candidates or see who’s interested and who’s not. They can do that in some cases, but not all the time.
In this case, I don’t think that’s what’s happening. The search firms for both the athletic director position and football coach are merely doing background vetting and, in effect, crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s.
The pecking order is already established and I’m reasonably certain it’s not going to change this week. My guess is there’s been conversations going on for weeks behind the scenes and everybody has a pretty good idea of how this is going to play out.
Here’s what I think the pecking order is:
• Malzahn. It wouldn’t be surprising if he was told an answer is needed by Sunday about coming back to Arkansas or not, regardless of the outcome against Georgia. Holding up hiring a coach sounds insane to some people, but when you look at the history of first-year coaches, the recruiting class they string together usually isn’t that great. In my opinion, it makes no difference if he was hired Sunday or Tuesday, Jan. 9.
• Mike Norvell, Memphis. He has a championship game of his own Saturday against Scott Frost’s Central Florida team for the American Athletic Conference title. The guess here is he’s been told if he wants the job it’s his if Malzahn doesn’t want it.
He developed a lot of his offense from Gus. He was a graduate assistant and then wide receivers coach at Tulsa when Gus was offensive coordinator there. He runs a version of that offense that is lighting up scoreboards at Memphis.
• Chad Morris, SMU. This could be the sleeper candidate that has the highest upside of all the candidates in my opinion. His offense, developed after spending a lot of time with Malzahn, was implemented at Clemson and they’re still using it almost exactly as he drew it up.
The added plus is that I think he is the best recruiter in Texas of all the candidates mentioned. His won-loss record at SMU is not staggering, but he took over a program that wasn’t as talented as some bigger high schools in Dallas-Fort Worth. He is a legendary Texas high school coach that won state titles at multiple levels.
• Brent Venables, defensive coordinator, Clemson. While you may be okay with waiting until mid-January for Malzahn, I don’t think you want to wait that long for an assistant who has never been a head coach.
While he is unquestionably a great defensive coordinator, no one knows if he even wants to be a head coach (he’s declined offers before), especially in the SEC where he’s never coached before.
While some fans keep throwing out the name of Mike Leach, the guess here is he’s not even on the long list. There are too many question marks and not enough answers.
To be honest, though, Leach would be a great choice for the media, but I don’t think he’s even under consideration and there are questions of how good he would be in the SEC.
UPDATE: Who’s REALLY searching for next coach?
UPDATE: The UA released a statement around noon Tuesday that they have retained a national search firm “to help vet those under consideration to become the next Razorbacks’ athletics director.”
Also in the statement it was revealed that they are working with the executive search firm DHR International to assist with the ongoing search for a new head football coach.
This comes just four days after interim athletics director Julie Cromer Peoples stood in front of cameras and announced that no search firm was being retained and she was the one doing the searching.
All of this comes on the day when news broke on several fronts of separate inquiries regarding the football coach opening being made around the country, revealing the two sources not communicating with each other.
Stay tuned. This is going to get interesting.
• • •
After Julie Cromer Peoples’ modern-day Arkansas version of Al Haig last Saturday, the phone started ringing before getting home.
When Julie announced she was in charge, there were some interesting looks exchanged among some media folks. Many more watched the press conference on live TV.
“She may be the only one that thinks she’s actually in charge of anything,” was how one well-placed source put it. “She has zero chance of being the next AD and less than a one percent chance of having a job when all this is done.”
With a meeting of the search committee for the new athletic director on Tuesday, we wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a new AD in place soon. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if the new athletic director is Sean Rochelle, who was around the Hogs for a couple of decades.
Now we have reports that there may be multiple searches going on for the next coach of the Razorbacks.
From FootballScoop on Tuesday morning:
Chatter in the profession has been of multiple contacts with the same candidate by different groups “representing” Arkansas. In one case, a source close to a candidate told FootballScoop, “Coach got a call from the biggest of Arkansas’ donors but hasn’t heard a word from their administration.” The same day a different source, referring to a different coach told FootballScoop, “Our guy just had a great call with Arkansas’ search folks and he’s going to interview with them.”
This may be the most entertaining coaching search in the history of Arkansas football.
You’ve reportedly got big-money boosters performing their own search for the last several weeks.
Now you’ve got Julie, representing Chancellor Joe Steinmetz, doing her little search.
Apparently, the two sides aren’t talking to each other.
The only disturbing part of that is a candidate’s representative said he’s “going to interview with them.”
Why is it disturbing?
If you’re having to interview someone, you obviously have only been involved in a coaching search at some place like Indiana where football is basically a half-step above intramural flag football in terms of interest.
Look at the first SEC hire (we’re not counting Matt Luke at Ole Miss, which basically was an in-house promotion).
Florida went to Dan Mullen, basically sneaking into the Egg Bowl last week after flying into Jackson, Miss., where they laid the groundwork as their first choice, Chip Kelly, was suddenly more interested in UCLA.
These days the only guy who shows up on campus is the the coach who’s there to settle into his office and have his initial press conference, maybe jump on the Paul Finebaum Show.
That is, unless you’re Indiana.
There were reports at SECCountry.com that a plane flew from Drake Field to Purdue and back, presumably to talk with Boilermakers coach Jeff Brohm.
Julie, pay close attention here, Brohm is a bad fit for Arkansas and it won’t work.
As it turns out, the folks both sides are talking to aren’t bad selections and would be on my Top Four list of candidates:
• Gus Malzahn at Auburn. The guess here is he will be the coach by next week if the Tigers lose to Georgia in the SEC Championship game Saturday.
• Mike Norvell at Memphis, who is also on the radar at Mississippi State and Tennessee.
That’s for one group, the boosters with deep pockets and a working knowledge of Arkansas football, it’s history and it’s culture.
• Brent Venables, defensive coordinator at Clemson. Never a head coach and a native of Kansas, so put that one in the “questionable” category for fit.
• Chad Morris, SMU. This is one that I think would end up being a home run hire, but likely won’t excite the fan base as much. He knows Texas, but I’m not sure he knows Arkansas, although he did well at Clemson (they still run his offense).
Those last two are the ones reportedly leading the search from Julie and Joe.
Somehow, you just knew when Julie did her Al Haig impression Friday night this was coming. For those not old enough to know what that means, when Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, vice president George Bush was out of town and Haig, the secretary of state, stepped to the podium and announced he was in charge.
Everybody knew that was BS then.
Some thought Julie’s claim to be in charge Friday after firing Bielema fell into that same category.
UA retains search firm to vet AD, coach candidates
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will utilize consultants from Korn Ferry to help vet those under consideration to become the next Razorbacks’ athletics director.
At this time Razorback Athletics is working with the executive search firm DHR International to assist with the ongoing search for a new head football coach.
Chancellor Joe Steinmetz met Tuesday with members of an advisory committee assembled to provide guidance throughout the search for an athletics director.
“The search for an athletics director is progressing quickly and there are a number of talented individuals we are considering,” Steinmetz said. “The input from the advisory committee has been invaluable. They truly represent the passion our state has for the Razorbacks and understand the importance of this position.
“The consultants will help us complete the evaluation process. We understand speed is of the essence and are working to name a new leader as quickly as possible.”
Korn Ferry, considered by many to be the nation’s top executive search firm, will be used on a consultative basis specifically for outreach, referencing and vetting final candidates for the athletics director position.
Private funds will be used to pay for all of the costs associated with this service.
DHR International will work with interim athletics director Julie Cromer Peoples on the search for the Razorbacks’ 33rd head football coach.
“This past weekend we engaged with DHR International to work with us on our head football coach search,” Cromer Peoples said. “DHR International has an excellent reputation in our business and has already provided tremendous assistance to us in this process.
“With the number of vacant coaching positions in our league and around the nation, it is important that we move forward expeditiously and efficiently in finding the next head football coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks.”
DHR International is one of the largest executive search firms in the world, operating one of the largest sports practices in the executive search industry.
The firm will be compensated with private funds from the Razorback Foundation.
