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Should Long wait or pull trigger now on Bielema?
Jeff Long might be better served by going ahead and making the change at coach, even with two games left in the season.
Bret Bielema has partially fullfilled at least part of what he stood at midcourt at Bud Walton Arena in December 2012 and announced to the crowd.
He told them he was here to do what has never been done at Arkansas and win an SEC championship.
Give him this: He has fulfilled the first part of that.
The Razorbacks have never performed this bad over a five-year period in the SEC. Bielema has already lost more SEC games than Danny Ford did in five years.
Forget the second part. Bielema doesn’t have a clue how to win an SEC title.
Now, with fan apathy for Arkansas football at what may be an all-time low, athletics director Jeff Long officially has problems at both ends and in the middle.
With the Razorbacks at 4-6 on the season, the absolute mathematical best they can do is finish 7-6. The GPR is not good enough to get into a bowl with a 5-7 record (never mind bringing that into the discussion).
To tell you the truth, if the Hogs win out that shouldn’t be enough to save Bielema’s job.
In that marathon Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, could instructions have been given to Long’s boss to let Bielema go sometime after the LSU game and the end of the season?
If that’s the case, the move should be made immediately.
There is absolutely nothing to be gained by Bielema coaching these final two games. To be honest, you can’t find an overwhelming number of people that think the Hogs have a shot to win either of the last two games.
Yes, Razorback football has fallen to the level where nobody thinks they can beat either Mississippi State or Missouri. At home.
At least Long could generate SOME form of excitement or support for just the players by making the move now.
All of this is why the names for the coaching carousel have started in earnest.
Names to forget
Chip Kelly and Jon Gruden aren’t coming to Arkansas. They are only interested in places where they can win a national title and that isn’t something they think can be done in Fayetteville.
Mike Leach would be a disastrous fit. Scott Frost is going to Nebraska or Florida. Bob Stoops has no interest in coaching. Les Miles would be a worse fit than Leach.
Art Briles isn’t even up for consideration despite the fact Baylor cleared him of any wrongdoing in that whole fiasco.
Money isn’t everything
Because the great state of Arkansas has a state income tax that makes the finances a little different.
To compete with jobs in some states like Texas, Florida and Tennessee, keep that in mind. That little seven percent adds up when you’re talking millions.
The Hogs also play in the SEC West and there are very few people interested in trying to do a rebuild in the toughest division in college football, especially if they don’t know the state or the recruiting nuances.
Don’t believe that just throwing money at someone will make them come these days.
Who should have to say no
These people should at least be made to say no.
They would come to Arkansas if the circumstances were right. Don’t assume that everything is simple. Somebody with Arkansas has got to sell these guys the commitment is there to compete for a championship.
That includes everybody from the Board of Trustees to the janitors.
• Gus Malzahn, Auburn: He is still the No. 1 choice of a lot of fans. Considering that he just beat the No. 1 team in the country he should be made to say no. Besides, his ultimate dream job is to coach the Dallas Cowboys and, well, doing the job at Arkansas does kinda put you on the radar with the owner.
• Mike Norvell, Memphis: While he didn’t go to school at Fayetteville, he did play at Central Arkansas and his wife is from Fort Smith. Plus, he knows how to recruit in Texas (he did it for Tulsa, Arizona State and now at Memphis where he has a dozen players from all over the state).
• Chad Morris, SMU: He would be tough to get out of Texas and he is rumored to be at the top of Texas A&M’s list if they let Kevin Sumlin go. He did attend A&M, but did not play college football.
• Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech: Graduate from Fayetteville High School and is much more easygoing than his dad, who is often an unpaid consultant. If he’d had a kicker in the Liberty Bowl following the 2009 season, his East Carolina team would have beaten the Hogs.
• Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic: Don’t laugh. Spent some of his toddler years in Fayetteville when his dad was defensive coordinator. Say what you want but he does know how to recruit, his offenses work and he wins games. His overall coaching record is 42-24 and he’s never been fired in college for not winning.
These are who should be the frontrunners, in my opinion. I’ll admit it, Kiffin is there because he would be best for media fun and business.
The guess here is Long won’t be making the decision. He has said he doesn’t like search committees, but the guess here is the Board of Trustees doesn’t trust him to make the decision and that might have been relayed to his boss last Thursday.
Plus, Long has shown, well, he’s not very good at it.
That leaves a search committee. And the guess here is somebody named Jones will be on it.
No use in waiting around.
