Connect with us

Latest News

Time for Razorbacks’ ‘Coach Search 2019’ to go into high gear

As the latest search for a new football coach reaches the stage of mass hysteria, looking at the names we’re hearing thrown around but no guarantee they are really in mix.

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

2024 Razorbacks Football

Thu, Aug 29vs UAPB (Little Rock)W, 70-0
Sat, Sep 7@ Oklahoma StateL, 31-39 2OT
Sat, Sep 14vs UABW, 37-27
Sat, Sep 21@ AuburnW, 24-14
Sat, Sep 28vs Texas A&M (Arl)L, 21-17
Sat, Oct 5vs TennesseeW, 19-14
Sat, Oct 19vs LSUL, 34-10
Sat, Oct 26@ Mississippi StateW, 58-25
Sat, Nov 2vs Ole Miss11:00 AM
ESPN
Sat, Nov 16vs Texas11:00 AM
Sat, Nov 23vs Louisiana TechTBD
ESPN+/SECN+
Sat, Nov 30@ MissouriTBD
Advertisement

Advertisement

2024 High School Rankings

Following is the Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll including the Overall Top 10, the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A and 2A, plus the top three in the 8-man division, as voted by a panel of sports media from around the state for the week ending August 24. Ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points and ranking from last week's poll:
OVERALLRecordPtsPrv
1.Bryant (18)8-02521
2.Conway (6)8-02302
3.Greenwood (2)8-02103
4.Little Rock Parkview7-11714
5.Bentonville5-31416
6.Benton7-11265
7.Fayetteville6-21008
8.Pulaski Academy6-2757
9.Rogers5-3459
10.Shiloh Christian6-24010
Others receiving votes: Marion 13, Valley View 9, Joe T Robinson 8, Mountain Home 4, Cabot 3, Elkins 3.
CLASS 7A
1.Bryant (20)8-01241
2.Conway (6)8-01052
3.Bentonville5-3753
4.Fayetteville6-2455
5.Pulaski Academy6-2354
Others receiving votes: Rogers 5.
CLASS 6A
1.Greenwood (26)8-01301
2.Benton7-11022
3.Shiloh Christian6-2713
4.Marion7-1524
5.Mountain Home7-131
Others receiving votes: Little Rock Catholic 4.
CLASS 5A
1.Little Rock Parkview (23)7-11271
2.Joe T Robinson7-1902
3.Valley View (3)8-0803
4.Hot Springs Lakeside7-1484
5.Farmington7-130
Others receiving votes: Camden Fairview 4, Maumelle 4, Morrilton 3, Greenbrier 2, Harding Academy 1.
CLASS 4A
1.Elkins (19)8-01161
2.Arkadelphia (5)6-2792
3.Little Rock Mills (1)8-0703
4.Warren6-2404
5.Malvern (1)8-0315
Others receiving votes: Dardanelle 22, Southside Batesville 11, Mena 8, Bauxite 7, DeWitt 4, Highland 2.
CLASS 3A
4.Bismarck (15)8-01054
5.Fordyce (4)8-0765
Prescott (3)7-1531t
1.Osceola (2)6-149
3.Mayflower (1)8-036
Others receiving votes: Booneville (1) 31, Rivercrest 19, Mansfield 14, Charleston 4, Rison 3.
CLASS 2A
1.Carlisle (21)8-01211
2.Conway Christian (4)8-01042
3.Des Arc7-1663
4.Bigelow (1)6-2455
5.Murfreesboro6-230
Others receiving votes: Marked Tree 10, Mineral Springs 6, Junction City 5, Cross County 1, Mount Ida 1, Poyen 1
8-MAN SANCTIONED
1.Strong-Huttig (25)5-0761
2.Midland (1)7-0502
3.Cedar Ridge7-1253
Others receiving votes: Rector 5.

© COPYRIGHT 2017-24 BY PEARSON BROADCASTING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ESPN ARKANSAS 99.5 IN FAYETTEVILLE, 95.3 IN THE RIVER VALLEY, 96.3 IN HOT SPRINGS, 104.3 IN HARRISON-MOUNTAIN HOME.