The NEXT Coach

[AporkalypseNow]

To quote the great Arkansan and American "At this point, what difference does it make?".

We just passed Vanderbilt as the worst team in the league over the past 12 years. I don't know how you get past that.

That's because their AD clearly makes better hires than ours, not because they have advantages

[The Whyte Boar]

HY must be on the way out.  I can't believe he takes that CFP job if he gave a shit about his job at Arkansas.  As in wanting to keep it.

[passed]

Agree, I will always appreciate and be grateful for Bobby and angry at Jeff Long.

I was a season ticket holder then even living in DFW, dropped the tickets at that point.

Petrino failed at Louisville in his 2nd stent and didn't do much at Missouri St.

Would I take him back as OC?  Sure.  He'll be 65, maybe he could hang in a few more years.

Who do I want as head coach? Take a shot on someone who could be the real deal and make us the next Indiana, not another "has been" or "never was".

Morris really fucked up the psyche of our fanbase. He was an awful hire and completely undeserving of the opportunity. If we hired someone with a 14-22 record at a mid-level again, I'd be pissed. We can do better, but have to take a risk.

I've said it a few times, but I'll say it again.  Take Bobby for now.  I see nothing in the market worth the gamble and we're competing against a LOT of high caliber programs for coaches.  Rather than pay out again in a few years, give Bobby a 3yr deal with incentives and maybe a bit lower annual salary... Then in a few years when we aren't competing with every Tom, Dick, or Harry out there, go out and get a winner.  If Bobby does well in the 3yrs, you can reevaluate.  If he doesn't, we're not really worse off... have no real buyout to pay, and the fan base can finally be over the BMFP hangover one way or the other. 

If we were one of the only big jobs open, that opinion may be different... but given how many are open and what the market looks like, I just don't see a better attainable option.

[AporkalypseNow]

Another over the hill placeholder coach "for a few years until we get better"?

So we can continue to repeatedly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against teams we have the talent to beat because we're playing neck and neck with them?

Sorry, FUCK that.

And I LOVE Bobby.

[The Whyte Boar]

I would take Bobby over a lot of the names I see mentioned snd certainly over another Pittman type hire.  I don't really care though.  This season was entirely foreseeable a couple three years ago when it was clear where Pittman was going.  I want everybody in the AD department who even thought about the football program fired.

[passed]

Another over the hill placeholder coach "for a few years until we get better"?

So we can continue to repeatedly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against teams we have the talent to beat because we're playing neck and neck with them?

Sorry, FUCK that.

And I LOVE Bobby.

I totally see your point.  I'll say in this case, though, it's Bobby.  That's a helluva coach to have as a "placeholder".  Though, the way I'm looking at it isn't as a placeholder.  He's the HC.  He has a 3yr deal and he'll either work out or not.  I think if Bobby had this same team all off season (as the HC), we'd have different results this year.  Maybe that's the BMFP rose colored glasses I sport... but I can't conceive of him producing our current results if he were HC all of season, and didn't have the Sam funk.  I could be totally wrong, and Bobby could be part of the problem, over the hill, and no longer his old winning self.  That's totally possible especially given some results he had since he left here the first time.  At least in my scenario we have a known proven HC at the helm, with no real buyout, and we aren't gambling on whoever we could manage to grab while competing with so many other programs.

[Thin Red Swine]

Another over the hill placeholder coach "for a few years until we get better"?

So we can continue to repeatedly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against teams we have the talent to beat because we're playing neck and neck with them?

Sorry, FUCK that.

And I LOVE Bobby.

I painfully agree. I'd love for Bobby to warrant another shot, or obviously to have had a full shot last time around.

But he's not doing enough to earn it.

[passed]

I painfully agree. I'd love for Bobby to warrant another shot, or obviously to have had a full shot last time around.

But he's not doing enough to earn it.

I don't disagree.  I think he was set up for failure and hasn't earned it.  I'm just looking at the options and to me, he's the best option in this case.  So give him the short deal (long enough to do something, but short enough to be able to move on).

[AporkalypseNow]

Yurachek is entirely culpable because Pittman was not a coach any FBS team other than Arkansas was going to hire.  If you hire him as a "placeholder" then you give him a contract with a one season buyout and guarantee him 3 years and nothing else.

The extension and buyout was inexplicable.  Was Alabama coming for him, come on?

He did a decent job replenishing the roster and building a team didn't look like it belonged in the FCS, but when he peaked it was time to move on.  Two years ago we should've  politely eased him into retirement. With no buyout, it wouldn't even be contentious.

Yurachek is on the hook for that whole scenario.

Nobody else in the FBS would hire Bobby based on his track record post-Arkansas, either. Last season at Louisville made our team this year look exemplary in comparison. If you guys get your way I hope we don't give him an equally dumbass contract because his phone won't be ringing, either.

I do kind of wonder if we even had the requirement to look for another job in Pittman's contract or since it was a given he couldn't get a DI head coaching job anyway they didn't bother.  I mean, not putting it in in the first place is pretty damn telling you don't need a significant buyout.

[Pig Benis]

I painfully agree. I'd love for Bobby to warrant another shot, or obviously to have had a full shot last time around.

But he's not doing enough to earn it.

Sadly, I agree. Having said that, if we're going to end up with Kane Wommack then just keep Bobby. Or burn it down.

[AporkalypseNow]

As a reminder this was Petrino's 5th year at Louisville, the year that got him fired:

Overall: 2-10 (0-8 ACC)

Alabama L 14–51   
Indiana State W 31–7
Western Kentucky W 20–17
Virginia L 3–27
Florida State L 24–28
Georgia Tech L 31–66
Boston College L 20–38
Wake Forest L 35–56
Clemson L 16–77
Syracuse L 23–54
NC State L 10–52
Kentucky L 10–56

They were multiple scores away from being competitive in any conference game, even Wake Forest

You want to hire him, defend the last season he had as a head coach in the FBS

[animal]

No matter who they hire it's going to be a rebuild 

Bobby wasn't given a team that can win so you have to figure that into everything but he isn't exactly dazzling with his wits. These close losses don't have the vibe of the year 1 Bobby team led by Dick. I think that team played hard and sucked but still won 5 games. 

[AporkalypseNow]

OK, they were within one score of Florida State.

Still, that's a Chad Morris type of season

[Son of Spam]

Whoever we hire, I want them to at least have the fire BP has. Get on the officials asses when they fuck up. Chew some ass on the sidelines when your player fucks up. Make the team fundamentally sound.

[AporkalypseNow]

No matter who they hire it's going to be a rebuild

Bobby wasn't given a team that can win so you have to figure that into everything but he isn't exactly dazzling with his wits. These close losses don't have the vibe of the year 1 Bobby team led by Dick. I think that team played hard and sucked but still won 5 games.

Bobby was 47 then, he's 64 now.

My 6-3 kid that can dunk wasn't born yet

I would love to have "2009-2011 Petrino at Arkansas" back.  It can't happen.

College football is a very different game now vs then.

A whole wave of HS HUNH coaches made it big, fizzled, and the world has now moved on.

NIL, transfers, etc.

Instead of looking backward I think you need to look forward.

Remember when Texas Tech hired Joey Maguire and we all thought they were batshit crazy? A few years as an assistant at Baylor and no head coaching or even coordinator experience?

How crazy are they now?

You need someone, like Maguire or Kiffin, that understands how to navigate the current CFB landscape.  You won't get those guys, but you start by looking for guys that have the best understanding of it.

I give up, though.  Let's keep sucking forever. I'll be back when there's a basketball game.

[Feral]

Bobby was 47 then, he's 64 now.

My 6-3 kid that can dunk wasn't born yet

I would love to have "2009-2011 Petrino at Arkansas" back.  It can't happen.

College football is a very different game now vs then.

A whole wave of HS HUNH coaches made it big, fizzled, and the world has now moved on.

NIL, transfers, etc.

Instead of looking backward I think you need to look forward.

Remember when Texas Tech hired Joey Maguire and we all thought they were batshit crazy? A few years as an assistant at Baylor and no head coaching or even coordinator experience?

How crazy are they now?

You need someone, like Maguire or Kiffin, that understands how to navigate the current CFB landscape.  You won't get those guys, but you start by looking for guys that have the best understanding of it.

I give up, though.  Let's keep sucking forever. I'll be back when there's a basketball game.

Good post, especially the last few points.

I agree, we have to stop looking backward and instead have to look to the up and coming ranks and even coordinator options. 

The problem is that our dumbass fan base equates anyone who isn't a "name" coach to Chad Morris, which is an inexplicably stupid comparison since Morris was bad at SMU and was hardly and up and comer. Which is precisely why we'll end up with Petrino, Orgeron, or some over the hill coach instead of looking to the future.

Arkansas football - always reactive, never proactive or strategic. 

[buff2.0]

Whoever we hire, I want them to at least have the fire BP has. Get on the officials asses when they fuck up. Chew some ass on the sidelines when your player fucks up. Make the team fundamentally sound.

You're going to get more "aw shucks" and some people here are going to fucking love getting back to perennial liberty bowls.

[Son of Spam]

Personally, we are going to suck for the foreseeable future, no matter who we get. The question is, are we going to give the next hire time to right the ship? It is going to take time.

[PorkyPig]

Bobby was 47 then, he's 64 now.

My 6-3 kid that can dunk wasn't born yet

I would love to have "2009-2011 Petrino at Arkansas" back.  It can't happen.

College football is a very different game now vs then.

A whole wave of HS HUNH coaches made it big, fizzled, and the world has now moved on.

NIL, transfers, etc.

Instead of looking backward I think you need to look forward.

Remember when Texas Tech hired Joey Maguire and we all thought they were batshit crazy? A few years as an assistant at Baylor and no head coaching or even coordinator experience?

How crazy are they now?

You need someone, like Maguire or Kiffin, that understands how to navigate the current CFB landscape.  You won't get those guys, but you start by looking for guys that have the best understanding of it.

I give up, though.  Let's keep sucking forever. I'll be back when there's a basketball game.

I'm with you.  It's time to do something different.

[TC]

Personally, we are going to suck for the foreseeable future, no matter who we get. The question is, are we going to give the next hire time to right the ship? It is going to take time.

Yes, in fact we'll give the next uninspiring hire WAAAY too long, and probably an extension and a buyout after a single 9 win season.

Unless his name is Petrino. Then he gets just 7 games to turn the shit show that lost to Memphis and got blown out by ND, into something or he's out.