I keep hearing radio show callers and message board posters suggesting there is shame or inferiority involved if Arkansas doeesn”t make a “Homerun Hire”—presumably defined as an established, “name” coach from a BCS school or the NFL–when it hires the next Head Coach of the Razorbacks.
The fairly recent Nick Saban (Alabama) and Bobby Petrino (Arkansas) hires were very similar (coaches learning quickly the NFL wasn’t for them). Urban Meyer to Ohio St was seemingly inevitable from the minute he left Florida.
Almost immediately following the ouster of Jim Tressel at Ohio State, Meyer, a native of Ohio, was linked to the job. The 2011 season under interim head coach and former Buckeye Luke Fickell allowed Meyer to take a break and heal his broken heart after Tim Tebow ascended to the NFL. It also gave Meyer a chance to slink away from a program that was quietly slipping a bit and reemerge as Ohio’s favorite son.
(Now that I think about it, Ohio State’s situation was somewhat similar to Arkansas’ current predicament (PRONOUNCED pre-ditch-a ment), but I just don’t see a current star in the profession with major Arkansas ties pining for the title of Head Hog.)
Other than those three coaches, what “name”, established Head Coaches have recently been hired away from major schools or the pros?
The key for Arkansas is to identify and hire the best fit for the program.
“Can’t miss”es can miss (Charlie Weis) and Ho-Hum Hires can thrill (Pete Carroll, Les Miles & Gene Chizik).
Before you scour Arkansas’ potential head coach candidate pool and label it as sludge, remember that (if an established, “name” head coach without baggage of some sort is a must) many of the blue bloods of College Football have been gone skinny dipping the supposed dirty water, lately, too.
On Arkansas’ Next Head Coach & College Football’s Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
Posted by Adam Butler on July 11, 2012
The fairly recent Nick Saban (Alabama) and Bobby Petrino (Arkansas) hires were very similar (coaches learning quickly the NFL wasn’t for them). Urban Meyer to Ohio St was seemingly inevitable from the minute he left Florida.
Almost immediately following the ouster of Jim Tressel at Ohio State, Meyer, a native of Ohio, was linked to the job. The 2011 season under interim head coach and former Buckeye Luke Fickell allowed Meyer to take a break and heal his broken heart after Tim Tebow ascended to the NFL. It also gave Meyer a chance to slink away from a program that was quietly slipping a bit and reemerge as Ohio’s favorite son.
(Now that I think about it, Ohio State’s situation was somewhat similar to Arkansas’ current predicament (PRONOUNCED pre-ditch-a ment), but I just don’t see a current star in the profession with major Arkansas ties pining for the title of Head Hog.)
Other than those three coaches, what “name”, established Head Coaches have recently been hired away from major schools or the pros?
The key for Arkansas is to identify and hire the best fit for the program.
“Can’t miss”es can miss (Charlie Weis) and Ho-Hum Hires can thrill (Pete Carroll, Les Miles & Gene Chizik).
Before you scour Arkansas’ potential head coach candidate pool and label it as sludge, remember that (if an established, “name” head coach without baggage of some sort is a must) many of the blue bloods of College Football have been gone skinny dipping the supposed dirty water, lately, too.
Consider:
Share this:
Like this:
Posted in Commentary, Sports | Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Bobby Petrino, College Football Coaching Carousel, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Nick Saban | 26 Comments »