Morris and staff did a really good job

[billmontgomery10]

Considering Flanagan, who decommited, told reporters he was not planning on coming to Arkansas even while Bielema was still here and that Jones reportedly said he was all Notre Dame when they offered, Bielema or no Bielema, I think the staff did a very good job. Fulwider and several others are players who would never have come if Bielema were still here. 2 Arkansas kids who have signed and are close to 4 stars weren't going to be Hogs with BB still in charge. Don't judge Morris on the class of '18, judge him on the '19 class. He will have a whole year to recruit and hopefully will turn things around on the field to make Arkansas a more enticing place to go. Lots of work on the '19 class, especially with some top rated players in our own state.
Also, don't anyone bang on Parker. The kid is a solid player, never decommitted and kept his word to Morris. Sure he went on that recruiting trip to Texas after he committed but in the end 4 SEC schools were chasing him and yet he is a Hog. WPS! 

[go hogues]

I agree. But keep this thread handy when people are crying next year and can't understand why we're 4-8.

[Flrazrback]

Solid class of talented players. Coaches busted their tails and the results are reflective of the effort. Very pleased. Time to get the work done and be prepared for kick off.

[Pudgepork]

Agreed.  A very good start to the Morris era.  2019 recruiting class could move the hops into top 5 SEC teams if they keep Arkansas talent at home and add upper level talent from Texas and Louisiana.  I know it's a year to year dream but this staff is the best suited we've had since the 1960s

[Pudgepork]

I agree. But keep this thread handy when people are crying next year and can't understand why we're 4-8.

Schedule is easier this year.  Hogs won't go 4-8.  I'll predict at least 6-6

[Porknoxville]

We will win more than that next season, we will just never ever break into thanks to half of the conf. In recruiting. At this moment there are ONLY Ky, Vdy, and Mizzu that we can potentially out recruit in the future. It will take some Earth shattering winning with less talent to make it possible to out recruit OM, Misstake, and SC or TN. Jmo.

[Pudgepork]

We will win more than that next season, we will just never ever break into thanks to half of the conf. In recruiting. At this moment there are ONLY Ky, Vdy, and Mizzu that we can potentially out recruit in the future. It will take some Earth shattering winning with less talent to make it possible to out recruit OM, Misstake, and SC or TN. Jmo.

Hhhmm.  Utenn would take years to overtake in recruiting. Miss Stake and Ole Muss has been out recruited in the recent past and will be again starting in 2019.  USCe is tough because they are in a hotbed of prospects and have momentum.   

I think this this staff is going to be ok, very serious about success and will reap immediate results

[Hog Fan...DOH!]

Other than Noland, Gatlin, Pool, Nichols, and Fulwider... the entire class was recruited by Morris.  And Fulwider was decommitted and re-recruited.  Phew... that staff needs a vacay.

[redneckfriend]

Hhhmm.  Utenn would take years to overtake in recruiting. Miss Stake and Ole Muss has been out recruited in the recent past and will be again starting in 2019.  USCe is tough because they are in a hotbed of prospects and have momentum.   

I think this this staff is going to be ok, very serious about success and will reap immediate results

For this staff to be successful they will have to do it like Petrino did- more with less. That is unfortunately the simple constant truth in Arkansas athletics (football especially). Petrino (a great coach and a terrible person imo) was able to hands on coach the offense to play disciplined and responsibly and to execute without excuse. If Morris can have that kind of impact then he could have the kind of success Petrino had but I'm not holding my breath. Better recruiting will require winning rather than better recruiting leading to winning.

[redeye]

I really like the energy we're seeing in the recruiting game.  Morris is making it fun and I love those tweets to '19 targets, penciling them as priorities for next season.

[masbas3]

This staff did a terrific job this winter in the time they had.  I think they will do better than 4-8 this year as well, we will have one of the easier schedules we've had in a while, and I think we've got the best staff we've had in quiet sometime, the jury is still out on that I know.  I do not think we will have a losing record this year though.  I think it will take more than just 2019 to really see any results in the recruiting front though.  I know we have a good crop of in state talent in 2019 but we need to get into the top 20 if possible in recruiting and that's going to take some doing after the last few years we've had.

[razorbackfaninar]

I agree. But keep this thread handy when people are crying next year and can't understand why we're 4-8.

We had enough talent last year to do better than 4-8, we'll have enough this year as well.  It just depends on if Morris can utilize it better than Bielema did. If we were going to go 4-8 this upcoming year, this class wasn't going to salvage that.

[cosmodrum]

Schedule is easier this year.  Hogs won't go 4-8.  I'll predict at least 6-6

Just hard to tell with what happened last year, new staff/scheme, etc. I could see it go either way.

[Kevin]

thought they did a good job. love the emphasis on defense.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

I agree. But keep this thread handy when people are crying next year and can't understand why we're 4-8.

I don't believe we will be 4-8, but I don't dare dream 9 wins before a bowl game. I will be satisfied with any record as long as we see a team battling growing pangs and not giving up... As long as they are showing the "Want-To" as Morris put it, i'll be skickled titless...

[Porknoxville]

I don't believe we will be 4-8, but I don't dare dream 9 wins before a bowl game. I will be satisfied with any record as long as we see a team battling growing pangs and not giving up... As long as they are showing the "Want-To" as Morris put it, i'll be skickled titless...

Count me in on that 1TOTL!

[Poker_hog]

Considering Flanagan, who decommited, told reporters he was not planning on coming to Arkansas even while Bielema was still here and that Jones reportedly said he was all Notre Dame when they offered, Bielema or no Bielema, I think the staff did a very good job. Fulwider and several others are players who would never have come if Bielema were still here. 2 Arkansas kids who have signed and are close to 4 stars weren't going to be Hogs with BB still in charge. Don't judge Morris on the class of '18, judge him on the '19 class. He will have a whole year to recruit and hopefully will turn things around on the field to make Arkansas a more enticing place to go. Lots of work on the '19 class, especially with some top rated players in our own state.
Also, don't anyone bang on Parker. The kid is a solid player, never decommitted and kept his word to Morris. Sure he went on that recruiting trip to Texas after he committed but in the end 4 SEC schools were chasing him and yet he is a Hog. WPS! 

I'm confused you say he did a really good job but don't judge him on this class.

I'd say he did an ok job.  There's no question the deck was stacked against him and he signed some solid players, but to say he did a really good job is just spin.  I do agree that next years class will be a much fairer indication of his recruiting abilities.

[Pudgepork]

For this staff to be successful they will have to do it like Petrino did- more with less. That is unfortunately the simple constant truth in Arkansas athletics (football especially). Petrino (a great coach and a terrible person imo) was able to hands on coach the offense to play disciplined and responsibly and to execute without excuse. If Morris can have that kind of impact then he could have the kind of success Petrino had but I'm not holding my breath. Better recruiting will require winning rather than better recruiting leading to winning.

It's pretty much a given that the handling of the players on hand was, uhm, bizarre by the previous staff.   Morris can achieve Petrino like results by better utilization and development of the players on hand.  That is immediate results, along with what is considered an easier schedule.  Players on hand will go into this season more disciplined and in a much more confident mood than the confusion and lack of leadership from the prior coaches.   Think of it like Benny Hill was the previous coach and George Patton is the new one. (I hope people remember Benny Hill)

[trash stache]

He did what he could do, but at the end of the day we are either in last place or in the bottom 1/4 of the SEC (again).  Hog football is in a really bad place right now. 

[BigSexyHog]

He did what he could do, but at the end of the day we are either in last place or in the bottom 1/4 of the SEC (again).  Hog football is in a really bad place right now. 

We had less offers to give out.... What do you want for him to do?

[Next1_04]

He did what he could do, but at the end of the day we are either in last place or in the bottom 1/4 of the SEC (again).  Hog football is in a really bad place right now. 

Let me snap my fingers really quick and fix it.

Done. We are good now.

[Ironhawg]

We had less offers to give out.... What do you want for him to do?

I could be reading things wrong, and probably am, but it sure seems like there are some people on here who want Morris to fail.   

[Hopeful Hog]

Not a bad class all things considered. Love the safety duo of Mason and Foucha but the rest seem to be lack luster imo. I'm really hoping we land Gerald, that'll help a ton, but Morris couldn't have done much better cause of how late he got in the game. 

[Carl Lazlo]

Not a bad class all things considered. Love the safety duo of Mason and Foucha but the rest seem to be lack luster imo. I'm really hoping we land Gerald, that'll help a ton, but Morris couldn't have done much better cause of how late he got in the game.

Parker will be a very good lb.

[Vantage 8 dude]

I could be reading things wrong, and probably am, but it sure seems like there are some people on here who want Morris to fail.

Oh you can bet on that.......there always are 'cause it serves their narrative. Heck, we've got folks predicting major failure from the get-go. And that's considering we haven't had a single practice as yet.

[AugustaHog]

I don't believe we will be 4-8, but I don't dare dream 9 wins before a bowl game. I will be satisfied with any record as long as we see a team battling growing pangs and not giving up... As long as they are showing the "Want-To" as Morris put it, i'll be skickled titless...

I agree.  This is a foundational year.  By no means should we expect 9 Ws and a bowl.  I think this class fills a lot of holes and should provide some good depth early with some starters later in their careers.  We need to be able to sell momentum and the belief that the program is progressing.

[trash stache]

We had less offers to give out.... What do you want for him to do?

Didn't say it was his fault.  How many years have we recruited at the bottom of the SEC now?  10? 15? 20?  Been a razorback fan since I was a kid, but man, knowing you are going to be the door mat year in and year out is getting old.  Then every year, like clockwork, the Dem Gaz and whatever sports blog (Rivals whoever) pump us up to sell tickets.  We are not good.  We haven't been good in over 5 years.  With this recruiting class, we are now another 2-3 years behind in recruiting.  Arkansas is in a deep hole.  Where is that foundation BB was building?  Oh wait, we are in the Morris fast lane now.  No one good wants to come here.   

[Vantage 8 dude]

Didn't say it was his fault.  How many years have we recruited at the bottom of the SEC now?  10? 15? 20?  Been a razorback fan since I was a kid, but man, knowing you are going to be the door mat year in and year out is getting old.  Then every year, like clockwork, the Dem Gaz and whatever sports blog (Rivals whoever) pump us up to sell tickets.  We are not good.  We haven't been good in over 5 years.  With this recruiting class, we are now another 2-3 years behind in recruiting.  Arkansas is in a deep hole.  Where is that foundation BB was building?  Oh wait, we are in the Morris fast lane now.  No one good wants to come here.   

Total b.s. Glad to see as a loyal "fan" that you've already given up and thrown in the towel prior to CMM coaching his first game as our HC. Hell, I have a feeling you'd likely say something similar had we hired Smart or Saban. Some folks just like to bitch and moan; on the other hand, some of us are actually willing to see what the head man and his staff can actually do before rendering judgement.

[DeltaBoy]

GOOD DAY

[ishankem]

I'm not going to give up hope since he had such short time to recruit, but Miss state and Tennessee  had new coaches and signed around 16 or 17 and their classes are ranked tons better than ours.  I am not doing cartwheels over this class, but hoping he can get a great 2019 class

[upperdeck_hawg]

Spin it anyway you like it but that's gonna hurt 3 years down the line.

[Oklahawg]

Bielema has better talent recruited. At least for those who watch ratings and rankings. In on an impressive set of recruits before the season tanked.

That said, I have long advocated for actually watching video of recruits vs reading what the GooRoos write on national pay boards.

Player development is still a high-end concern. Chemistry was a major contributor to problems for two years. We get a reboot for both- that is the recruiting message today, that new players get to add in to the existing talent.

It will take wins to change the recruiting narrative a great deal. But it is there for the taking.

[jabberjawls]

He did what he could do, but at the end of the day we are either in last place or in the bottom 1/4 of the SEC (again).  Hog football is in a really bad place right no

[Poker_hog]

Spin it anyway you like it but that's gonna hurt 3 years down the line.

Maybe so, but if that's what it took to rid ourselves of Bert, I'm ok with it.

[jabberjawls]

I could be reading things wrong, and probably am, but it sure seems like there are some people on here who want Morris to fail.   

It's not that we want him to fail, it's that many of us were very skeptical with the hire in the first place.  His credentials did NOT scream, or even whisper, home run hire.  We were skeptical of his recruiting even though the spin doctors kept saying how great he would be and not to judge what he will do at UA by what he did at SMU.  Well, so far we are seeing exactly what many of us forecasted.  But go ahead and spin away if that makes you feel better.

[pigture perfect]

Another kid they recruited as a preferred walk-on is Cameron Vail. I know this kid very well. He will get a scholly at some point soon and be a solid contributor. He's an athlete with IQ. Played safety, QB and receiver during his 3 years at Bryant. Great kid. Great family.

[Hogindasticks]

Oh you can bet on that.......there always are 'cause it serves their narrative. Heck, we've got folks predicting major failure from the get-go. And that's considering we haven't had a single practice as yet.

Those guys are not true Razorback Fans.

[Hogindasticks]

It's not that we want him to fail, it's that many of us were very skeptical with the hire in the first place.  His credentials did NOT scream, or even whisper, home run hire.  We were skeptical of his recruiting even though the spin doctors kept saying how great he would be and not to judge what he will do at UA by what he did at SMU.  Well, so far we are seeing exactly what many of us forecasted.  But go ahead and spin away if that makes you feel better.

He could have wiped the floor with Arkansas last year.....proved it on the field.

[Pudgepork]

Another kid they recruited as a preferred walk-on is Cameron Vail. I know this kid very well. He will get a scholly at some point soon and be a solid contributor. He's an athlete with IQ. Played safety, QB and receiver during his 3 years at Bryant. Great kid. Great family.

What position do you think would be most natural? 

[Poker_hog]

It's not that we want him to fail, it's that many of us were very skeptical with the hire in the first place.  His credentials did NOT scream, or even whisper, home run hire.  We were skeptical of his recruiting even though the spin doctors kept saying how great he would be and not to judge what he will do at UA by what he did at SMU.  Well, so far we are seeing exactly what many of us forecasted.  But go ahead and spin away if that makes you feel better.

There's really nothing to judge him on so far.  Grading on a curve I'd give him a B- for this class, but that no different than any other coach we've had.  If we have a losing record next year and/or don't sign a top 30 class I'll share your concern.

[jabberjawls]

Those guys are not true Razorback Fans.

We have been Razorback fans much longer than you.  The difference is that we have a brain.

[liljo]

Oh you can bet on that.......there always are 'cause it serves their narrative. Heck, we've got folks predicting major failure from the get-go. And that's considering we haven't had a single practice as yet.

I have a thought on why people are this way. Some people just post negative stuff all the time, but deep down, they hope the program wins. In fact, they want it to win BIG. But, they just HAVE to have something to talk about. So, if the program turns around and wins BIG, they'll celebrate and be the first to call somebody who roots for the other team just to rub it in. But, if the program fails, they want to be able to say "see, told you."

I HATE watching games with guys like that. We've all bellied up to a bar someplace during a tight game and had that one guy that just irks everyone with his whining, moaning, "the sky is falling" attitude. All through the game he complains about calls made by the staff. The team can go up by two touchdowns, but the minute the opponent makes a first down the guy is like, "here we go again."

I see posters here whose styles remind me of "that guy."

I just try to stay positive. Kids are kids. ROOT for 'em. If we want their 100% as players, it's only fair that we give them our 100% as fans.

[DLUXHOG]

Schedule is easier this year.  Hogs won't go 4-8.  I'll predict at least 6-6

At this point I'm predicting(okay, hoping) an undefeated season (until the Hogs lose one)

[Vantage 8 dude]

We have been Razorback fans much longer than you.  The difference is that we have a brain.

Oh, and how does the constant bitching and moaning and predictions of gloom and doom before CMM coaches a single practice equate to being an Einstein? I mean ANYONE, even one with no brain or cranial matter, can shout and cry   failure. Takes no proof or thought process whatsoever.

BTW you made a claim that you've been a Hog fan longer than another poster. Perhaps that's so, however, out of curiosity  I checked your age on your profile; one wasn't listed. I've been a Razorback fan from birth (some 67 years); therefore, I'll assume you're older than that. Just curious as to your boast.

[root_hawg]

You can say he didnt have many scholarships to give out but if you look at the average ranking we are still 10th in the sec as well.   The only ones we move ahead are Kentucky, Vandy and Missouri.  Two of those 3 are in the east so we were next to last in our own division.  Has to get better or we will not.

[jabberjawls]

Oh, and how does the constant bitching and moaning and predictions of gloom and doom before CMM coaches a single practice equate to being an Einstein? I mean ANYONE, even one with no brain or cranial matter, can shout and cry   failure. Takes no proof or thought process whatsoever.

Likewise, it takes no brain to follow the pied piper and research for yourself, which, having a brain, i did.   Sorry for your cognitive deficiencies.

[jabberjawls]

At this point I'm predicting(okay, hoping) an undefeated season (until the Hogs lose one)

See pied piper and "no brain" reference.

[DLUXHOG]

We have been Razorback fans much longer than you.  The difference is that we have a brain.

No, you have an ass****, as all people do... not all people have a brain....

[Vantage 8 dude]

  Likewise, it takes no brain to follow the pied piper and research for yourself, which, having a brain, i did.   Sorry for your cognitive deficiencies.

No, unlike YOU I will wait to make my final decision as to the ultimate wisdom as to whether the hiring of CCM and his staff will prove to be a success or not. However, I will base it on his actual record as a HC on the Hill, not on his record after a couple years at SMU, as a high school coach or even as his record as OC at Clemson. While those may or may not give some solid clue(s) as to whether or not he will/won't get the job done as our HC, at least I will have something tangle AT ARKANSAS to render a firm decision. And that DOES take some brains; it's also called PROOF. So no, I won't follow the "research" as you call it. Quite frankly as it applies to his being the Hog's HC there is NONE.

[pigtrino]

You can say he didnt have many scholarships to give out but if you look at the average ranking we are still 10th in the sec as well.   The only ones we move ahead are Kentucky, Vandy and Missouri.  Two of those 3 are in the east so we were next to last in our own division.  Has to get better or we will not.

Hmm...which two?