IF you are a young up and coming HC, why would you come to Arkansas?

[hogsanity]

You guys amaze me!  I'm going to help all of you with a little math.  Every season the Hogs play 4 non con games.  That equals 4 wins.  We play 8 SEC games.  All we have to do is go 4-4 in those, that would be 8!  What 4 wins!  Let's see, Ole Miss is a given for the foreseeable future, Miss St loses their seasoned QB after this season, Mizzou should NEVER beat us——-that's over when Belly Monster is gone, the East rotating team?, Vandy, UK.....  There's your 4 without even discussing aTm, Auburn, LSU, and Bama!  Winning 8 games EVERY season is VERY doable!

and just how long do you think our oh so reasonable fans are going to be happy going 8-4, which should get them a trip to a middle of the week between Christmas and NYE bowl in a place like Shreveport Nashville or Memphis every year?

[tbhogfan]

Think about it. I have just spent 2-5 years building the program I am at now, and I am a hot name in the coaching world. Why, knowing what is readily available about Arkansas - the small recruiting base, the competition in the secw, the average tenure of a coach at AR being about 4.5 years, playing in the sec, plus all the other jobs that may be open, why would I take the AR job?

And please, do not tell me because of the great fans, great facilities, great town, lots of places have all of those things and more.

Try to take your hog glasses off for a minute and look at this from the view of someone thinking about taking the job.

Let's look at someone like Neal Brown at Troy, one of the bigger "up and comer" names out there.  Let's see if we can figure this out.

Money: Neal makes $750K, so he'd probably be looking at TRIPLING or QUADRUPLING his current salary.  Good start!  With a couple of winning seasons, that number could easily go way up.
Recruiting:  Arkansas can recruit enough talent to win regularly (see Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino).  Troy is currently ranked 107th in the country in recruiting, usually getting players that the SEC has passed over.  Arkansas normally finishes in the top 30 in the country.
Fans/Stadium/Facilities/Support: Really no comparison
Prestige:  There are 12 SEC Head Football Coaches in the world.

Confidence:  Any coach worth his salt believes that they can win at any level. 

[FATHAWG08]

Job Security would be the biggest selling point.  They will give you time to build your program. You're following a coach who was 11-26 in SEC play and got five years. as for the Florida job the prior coach won his division his first two years and still couldn't make it thru his third season.

[DeltaBoy]

Frank did
Lou did
Ken did
Hell even Nutt won 2 SEC west titles.
Bobby did

Norvell or some of the rest like Morris or Brent Venables .

[Cinco de Hogo]

I would coach in freaking Siberia for 4 mil per year with a 5 year guarantee!


Coaches coach!

[redneckfriend]

It's basically the same answer as to why we haven't fired Bret yet.

First of all, you'll work for an AD that will support you. Even when you're a raging piece of crap like BP, who Long clearly didn't like, he had the full support of the Athletic department. Bielema has failed here. But the AD isn't bashing him in the press. He's letting the coach do his job, even when the coach is doing a bad job, and the department isn't caving to fan pressures to clear house while the season is still going on.

You'll get straight paid, son. Arkansas pays their coaches well, and if you can have success, even moderately, you can make the big bucks.

The roster isn't bare. Lots of young talent with experience coming back next year. Bielema will leave behind a team without an excess of off the field issues. There won't be a need for a total rebuild like after BP/JLS.

You can win here. BP showed it. Nutt showed it. Heck, even CBB kinda showed it in 2015. The west isn't what it used to be. Saban is approaching retirement. If a coach can get in here, set up shop, and be established when Saban leaves, then the west will open up for them.

There are plenty of reasons to see Arkansas as a prime spot to further a coaching career. You can get paid extremely well, and be in a fairly high profile position.

I think that may qualify, in part, as the only reasonable answer to the question. Long has not thrown Bielema under the bus (even though fans want to thrown Long under the bus) and that is a BIG plus for a new coach looking at this job. The money is good- it has to be to entice anyone to come to one of the most demanding jobs (Arkansas is still a football school, it shouldn't be, but it is) with the shallowest talent pools. A coach with the right philosophy, a coach who believes he can do it, might be successful. He will have to recruit speed on defense and he will need to do something a little different from the rest of the SEC on offense- like throw the ball effectively.

[Paul]

Because I came here in college, fell in love with the beauty of the state, the friendliness of the natives, and a beautiful native girl, whom I married.    I'm ready to come back to the place I consider home & this spring bought property in Beaver Lake for my family & my future.  I loved the way the whole state lived & died with the Hogs & I want to be the one that restores the program to the place it belongs.

[Matt Burks]

Because I came here in college, fell in love with the beauty of the state, the friendliness of the natives, and a beautiful native girl, whom I married.    I'm ready to come back to the place I consider home & this spring bought property in Beaver Lake for my family & my future.  I loved the way the whole state lived & died with the Hogs & I want to be the one that restores the program to the place it belongs.

Petrino used to say that all they had to do was get the recruit to campus to win them over.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

You guys amaze me!  I’m going to help all of you with a little math.  Every season the Hogs play 4 non con games.  That equals 4 wins.  We play 8 SEC games.  All we have to do is go 4-4 in those, that would be 8!  What 4 wins!  Let’s see, Ole Miss is a given for the foreseeable future, Miss St loses their seasoned QB after this season, Mizzou should NEVER beat us——-that’s over when Belly Monster is gone, the East rotating team?, Vandy, UK.....  There’s your 4 without even discussing aTm, Auburn, LSU, and Bama!  Winning 8 games EVERY season is VERY doable!

Did we go 4-0 in non conference this season?  What about 2013 or 2015?  What Mizzou should or shouldn't do is irrelevant...they've beaten us plenty lately and probably will again this year.  Still have to play Bama, AU, LSU and A&M in the west every year, and OM and MSU are never pushovers...especially MSU who continues to be a 50/50 proposition for us each year.  Then you're likely going to get one of either UGA, FL or TN every year out of the east, and the east can't get any worse going forward. 

Not buying the EVERY YEAR bologna.

[Grizzlyfan]

You guys amaze me!  I'm going to help all of you with a little math.  Every season the Hogs play 4 non con games.  That equals 4 wins.  We play 8 SEC games.  All we have to do is go 4-4 in those, that would be 8!  What 4 wins!  Let's see, Ole Miss is a given for the foreseeable future, Miss St loses their seasoned QB after this season, Mizzou should NEVER beat us——-that's over when Belly Monster is gone, the East rotating team?, Vandy, UK.....  There's your 4 without even discussing aTm, Auburn, LSU, and Bama!  Winning 8 games EVERY season is VERY doable!

If you are talking about 8 wins every, single year I would say that is unlikely.  Averaging 8 wins a year over time is reasonable.  Meaning you accept a few 6 win seasons in exchange for a couple of 10 win seasons.  Six wins a year should be the floor, given your analysis of the schedule.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

and just how long do you think our oh so reasonable fans are going to be happy going 8-4, which should get them a trip to a middle of the week between Christmas and NYE bowl in a place like Shreveport Nashville or Memphis every year?

This is where you fall off the cliff.  Who gives a crap.  Fan contentment is part of the allure of it all.  Fans are NEVER happy.  Always wanting more.  Change is exiting...like recruiting.  The excitement of what might be. 

It's hard to tell what your MO is here, but it's not asinine in the least for the fanbase to think that BB ain't going to be any better than he's been, and it ain't asinine to think that we can do better.  Maybe not significantly better, but better no doubt.  It's asinine to think we shouldn't try.

[phadedhawg]

I'm 100% on board with Operation Get Rid of Bielema, I do think Jeff Long allowing him to stay for 5 years is a positive for luring a coach to Arkansas.

Arkansas is always going to be a difficult job but we have an AD who will give you time to build your program before running you out of town.  If we had pulled the trigger a couple seasons ago, the next candidate might think it too tall of a hill to climb in three seasons. 

[Wmhog]

Why do so many fans think everywhere is a better job than Arkansas.  Go to Florida and win SEC East two out or 3 years and get fired.  Sure, that's better!

[KennyForAD]

I only wish I was getting paid to gig people like you. People that actually think what they say on a message board matters.

LOL.  Then why do YOU post on message boards nonstop every day for.. over a decade?   As if I don't know...    You KNOW how much it matters.  LOL  The difference between you and me:  I never lie.  You never tell the truth.

LMAO at you...

[Hogarusa]

confidence to succeed and a bigger pay check.  Pretty simple

[hogsanity]

I'm 100% on board with Operation Get Rid of Bielema, I do think Jeff Long allowing him to stay for 5 years is a positive for luring a coach to Arkansas.

Arkansas is always going to be a difficult job but we have an AD who will give you time to build your program before running you out of town.  If we had pulled the trigger a couple seasons ago, the next candidate might think it too tall of a hill to climb in three seasons. 

What is funny is the very thing you list as a positive when hiring a new coach, an Ad that will give you a long leash, is the one other thing people want to get rid of. They want Long gone, they want some hard as^ that will tell a coach he has 3 years and then he's is gone if he does not win.

[Ironhawg]

Neither is acting like Northwest Arkansas is some sort of drag on the state best for the state either.

I have lived all over this state.  Northwest Arkansas is by far my favorite place in the state, except for down around Stuttgart during duck season. 

[hogsanity]

If you are talking about 8 wins every, single year I would say that is unlikely.  Averaging 8 wins a year over time is reasonable.  Meaning you accept a few 6 win seasons in exchange for a couple of 10 win seasons.  Six wins a year should be the floor, given your analysis of the schedule.

We had that, TWICE, in both Hatfield and HDN and the FANS wanted them both gone. One for being boring and one for being HDN.

[KennyForAD]

Why do so many fans think everywhere is a better job than Arkansas.  Go to Florida and win SEC East two out or 3 years and get fired.  Sure, that's better!

Only the ones who believe the propaganda.  See, if we believe that, then it excuses Jeff Long for being unable to hire a good coach.   Its all BS.

[hogsanity]

Petrino used to say that all they had to do was get the recruit to campus to win them over.

then why were his classes no better than any other here? Our classes are always around 25th nationally.

[KennyForAD]

Hogsanity,

Do you support Jeff Long as AD?   Do you think he's done a good job?  If so, why?  At what point would you fire Jeff Long?

I have to go do some things.  I'll be back.

Thank you.

[hogsanity]

Why do so many fans think everywhere is a better job than Arkansas.  Go to Florida and win SEC East two out or 3 years and get fired.  Sure, that's better!

No one thinks EVERYWHERE is a better job, but when looking at the jobs in the SEC that MAy be open this year, there are some that are better. A&M is better, in terms of facilities, fiances and recruiting base. Same for Fla. OM is not a better job, neither is TN.

[KennyForAD]

No one thinks EVERYWHERE is a better job, but when looking at the jobs in the SEC that MAy be open this year, there are some that are better. A&M is better, in terms of facilities, fiances and recruiting base. Same for Fla. OM is not a better job, neither is TN.

What makes one a better job?   Facilities?   Recruiting base?   Hmmmm.   I think JOB SECURITY ranks first or second either before or behind MONEY.  Nowhere has better job security than Arkansas.  All you have to do is be somewhat competitive and you can stay forever - and Arkansas can pay whatever it wants.   Unfortunately, Arkansas has an AD for whom NO coach wants to work because they all know he is a self-promoting fraud.  THAT is our only hindrance to hiring a quality coach.

[jvanhorn]

Because if you are at Memphis, SMU, Central Florida, etc. your good fortunes could turn south any time.  You can go from 10-2 to 6-6 in the blink of an eye.  So you strike while the iron is hot.  And that means taking one of the prime time jobs that are available at the time.

Well a factor, in our case, is ties.  Both basketball coaches have ties to Arkansas from a previous period.  I assume Van Horn considers himself an Arkansan by now.  Heck even Nolan stuck around after he was done.  Eddie Sutton comes back every chance he gets, health permitting.  He has always said nice things about his time here [except for that one stupid statement] and how proud he was of building the program.  As long as you are paid enough to not have any money worries then, in a small state like this one, these things come into play.
Even Skip Holtz talks warmly of growing up in Fayetteville.

Everyone knows that the Coach at Memphis has multiple ties to Arkansas.  UCA, wife from Fort Smith.  He is a gamble, but if he works out then Arkansas, much like Lincoln Riley at OU, probably has a head coach for the next 30 years.  It is risk versus  payoff.  I think you have to take that gamble considering we are not Alabama, etc.

[hogsanity]

Hogsanity,

Do you support Jeff Long as AD?   Do you think he's done a good job?  If so, why?  At what point would you fire Jeff Long?

I have to go do some things.  I'll be back.

Thank you.

I think he has done a good job as AD. His job is to run the ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, and the ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT is running just fine.

If Long does not do what his bosses ask of him or what is in his job description, then he should be let go.

Unfortunately, Arkansas has an AD for whom NO coach wants to work because they all know he is a self-promoting fraud. 

That makes no sense. BP came to work for him, so did BB and Mike Anderson. DVH has not left either.

[theFlyingHog]

8-4 or 9-3 as the floor, even though the program has not come close to that average since joining the sec. 9-3 would be 2 full games above average over the last 26 seasons. But you think that is a REASONABLE expectation. Kind of makes my point about how funny the statement was.

So why, exactly, are you a Hog fan if we suck so bad? 

[Porkette]

Nowhere has better job security than Arkansas.  All you have to do is be somewhat competitive and you can stay forever

I think Arkansas is a good job overall, but history would indicate that this part isn't true. Hatfield and Nutt were both somewhat competitive, and fans grew restless and tired of them.

[hogsanity]

So why, exactly, are you a Hog fan if we suck so bad? 

Because I was born and raised here, and they are the only college teams I have ever cheered for.

Why were people Cubs fans for 100 or so years between ws wins?

You can be a fan of a team and still see the teams warts. I have been a Braves fan since 1982 ( when we got tbs on cable ) they were dreadful the last half of the 80's and in 1990, then they had a great run, and have been pretty bad again the last few years. I'm still a fan.

[KennyForAD]

I think he has done a good job as AD. His job is to run the ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, and the ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT is running just fine.

If Long does not do what his bosses ask of him or what is in his job description, then he should be let go.

That makes no sense. BP came to work for him, so did BB and Mike Anderson. DVH has not left either.

Would you fire Long if he had an affair?

[hogsanity]

Would you fire Long if he had an affair?

No, but if he lied to his bosses about it they should fire him for lying to them.

[theFlyingHog]

and just how long do you think our oh so reasonable fans are going to be happy going 8-4, which should get them a trip to a middle of the week between Christmas and NYE bowl in a place like Shreveport Nashville or Memphis every year?

Moving the bar, eh? This is how we know you're trollin

[KennyForAD]

I think Arkansas is a good job overall, but history would indicate that this part isn't true. Hatfield and Nutt were both somewhat competitive, and fans grew restless and tired of them.

Nutt was hated, for good reason, and it STILL took a decade to get rid of him.  People complained about Hatfield because pro style offenses like Miami were in vogue and he ran an offense that was going out of style.  But he LEFT on his own due to Broyles.  He was not fired and was not going to be.  Incredible job security here.   If BB pulled this disaster at any other SEC school, he would have been fired long ago.  Incredibly hard to get a coach fired here.  like nowhere else.

[KennyForAD]

No, but if he lied to his bosses about it they should fire him for lying to them.

It makes me want to vomit that I thought you were just an idiot for so long.  Good job, I guess.  Hope you can sleep at night.   

[hogsanity]

Moving the bar, eh? This is how we know you're trollin

How is asking that question moving the bar. The bar was set when a poster said Hog fans would be happy with 8 wins a year. I am asking for how long would they be happy?

[Knot2brite]

The only reason a up and comer would accept this job is to work his way into a better job. If he could win here and turn around the program to respectable again then he could parlay that into a upper tier job. All that people could hoped for is that the coach finds out that he likes it here and can recruit here and stays. Otherwise, it is 3 to 4 and out the door.

[Dropkick]

Would you fire Long if he had an affair?

I'm all about dumping BB and leaning that way on Long but Bobby wasn't just fired for the affair and lying. He also engineered putting his piece on the payroll.

[hogsanity]

The only reason a up and comer would accept this job is to work his way into a better job. If he could win here and turn around the program to respectable again then he could parlay that into a upper tier job. All that people could hoped for is that the coach finds out that he likes it here and can recruit here and stays. Otherwise, it is 3 to 4 and out the door.

I would agree with that if the Hogs are not paying top $, but I do not think that will be the case. Why leave a job, where you are well liked and are job secure for a new gig, with tougher standards, but no more or only marginally more pay?

[Dropkick]

How is asking that question moving the bar. The bar was set when a poster said Hog fans would be happy with 8 wins a year. I am asking for how long would they be happy?

Let's find out

[Porkette]

Nutt was hated, for good reason, and it STILL took a decade to get rid of him.  People complained about Hatfield because pro style offenses like Miami were in vogue and he ran an offense that was going out of style.  But he LEFT on his own due to Broyles.  He was not fired and was not going to be.  Incredible job security here.   If BB pulled this disaster at any other SEC school, he would have been fired long ago.  Incredibly hard to get a coach fired here.  like nowhere else.

Can't really argue with those points, except that I've never known what was really true in the whole Broyles/Hatfield drama. I should remember to differentiate between "fans grumbling" and "actually getting fired." Two very different things, perhaps especially at Arkansas.   

[MJ2]

I think your question points to the real issue-   A coach either improves the value of a program or reduces it's value.    CBB has taken a good job to new lows and it will take a special person to revive it, but it can and will be done. 

[KennyForAD]

How is asking that question moving the bar. The bar was set when a poster said Hog fans would be happy with 8 wins a year. I am asking for how long would they be happy?

Thank you. 

[Wants2Win]

Money.....next question.

[KennyForAD]

Can't really argue with those points, except that I've never known what was really true in the whole Broyles/Hatfield drama. I should remember to differentiate between "fans grumbling" and "actually getting fired." Two very different things, perhaps especially at Arkansas.   

Hatfield was a great coach and I love him.  But he was married to the wishbone, and Jimmy Johnson showed the world how to stop it when he destroyed us and whipped OU.  We were never going to win it all because elite teams with enough speed on Defense, and a coach who watched what JJ did, could stop us.  Hard to blame fans for complaining, but I would have kept Hatfield happy and kept him forever.  Would rather have had him at the helm than Frank.    I think that is the point from which we were never the same.   Made mistake after mistake after that, but C'est la Vie, right?

[KennyForAD]

Money.....next question.

Winner. 

[CareBear]

The guy has been objectively TERRIBLE in the SEC for 5 years, and it took close to 4 for anyone to notice. We don't give coaches a chance?!? Ridiculous.

Amen brother!
Actually Razorback fans are great. We're a helluva lot more patient than the majority of the SEC. Any prospective up & comer knows that we just gave this guy a 4 year honeymoon. This is year 5. He's had more of a pass than any previous coach whilist making the program worse. The assistants he brought & the ones he hired have jumped ship as soon as they could. Without Alvarez here to monitor Bert he seems to be having trouble getting along with assistants & certain players. How did we get to a point in which people would be willing to be more loyal to a coach who has not gotten the job done rather than the school /players /alumni. It's ridiculous. Hopefully this silly experiment will come to an end soon. CBB needs to attend to his health & spend time away from football. I wish him the best... Somewhere else! #hitthatline #WPS #howboutthemhogs

[trippigs]

Of course.....trolling is bad for you

[Inhogswetrust]

Think about it. I have just spent 2-5 years building the program I am at now, and I am a hot name in the coaching world. Why, knowing what is readily available about Arkansas - the small recruiting base, the competition in the secw, the average tenure of a coach at AR being about 4.5 years, playing in the sec, plus all the other jobs that may be open, why would I take the AR job?

And please, do not tell me because of the great fans, great facilities, great town, lots of places have all of those things and more.

Try to take your hog glasses off for a minute and look at this from the view of someone thinking about taking the job.

Dumb post. You ask why would you take the job THEN throw out reasons someone might consider as to why they might. Have you been in some of the other towns? I have and Fayetteville and the area is better than a lot of them. PLUS someone might actually want it because they have been in Arkansas before and liked it. 

[Lady Razorback]

+1.  I don't know why he is even here.

+1 I don't even know why I started reading this thread. 

[KennyForAD]

Amen brother!
Actually Razorback fans are great. We're a helluva lot more patient than the majority of the SEC. Any prospective up & comer knows that we just gave this guy a 4 year honeymoon. This is year 5. He's had more of a pass than any previous coach whilist making the program worse. The assistants he brought & the ones he hired have jumped ship as soon as they could. Without Alvarez here to monitor Bert he seems to be having trouble getting along with assistants & certain players. How did we get to a point in which people would be willing to be more loyal to a coach who has not gotten the job done rather than the school /players /alumni. It's ridiculous. Hopefully this silly experiment will come to an end soon. CBB needs to attend to his health & spend time away from football. I wish him the best... Somewhere else! #hitthatline #WPS #howboutthemhogs

RIGHT!   Anyone who says otherwise is a fool or a liar.

[KennyForAD]

+1.  I don't know why he is even here.

Sure you do.  He's PAID to do it.  Come on.