Norvell or bust

[Hogsolo]

36 years old and is about to get a second QB drafted to the NFL.

Gus hasn't produced a 3,000 yard passer at Aweborn.

Nutt = running game above all - fans frustrated and angered
Petrino = split between dynamic passing and control rushing - fans excited until blonde ambition
Bielema = running game is all that - fans frustrated and angered

Why would we hire another run, run, run, pass coach?   We need to throw the damn ball! 

36 years old!   Tons of energy, tons of fight!
Norvell or bust, literally.

[DOC-T]

Completely agree! That's the only way you will have a chance of beating Bama.

[King Kong]

It's far from Norvell or bust

[JaketheSnake]

Gus isn't a pass happy offense.  He is a rushing offense too, just not a power rushing offense.

Norvell better figure out how to play defense in a hurry! 

[The NewEra]

I've watched a few of Norvell's games this year and I watched the one against SMU Saturday night.  Here are a few things about his team that stood out to me.  Granted, you need to take into account the conference he's in and the talent level at SMU, but:

- Norvell has recruited some serious speed to Memphis.  He has a very talented running back that isn't only fast, but he will lay a hit.  I would bet he has guys on his team that are equal to our speed.
- Norvell plays a spread, but he utilizes the run a lot and he's very effective at it.  He's a heck of a lot more balanced on offense than some people seem to believe, but he runs the ball and they are good at it.
- He's a very talented offensive play caller.  I think this is Petrino's greatest skill and in my opinion Norvell is as good an offensive mind as Petrino.
- Memphis passing game is something you would think a Swiss watch maker engineered.  The precision is impressive to say the least.  Their receivers are fast to their spot and on a lot of plays the ball seems to be out of the Q.B.'s hand in no more than two seconds.
- They have a few players on that Memphis team that we could have used this year.
- One particular play in the first half stood out to me more than any other.  There was a short 10- yard pass to the right to the running back that went for 40 yards.  When the receiver caught the ball and headed up field he was led by three offensive linemen for the next 30-yards.  Those linemen were at full speed and looked very fast for big guys, as well as athletic.  That was an impressive show and they went right back to the line and blocked for a run play that put them in the end zone.
- Norvell will certainly coach on the sideline and jump on kids when they screw up, but he gets his point across quickly and moves on.  On one play a defensive guy got a personal found and Norvell nailed him when he was coming off the field.  He was mic'd up and you could here him telling the player that his penalty was selfish.

- Defense-If he were to come here or any other big school he must put as much emphasis on a SEC worthy defense as he places on his offense.  That has always been Petrino's mistake.  I hope the reason he doesn't have a good defense is because of resources.  Otherwise he's not a fit in the SEC.

- Recruiting - If he can recruit that way to Memphis, then I would love to see what he can bring to Arkansas.

- Lastly, the more I think about it the more I'm concerned with the prospect of hiring Gus.  His overall record with such a strong recruiting base scares me.  It appears at least 50% of the fans don't want Gus.  The cost.  The perceived protection Gus might have that other coaches might not have.

All in all, I would like to see us move a new direction and make it Norvell.

[Boarcephus]

- Lastly, the more I think about it the more I'm concerned with the prospect of hiring Gus.  His overall record with such a strong recruiting base scares me.  It appears at least 50% of the fans don't want Gus.  The cost.  The perceived protection Gus might have that other coaches might not have.

All in all, I would like to see us move a new direction and make it Norvell.

My biggest contention all along with hiring Gus is the part about what he's done at Auburn with the talent he has.  His last 3 years leading into this year have been so so and he won't get that talent here. 

I don't care what it costs because it's not my money. 

I also don't think half the people don't want him, it's just a few loud mouths here on HV and they're fickle as hell.  If we were able to hire Ho Chi Minh and he won, everyone here would be cheering for ol Ho. 

I'd rather go with Norvel.  Gus is a safer hire but like I've said, Norvel has the hiring ceiling.

[DoubleReedHawgCaller]

I was looking at your avatar. What was that you were saying again???.....

[The Boar War]

I'd rather go with Norvel.  Gus is a safer hire but like I've said, Norvel has the hiring ceiling.

The only way he has a higher ceiling is if he not only goes to the National Championship but wins it.

[3kgthog]

We need a coach that has upside but also a softer downside that provides a less dramatic exit should things go south. Gus doesn't provide either one. If he became Nutt 2.0, that divorce could be the 20 year setback Chuck talked about all those years ago. Hell, the courtship of Gus is already on the verge of causing a domestic dispute.

[ShadowHawg]

Norvell has only been head coach less than 2 years. The talent you see isn't his.

Norvell has never coached in the SEC. Never recruited against the SEC. Heck, never really recruited at all yet he is so new to head coaching.

He is a pig in a poke at best.

[duckman]

He better learn to coach defense or go to the Big 12....

[The NewEra]

It's not about learning to coach defense.  It's about hiring a great defensive coordinator and giving him free reign to recruit and run said defense.

[jgcat4]

Norvell has only been head coach less than 2 years. The talent you see isn’t his.

Norvell has never coached in the SEC. Never recruited against the SEC. Heck, never really recruited at all yet he is so new to head coaching.

He is a pig in a poke at best.

Actually 13 of 22 starters on the Memphis team are his players, not Fuentes' players.

[Wooderson]

Norvell has only been head coach less than 2 years. The talent you see isn't his.

Norvell has never coached in the SEC. Never recruited against the SEC. Heck, never really recruited at all yet he is so new to head coaching.

He is a pig in a poke at best.

This times a million.  Norvell is my 1b. I would be ecstatic to have him as our coach, but if you don't think there will be a learning curve for him you are naive.  If he is our guy we better pair him with some grizzly, battle tested SEC coaches to teach him the nuances of SEC play and recruiting.

This Gus argument about talent versus results is flat out ignorant. Gus plays a schedule that on paper has at least two more guaranteed losses on it than us. Auburn permanent sec east opponent is Georgia. Ours is Missouri. The past two years auburn has played the defending national champion.  Lost by 6 and 8 points.  People freaking think.

Auburn's roster has minimal more talent than ours. I bet we are within 4 players that are 4 star talent or above.  How much difference is their in a 3 and 4 star. Please tell me.  Just a quick search showed auburn has 23 players on NFL rosters. We have 19. Oh the talent level is so freaking drastic.

[The_Iceman]

Gus isn't a pass happy offense.  He is a rushing offense too, just not a power rushing offense.

This is so ignorant.

[Corkscrew Johnson]

- Lastly, the more I think about it the more I'm concerned with the prospect of hiring Gus.  His overall record with such a strong recruiting base scares me.  It appears at least 50% of the fans don't want Gus.  The cost.  The perceived protection Gus might have that other coaches might not have.

Don't worry, your fears about Gus are mostly regurgitated mob thinking.  No candidate is as good as you think, no candidate is as bad.   

[ipigsooie]

Another aspect is that we aren't paying him 6.5 million.  We also arent going to need to pay for an expensive o coordinator as he is basically will do that as well.  We can afford to go out and get a top notch d coordinator like Chavis, etc.

[ipigsooie]

Don't worry, your fears about Gus are mostly regurgitated mob thinking.  No candidate is as good as you think, no candidate is as bad.

Wrong or right the fears are real. Gus is going to divide the fan base and it will be a nightmare here if he doesn't win.

[King Kong]

This is so ignorant.

It is. Gus's Run blocking is just like a traditional pro style ground attack. A lot of guard pulling.

It's really unique for a spread team.

[HotlantaHog]

Norvell is flavor of the month. Lots of coaches have had some level of success in small conferences. Maybe he will be wildly successful in a more competitive situation. Maybe he will be Tommy Bowden.

Gus has won SEC championships, competed for national championships, has a team rated No. 6 right now.
He's one of the great offensive minds -- as he showed at Arkansas in the one year he was OC here and as he has shown at Tulsa and Auburn.

[ipigsooie]

Norvell is flavor of the month. Lots of coaches have had some level of success in small conferences. Maybe he will be wildly successful in a more competitive situation. Maybe he will be Tommy Bowden.

Gus has won SEC championships, competed for national championships, has a team rated No. 6 right now.
He's one of the great offensive minds -- as he showed at Arkansas in the one year he was OC here and as he has shown at Tulsa and Auburn.

The only one of those jobs where he was not a "co offensive coordinator " was the one year at auburn. He also has the best qb money could buy that year.

[Boarsnest]

Actually 13 of 22 starters on the Memphis team are his players, not Fuentes' players.

Don't confuse them with facts! This is hogville!

[Boarsnest]

This times a million.  Norvell is my 1b. I would be ecstatic to have him as our coach, but if you don't think there will be a learning curve for him you are naive.  If he is our guy we better pair him with some grizzly, battle tested SEC coaches to teach him the nuances of SEC play and recruiting.

This Gus argument about talent versus results is flat out ignorant. Gus plays a schedule that on paper has at least two more guaranteed losses on it than us. Auburn permanent sec east opponent is Georgia. Ours is Missouri. The past two years auburn has played the defending national champion.  Lost by 6 and 8 points.  People freaking think.

Auburn's roster has minimal more talent than ours. I bet we are within 4 players that are 4 star talent or above.  How much difference is their in a 3 and 4 star. Please tell me.  Just a quick search showed auburn has 23 players on NFL rosters. We have 19. Oh the talent level is so freaking drastic.

With top recruiting classes why are there 2 guaranteed losses!

[ipigsooie]

What? Georgia is a guaranteed loss? This is the first year in Gus tenure that Georgia has been good. And gus beat them. Florida's coach just got fired and they beat Georgia pretty much every year

[Matt Burks]

I've watched a few of Norvell's games this year and I watched the one against SMU Saturday night.  Here are a few things about his team that stood out to me.  Granted, you need to take into account the conference he's in and the talent level at SMU, but:

- Norvell has recruited some serious speed to Memphis.  He has a very talented running back that isn't only fast, but he will lay a hit.  I would bet he has guys on his team that are equal to our speed.
- Norvell plays a spread, but he utilizes the run a lot and he's very effective at it.  He's a heck of a lot more balanced on offense than some people seem to believe, but he runs the ball and they are good at it.
- He's a very talented offensive play caller.  I think this is Petrino's greatest skill and in my opinion Norvell is as good an offensive mind as Petrino.
- Memphis passing game is something you would think a Swiss watch maker engineered.  The precision is impressive to say the least.  Their receivers are fast to their spot and on a lot of plays the ball seems to be out of the Q.B.'s hand in no more than two seconds.
- They have a few players on that Memphis team that we could have used this year.
- One particular play in the first half stood out to me more than any other.  There was a short 10- yard pass to the right to the running back that went for 40 yards.  When the receiver caught the ball and headed up field he was led by three offensive linemen for the next 30-yards.  Those linemen were at full speed and looked very fast for big guys, as well as athletic.  That was an impressive show and they went right back to the line and blocked for a run play that put them in the end zone.
- Norvell will certainly coach on the sideline and jump on kids when they screw up, but he gets his point across quickly and moves on.  On one play a defensive guy got a personal found and Norvell nailed him when he was coming off the field.  He was mic'd up and you could here him telling the player that his penalty was selfish.

- Defense-If he were to come here or any other big school he must put as much emphasis on a SEC worthy defense as he places on his offense.  That has always been Petrino's mistake.  I hope the reason he doesn't have a good defense is because of resources.  Otherwise he's not a fit in the SEC.

- Recruiting - If he can recruit that way to Memphis, then I would love to see what he can bring to Arkansas.

- Lastly, the more I think about it the more I'm concerned with the prospect of hiring Gus.  His overall record with such a strong recruiting base scares me.  It appears at least 50% of the fans don't want Gus.  The cost.  The perceived protection Gus might have that other coaches might not have.

All in all, I would like to see us move a new direction and make it Norvell.

Good write up. The one thing about his defense is they have a lot of back ups playing right now due to season ending injuries of the starters early in the year. I believe there are 8 back ups playing on their defense.

[007 License To Squeal]

Norvell has only been head coach less than 2 years. The talent you see isn't his.

Norvell has never coached in the SEC. Never recruited against the SEC. Heck, never really recruited at all yet he is so new to head coaching.

He is a pig in a poke at best.

This exactly correct.  Experience in the SEC is invaluable.  I would think a reasonable person would realize that....especially considering our current Rose Bowl coach....

[007 License To Squeal]

Norvell is flavor of the month. Lots of coaches have had some level of success in small conferences. Maybe he will be wildly successful in a more competitive situation. Maybe he will be Tommy Bowden.

Gus has won SEC championships, competed for national championships, has a team rated No. 6 right now.
He's one of the great offensive minds -- as he showed at Arkansas in the one year he was OC here and as he has shown at Tulsa and Auburn.

Very reasonable post.....but haters will hate....

[clutch]

The only way he has a higher ceiling is if he not only goes to the National Championship but wins it.

So Gene Chizik?

[Matt Burks]

So Gene Chizik?

Don't forget Les Miles too.

[clutch]

Don't forget Les Miles too.

And Danny Ford, wasn't so bad elsewhere, but record sucked at Arkansas.

[OkieBack]

Norvell is flavor of the month. Lots of coaches have had some level of success in small conferences. Maybe he will be wildly successful in a more competitive situation. Maybe he will be Tommy Bowden.

Gus has won SEC championships, competed for national championships, has a team rated No. 6 right now.
He's one of the great offensive minds -- as he showed at Arkansas in the one year he was OC here and as he has shown at Tulsa and Auburn.

I don't discount GM's success in the SEC.  I have not doubted that Norvell is a good coach, however look at who was at Memphis before him. 

Somebody answer me honestly how much of Norvell's success at Memphis is attributed to himself and how much is attributed to Justin Fuente?  The last time I checked Fuente did a helluva job at Memphis and is doing a helluva job at Va Tech.  If I have the choice right now all things considered its (1) Venables, (2) Gus, and (3) Norvell.  That is IF you want a coach who can coach at major State school, can hire top notch assistants, and can win in a P5 conference.  And that's not even touching the whole money issue.  We see how well those big contracts worked out for BB and the UofA.

And with all that said I agree with another blogger in that the next head coach will probably be someone no one is even mentioning right now!  Lol

[Matt Burks]

And Danny Ford, wasn't so bad elsewhere, but record sucked at Arkansas.

I'll give Danny Ford some credit for being a good recruiter here though. He also took us to the SEC championship, and that was Madre Hills freshman year I believe.

[HF#1]

I truly believe some of you would turn your nose up at Nick Saban.

[Matt Burks]

I don't discount GM's success in the SEC.  I have not doubted that Norvell is a good coach, however look at who was at Memphis before him. 

Somebody answer me honestly how much of Norvell's success at Memphis is attributed to himself and how much is attributed to Justin Fuente?  The last time I checked Fuente did a helluva job at Memphis and is doing a helluva job at Va Tech.  If I have the choice right now all things considered its (1) Venables, (2) Gus, and (3) Norvell.  That is IF you want a coach who can coach at major State school, can hire top notch assistants, and can win in a P5 conference.  And that's not even touching the whole money issue.  We see how well those big contracts worked out for BB and the UofA.

And with all that said I agree with another blogger in that the next head coach will probably be someone no one is even mentioning right now!  Lol

There are articles written about how Fuente spent a few days studying offense from Norvell. After that, Fuente went back and changed his offense at Memphis, and then he became the hot commodity that year. Also, nearly all of the Memphis players the past 2 years have been Norvell's recruits. He has their recruiting at a historic level there.

[Boarcephus]

The only way he has a higher ceiling is if he not only goes to the National Championship but wins it.

I feel Norvel has a higher ceiling at Arkansas than Gus does.

[HF#1]

I feel Norvel has a higher ceiling at Arkansas than Gus does.

There are more questions with Norvell...

[HogCzar1]

Norvell has only been head coach less than 2 years. The talent you see isn't his.

Norvell has never coached in the SEC. Never recruited against the SEC. Heck, never really recruited at all yet he is so new to head coaching.

He is a pig in a poke at best.

He may be, but this is not a fair characterization of his recruiting. He has recruited 2 classes, and he recruited his QB. He has accelerated the improvements of their former coach.

[hogfansince79]

Norvell has only been head coach less than 2 years. The talent you see isn't his.

Norvell has never coached in the SEC. Never recruited against the SEC. Heck, never really recruited at all yet he is so new to head coaching.

He is a pig in a poke at best.

I posted this in another thread, but it applies here...

Btw, in his SMU post game presser Saturday, he said they have played 35 freshmen the last two years.  Wow.  He is currently 17–6 and 11–4 in the conference during that time.

[HF#1]

I posted this in another thread, but it applies here...

Btw, in his SMU post game presser Saturday, he said they have played 35 freshmen the last two years.  Wow.  He is currently 17–6 and 11–4 in the conference during that time.

In the AAC... A little perspective goes a long way.

[Matt Burks]

Norvell has only been head coach less than 2 years. The talent you see isn't his.

Norvell has never coached in the SEC. Never recruited against the SEC. Heck, never really recruited at all yet he is so new to head coaching.

He is a pig in a poke at best.

He was an OC at Arizona State for 4-years (2 as assistant head coach). There are a lot of great coaches that had less experience than Norvell before they were hired at a P5 school. Norvell has been know for years as a tremendous recruiter and has recruited at Memphis at a historic level, of which nearly all have been playing for the past two years.

If you do some research on him you'll see why so many people are so high on him. Yes, I do have concern about what type of defense he'd bring, but Petrino didn't have a great defense either.

Besides, experience doesn't always equal success. Bielema had tremendous success and experience before coming here.

[hogfansince79]

In the AAC... A little perspective goes a long way.

lol... ok

[Boarcephus]

There are more questions with Norvell...

And I agree with this and I've said several times Gus is the safer hire but, IMO, a coach like Norvel can bring something to Arkansas we haven't seen since Petrino, less the drama.  One more thing, and it's not my money, you can get him for far less than Gus and he can use the difference to hire quality defensive assistants.

[HogCzar1]

In the AAC... A little perspective goes a long way.

Ok, so we rule out everyone who hasn't recruited at the SEC level. I know there are Gus fans here, and that's fine.

But to dismiss the job Norvell has done at Memphis is ridiculous. One could argue that Norvell has better recruiting contacts in Texas than Gus, and there would be no guarantee at all that Gus could use his recruiting contacts in the southeast to attract those kids up to Arkansas.

[SemperFi]

Norvell is a very solid coach and you can't hold the fact that he's in a lesser conference against him. He did what aTm couldn't do, beat UCLA with a team that has far less talent than either UCLA or aTm have. If, and I mean IF, he is offered the Head Hog job then the purse strings will be opened to allow him to hire the best DC that he can get. Next to the HC, the DC will be the most important hire to his staff. We could go after Dave Aranda or even Jeremy Pruitt and still come out better than what we're paying Bielema and Paul Rhodes.

I think they could give Norvell a serious pay raise, but still be under the type of money that we pay Bielema. The value of his contract would come in longevity and incentives.

Gus is going to demand some serious jack to get him to come over, plus if he were to beat Bama then his buyout is going to be ridiculous ($7 mil). Then we have to open up the checkbook to bring in a DC and OC if his don't follow him over. Financially, this just might be more than those that control the money are willing to spend if you also consider Long's and Bielema's buyout along with his OC, DC and all the Assistant's.

Financial sense makes Norvell the #1 choice.

Just my 2 cents.

[Matt Burks]

And I agree with this and I've said several times Gus is the safer hire but, IMO, a coach like Norvel can bring something to Arkansas we haven't seen since Petrino, less the drama.  One more thing, and it's not my money, you can get him for far less than Gus and he can use the difference to hire quality defensive assistants.

Instead of spending $6 mill to get Gus who has a lower ceiling than Norvell, get Norvell at say 3 mill and let him spend a good amount on bringing in strong assistants. If Norvell can prove that he can get it done at Arkansas, then you can give him a raise.

With Gus, you are going to spend a lot of $ on one man. His top notch assistants at Auburn are very likely NOT coming with him to Arkansas. Gus will NOT be able to recruit here like he did at Auburn. Like it or not, Gus will not unite the fan base. If you don't think there is drama that follows Gus, then you are not paying attention.

[cosmodrum]

There are more questions with Norvell...

True, but we have the answers with Gus. If he wins 7 or 8 games multiple years in a row with top 10 talent, I just can't see him doing that or better here.

[Matt Burks]

Norvell is a very solid coach and you can't hold the fact that he's in a lesser conference against him. He did what aTm couldn't do, beat UCLA with a team that has far less talent than either UCLA or aTm have. If, and I mean IF, he is offered the Head Hog job then the purse strings will be opened to allow him to hire the best DC that he can get. Next to the HC, the DC will be the most important hire to his staff. We could go after Dave Aranda or even Jeremy Pruitt and still come out better than what we're paying Bielema and Paul Rhodes.

I think they could give Norvell a serious pay raise, but still be under the type of money that we pay Bielema. The value of his contract would come in longevity and incentives.

Gus is going to demand some serious jack to get him to come over, plus if he were to beat Bama then his buyout is going to be ridiculous ($7 mil). Then we have to open up the checkbook to bring in a DC and OC if his don't follow him over. Financially, this just might be more than those that control the money are willing to spend if you also consider Long's and Bielema's buyout along with his OC, DC and all the Assistant's.

Financial sense makes Norvell the #1 choice.

Just my 2 cents.

Also, don't forget that Navy team that had a chance to beat Notre Dame at the end of the game on Saturday - Norvell's Memphis team beat them too. They also beat Houston.

[online-with-swine]

I want Norvell over Gus.  Higher ceiling but higher risk.  We can spend less on buyout and his salary then break the bank for defensive assistants.

I just don't want him to be this generations Jimmy Johnson or Pete Carrol.  If we don't get him, we may forever regret it.

[HF#1]

True, but we have the answers with Gus. If he wins 7 or 8 games multiple years in a row with top 10 talent, I just can't see him doing that or better here.

Norvell damn sure won't do that. It will take him 3-4 years to get his sea legs. By that time, all these yahoo's will be pissed and calling for his head.

Gus can recruit
Gus can coach
Gus can and has won
Gus has had way more success than Arkansas since he left at the end of 06.

[hogfansince79]

Norvell damn sure won't do that. It will take him 3-4 years to get his sea legs. By that time, all these yahoo's will be pissed and calling for his head.

Gus can recruit
Gus can coach
Gus can and has won
Gus has had way more success than Arkansas since he left at the end of 06.

Why do you have to be such a smartass and slam other coaches?  Everyone gets your man crush with Gus.  Now... go away.