Only way to improve is replace some assistants and Recruit better

[Lanny]

Recruiting has been horrendous.  Arkansas has not had a defense the past ten years under any coach.  There are no playmakers on defense and few on offense.  The only way to get out of this mess is to recruit better.  Stop wasting time in Florida, recruit North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas.  Forget about firing Bielema with that buyout it won't happen.

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

[Al Boarland]

How well do you think you can recruit winning 7 games? This next cycle will be worse than the previous. You have a very small window where you can sell hope. That windows has closed.

I would be careful talking about recruiting on here. You will catch an ear full if you mention recruiting rankings. Apparently they aren't a good indicator of talent.

[Lanny]

How well do you think you can recruit winning 7 games? This next cycle will be worse than the previous. You have a very small window where you can sell hope. That windows has closed.

I would be careful talking about recruiting on here. You will catch an earful is you mention recruiting rankings. Apparently they aren't a good indicator of talent.

You have two options
1. Throw up your arms and quit
2. Recruit better, tell the recruits you're upperclassman aren't getting it done and the new recruits will have a chance to start and be on ESPN every week.

[hawgbawb]

Recruiting has been horrendous.  Arkansas has not had a defense the past ten years under any coach.  There are no playmakers on defense and few on offense.  The only way to get out of this mess is to recruit better.  Stop wasting time in Florida, recruit North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas.  Forget about firing Bielema with that buyout it won't happen.

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

'Agreed. Add Eastern OKlahoma and Memphis

[RazorPiggie]

'Agreed. Add Eastern OKlahoma and Memphis

Memphis is a basketball city.

[Inhogswetrust]

How well do you think you can recruit winning 7 games? This next cycle will be worse than the previous. You have a very small window where you can sell hope. That windows has closed.

I would be careful talking about recruiting on here. You will catch an ear full if you mention recruiting rankings. Apparently they aren't a good indicator of talent.

You have no way of knowing if any window of hope has closed.

[Al Boarland]

You have two options
1. Throw up your arms and quit
2. Recruit better, tell the recruits you're upperclassman aren't getting it done and the new recruits will have a chance to start and be on ESPN every week.

Yeah, I'm glad we are the only team that's on ESPN every week. That should reel them in.

[Inhogswetrust]

'Agreed. Add Eastern OKlahoma and Memphis

Memphis is a basketball city.

They DO recruit Memphis. we have had several good players form there over the years. I live in a suburb of Memphis and there is some good football played in Memphis and it's burbs. It is not as much of a basketball city as it once was. Players here no longer live and breath tiger high basketball. They are as much into the pro game now with the Grizzlies. 

[Al Boarland]

**

[Al Boarland]

You have no way of knowing if any window of hope has closed.

I have one way. I look at recruiting class rankings.

[Ex-Trumpet]

Recruiting has been horrendous.  Arkansas has not had a defense the past ten years under any coach.  There are no playmakers on defense and few on offense.  The only way to get out of this mess is to recruit better.  Stop wasting time in Florida, recruit North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas.  Forget about firing Bielema with that buyout it won't happen.

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

That's a pretty broad brush stroke...and there are playmakers, Agim being one of them.

When Bielema got here we said the cupboard was bare.  A lot of those players are in the NFL now.

The problem isn't a lack of playmakers--they are there--it's a lack of depth and development.  It's poor preparation.  It's making poor game time adjustments. 

[Bubba's Bruisers]

You have two options
1. Throw up your arms and quit
2. Recruit better, tell the recruits you're upperclassman aren't getting it done and the new recruits will have a chance to start and be on ESPN every week.

The starting think isn't a selling point.  Everyone promises that.  Definitely need to recruit better, but no clue how that's accomplished. Maybe move the campus 700 miles or so east southeast?

[elksnort]

Did not know southern Missouri was a hot bed of defensive football talent.

[moses_007]

Yeah, I'm glad we are the only team that's on ESPN every week. That should reel them in.

Funniest post of the week.  Yeah, that would really reel in the 5 star recruits.........

[Torqued pork]

If this season continues on its present course and Bret comes back every recruit and his dog will know he is on very thin ice. Good luck recruiting any better in that situation.

[Lanny]

Yeah, I'm glad we are the only team that's on ESPN every week. That should reel them in.

Did not know southern Missouri was a hot bed of defensive football talent.

beats wasting time and money in florida

[RazorPiggie]

beats wasting time and money in florida

Since Partrigde left I'd say we haven't been in Florida as much.

[Razorback de Nosferatu]

On average, Arkansas recruits on par or better than Mizzou, Virginia Tech, and TCU.

Oh, and just to be lame, Toledo, too. And Texas Tech.

This team's current inability to score on a Big 12 defense and/or maintain leads cannot be explained away with recruiting.

[Inhogswetrust]

I have one way. I look at recruiting class rankings.

And it has been shown CBB's are actually a little better than the previous coaches we had. Therefore there must be another problem.

[Inhogswetrust]

If this season continues on its present course and Bret comes back every recruit and his dog will know he is on very thin ice. Good luck recruiting any better in that situation.

Now that is a good post. I know a former well known Hog basketball player from another state that when asked why he chose Arkansas over that state's well known basketball power he replied "I knew their coach was going to get fired".

[grayhawg]

As long as there is no change at the top it's doesn't get any better. Bielema has shown he's not able to hire better assistants. Nearly every replacement he hired was a step backward. And what can you say about Long, he hired Bielema.

[Hawgphish]

Recruit better?  That is easier said than done.  UA may be the hardest sell in the SEC West based on geography alone.  And the addition of Texas AM and Missouri to the SEC has made it even more difficult.  Young players simply do not want to go far from home.  Combine that with our record over the past five years.  Also, high school players are immersed in spread passing offenses and off season passing leagues and we offer a contradictory offensive philosophy.  Not to mention how few high school players the state of Arkansas produces each year that can play at the SEC level.  Recruit better....good luck.

[Lanny]

Recruit better?  That is easier said than done.  UA may be the hardest sell in the SEC West based on geography alone.  And the addition of Texas AM and Missouri to the SEC has made it even more difficult.  Young players simply do not want to go far from home.  Combine that with our record over the past five years.  Also, high school players are immersed in spread passing offenses and off season passing leagues and we offer a contradictory offensive philosophy.  Not to mention how few high school players the state of Arkansas produces each year that can play at the SEC level.  Recruit better....good luck.

I agree with this post, what I am saying is spend more time in Texas and areas closer to your school. 

[The NewEra]

Recruiting has been horrendous.  Arkansas has not had a defense the past ten years under any coach.  There are no playmakers on defense and few on offense.  The only way to get out of this mess is to recruit better.  Stop wasting time in Florida, recruit North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas.  Forget about firing Bielema with that buyout it won't happen.

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

I'm just an average fan, no coach by any means, but what I see:

Defense is much improved, but our big plays were given up by the safety and middle line backers.  We need some more kids like Curl that have the talent to start immediately.  Does Hargrave need to be replaced.  I was expecting more blitzes to keep q.b.'s off balance.  I think we need to see more of that.  Mond was too comfortable at critical times.

Offense, there's too much musical chairs on the O-line.  That would be the one coach on offense who may need to be replaced.  Enos becomes too predictable in the middle of the games.  He needs to keep up the off balance plays throughout the game.

Special teams:  Our coverage teams are not performing adequately.

Those are the three areas I would look at first as coaching replacements and recruiting emphasis.

[HardCore]

On average, Arkansas recruits on par or better than Mizzou, Virginia Tech, and TCU.

Oh, and just to be lame, Toledo, too. And Texas Tech.

This team's current inability to score on a Big 12 defense and/or maintain leads cannot be explained away with recruiting.

Well, since have lost to all of those programs recently....I guess that puts it back on coaching.

[DoctorSusscrofa]

It's time to stop playing football and concentrate on Basketball, Track, and Baseball.  Football is a lost cause.

[bkjbearcat]

I agree with this post, what I am saying is spend more time in Texas and areas closer to your school.

90 percent of Texas run a spread. Yet we're recruiting that state for a pro style "Ground and Pound" offense. Kind of like hiring a IT specialist who knows nothing but MACS for PC's

[lakecityhog]

Lanny, I started to post something on asst coaches last night but didn't. I firmly believe that we have enough talent to win 10 games several times per decade. The difference between a #10 recruiting ranking and a #25 ranking is not very much when it comes to athletic ability.
The differences we are seeing is development and coaching ability. For some reason BB has flat out refused to hire truly qualified assistant coaches. Maybe his interaction with Pittman/Chaney soured him, I don't know. I know this, until he starts hiring TOP FLIGHT assistant coaches we will struggle.

[redneckfriend]

Recruiting has been horrendous.  Arkansas has not had a defense the past ten years under any coach.  There are no playmakers on defense and few on offense.  The only way to get out of this mess is to recruit better.  Stop wasting time in Florida, recruit North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas.  Forget about firing Bielema with that buyout it won't happen.

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

I don't know about "horrendous" but I agree- recruiting is the problem. You can't compete in the SEC unless you recruit top 15 classes consistently. But can it be fixed? Bielema has had five years to demonstrate what he is capable of as a recruiter and it isn't adequate. Can any honest coach recruit at that level at Arkansas?

There are many successful programs surrounding Arkansas that, in any individual case, are better options for most top out of state recruits and, as everyone knows, there are not enough in state recruits that are SEC worthy. It may be time to admit that the SEC is not where Arkansas belongs if winning 8-10 games a year is what the fan base demands. TCU is a good comparison ( I know -Arkansas is a flagship program and TCU is a small religious school but it is located in a metropolitan area and both are second tier destinations for top recruits) and they are frequently successful in the Big 12 and that is probably where Arkansas should be if we want to be competitive.

[Al Boarland]

The difference between a #10 recruiting ranking and a #25 ranking is not very much when it comes to athletic ability.
.................
Say what? That's inaccurate.

[Pig Worshipper]

Recruiting Texas and Louisiana has always been the key. We've gotten some good players out of eastern Oklahoma, as well. Our history, location and population say we won't get much better recruiting-wise, unfortunately. Until we find a dynamic coach who will play a spread offense and try and out-score opponents, I don't think we are going to turn the corner. I do believe that power football can succeed at Arkansas but only with a strong redshirt program and several fifth-year senior linemen. I thought Bielema was going to do that but he didn't which doomed him to failure.
I'm all for better recruiting but the only thing that will make a difference now is a coaching change, which we all know won't be for at least two years.

[Al Boarland]

And it has been shown CBB's are actually a little better than the previous coaches we had. Therefore there must be another problem.

A little better doesn't do you any good when just about everyone you play has far more talent.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

If we couldn't recruit before, no way that improves now.

That's like saying the cancer treatment is more effective now that it's spread.

The only way to fix this is to get rid of the problem BB, along with the guy who got us handcuffed to such an inept coach in the first place.

Since everyone says that can't happen in the near future, then we all better settle in for the long night and hope the damage to the program and fanbase isn't as bad as it likely will be.

[Dark Helmet Hog]

Recruiting has been horrendous.  Arkansas has not had a defense the past ten years under any coach.  There are no playmakers on defense and few on offense.  The only way to get out of this mess is to recruit better.  Stop wasting time in Florida, recruit North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas.  Forget about firing Bielema with that buyout it won't happen.

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

According to most recruiting services we already recruit better than TCU yet we still lost. I didn't think aTm looked more talented either. I do agree to quit wasting time in Florida and concentrating locally in North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas. No question we should have more success there (and have had traditionally). I also agree the Bielema is not going anywhere. We are stuck.

I guess I also have to agree  with another poster in that our offense does not fit our available talent. We should consider going to a form of the spread. It's what all the high schools in our primary recruiting area are running and we may be able to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers we do have. As a twist, we could still try and incorporate a ball control run first version. 

At this point this is all a pipe dream. The coaches and leadership in place will not adapt.

[Dark Helmet Hog]

The difference between a #10 recruiting ranking and a #25 ranking is not very much when it comes to athletic ability.
.................
Say what? That’s inaccurate.

True statement.

[PonderinHog]

Well, if we need to recruit Texas(we do) we might as well try to get a coach or two that are in good standing with those Texas high school coaches - maybe even a head coach with Texas ties.  Who is SMU's head coach again?

[Dr Carl aka Shorthog]

Recruiting has been horrendous.  Arkansas has not had a defense the past ten years under any coach.  There are no playmakers on defense and few on offense.  The only way to get out of this mess is to recruit better.  Stop wasting time in Florida, recruit North Louisiana, Southern Missouri and Texas.  Forget about firing Bielema with that buyout it won't happen.

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

I thought it was well known and accepted on this board by most that recruiting had improved significantly under CBB and was the best it has been since joining the SEC.

[Hogman2]

90 percent of Texas run a spread. Yet we're recruiting that state for a pro style "Ground and Pound" offense. Kind of like hiring a IT specialist who knows nothing but MACS for PC's

I agree ! WE need to run something that works! Running QBs  win! Bama and Clemson have this AND run the spread! We need to hit Texas harder in recruiting and hire a real  0=line coach!

[Lanny]

I thought it was well known and accepted on this board by most that recruiting had improved significantly under CBB and was the best it has been since joining the SEC.

I would disagree with this statement.

[lakecityhog]

Over the last 20 years we have pretty consistently recruited right at a #25 team ranking and against MANY of the teams that we play we have just as much athletic ability.

Did we get out-talented yesterday? I don't think so! We got out-coached and out-coached badly. I think that most junior high defensive coaches would tell you that if they are facing a freshman QB that their game plan would be to put him under duress with blitzes from different places and to disguise coverages to confuse him. Not us!

Guys, did Toledo have us on talent? Texas Tech? Virginia Tech? Missouri? TCU?  Texas A&M 5 times in a row???  No, all of those games were winnable with our talent! We were out-coached and it is not hard to see, all you have to do is open your eyes.

Why do you think Sumlin played for the tie at the end of regulation? Because he looked across the field and KNEW that if he got it to overtime that he could win the coaching battle.

[Redhogs]

You have two options
1. Throw up your arms and quit
2. Recruit better, tell the recruits you're upperclassman aren't getting it done and the new recruits will have a chance to start and be on ESPN every week.

Ha ha...5 years into this experiment.

[ricepig]

Did not know southern Missouri was a hot bed of defensive football talent.

Or any football talent...

[Kevin]

Since Partrigde left I'd say we haven't been in Florida as much.

that is why he should have been brought back.

Collins, & Kirkland turned out to be pretty good.

[elksnort]

There are enough athletes on the football team now to be doing better than they are doing. I do agree recruiting some important obviously. But the staff is not doing well enough. Bielema is had long enough. He ought to be let go soon

[hoghearted]

Funny. All we've been hearing for the last couple years is what an ace recruiter Bielema is. How with Hess recruits he's been getting we are 'building a foundation' for future success. In reality, on average, hasn't he been about par for the course? With worse results?

[Lanny]

This team is slow on the line.  Quickness from the opponents is obvious every game, you can be big and strong but if you are against a quicker player it's all about leverage.

[LJHOG]

Recruit Recruit Recruit.

Currently we are losing recruiting battles against the likes of OkSt, TCU, Baylor, Missouri, etc. much less top tier schools.  Arkansas is NOT a destination under consideration by top players.  The only way to change that is $$$$.  If we aren't cheating, then start.  If we are, do it better.  Or move to the Sun Belt.
And fire Jeff Long.

[Qui Gon Jinn]

Agreed.  We really haven't been out talented by A&M in the last 5 years.  We've been out coached and out schemed.  Almost every one of these games has been lost in the 2nd half due to our determination to sit on a small lead.

Over the last 20 years we have pretty consistently recruited right at a #25 team ranking and against MANY of the teams that we play we have just as much athletic ability.

Did we get out-talented yesterday? I don't think so! We got out-coached and out-coached badly. I think that most junior high defensive coaches would tell you that if they are facing a freshman QB that their game plan would be to put him under duress with blitzes from different places and to disguise coverages to confuse him. Not us!

Guys, did Toledo have us on talent? Texas Tech? Virginia Tech? Missouri? TCU?  Texas A&M 5 times in a row???  No, all of those games were winnable with our talent! We were out-coached and it is not hard to see, all you have to do is open your eyes.

Why do you think Sumlin played for the tie at the end of regulation? Because he looked across the field and KNEW that if he got it to overtime that he could win the coaching battle.

[ricepig]

This team is slow on the line.  Quickness from the opponents is obvious every game, you can be big and strong but if you are against a quicker player it's all about leverage.

Well, not many teams have OT's that can stop a 4.7 speed rush. In theory, you should be able to drive them back 5 yards in the run game. Finding the right combo is tough, that's why there are few 5* OT's coming out of high school.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

This team is slow on the line.  Quickness from the opponents is obvious every game, you can be big and strong but if you are against a quicker player it's all about leverage.

We lost our leverage when Long penned that contract.

Hunker in the bunker, it's about to get bumpy.