Let's Say Long Gets Fired

[Ironhawg]

Maybe the first name you mentioned but not the next two.

I guess I am not reading the post correctly as I see only three names mentioned?  Why not Fitz Hill?

[Inhogswetrust]

I guess I am not reading the post correctly as I see only three names mentioned?  Why not Fitz Hill?

I like him but he has never managed any large athletic department. Today someone needs some good experience in doing so.

[Calling All Hogs]

How about the AD at Arkansas State? He seems to do an amazing job of picking football coaches.

[Ironhawg]

I like him but he has never managed any large athletic department. Today someone needs some good experience in doing so.

Ah.  Gotcha.

[12247]

Do most people realize that much of the GOB network is retired or dead now.  Many people knew Frank Broyles and his 50 years associated with Hog football did leave some sad relationships intact.  But, I for one, would still take another 50 years of Frank knowing how it would likely end. 

As for Jeff Long, BigK_HogHeaven, gosh, you do know anything about football.  The Power Running game Bret Bielema prefers should have kept him off any shortlist for Arkansas.  There is absolutely no evidence that Arkansas can attract enough linemen, both on offense and defense to move or stop the ball from moving in the SEC.  Just because it may have worked at Wisconsin, doesn't mean it will where everyone every week plays big boy football and there aren't enough bluechipper linemen to go round.  Even not knowing that Bret had scores of troubles that hadn't shown through, he was never the answer at Arkansas, never.  Bret got chosen here because of a letter penned to Long supporting his firing of Bobby Petrino and nothing else.

If you know nothing about Arkansas football, the SEC or football in general, Bret's hiring appeared great.  But even a coach as good as it appeared on the surface that Bret was, wouldn't be very good for Arkansas. 

[Team21]

Dr. Fitz Hill

[Jim Harris]

How about the AD at Arkansas State? He seems to do an amazing job of picking football coaches.

He's a great guy and a great AD. Picks great coaches, period.

[East TN HAWG]

The name he uses as his first name is Fitz, short for Fitzgerald.

Thanks for the correction

[jcbville]

Hiring an outsider is okay if they are lucky enough to find the right one. Jeff Long was NOT the right one..

If Long is terminated (As he should be), the first thing the BOT should do is ask Terry Don Phillips to come out of retirement and be the interim AD then begin a thorough nationwide search for a new AD that is very good in all aspects of being an AD especially when it comes to hiring Head Coaches.

Glad you brought him up. Love Terry Don Phillips. He had a vision and stuck with it and made Clemson what it is right now. Almost universally very well thought of on the hill. And a perfect example as it turns out of why we don't judge AD performance based on fan bases fickle, pre prejudiced, and hyper emotional views.

https://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2010/11/30/1847498/terry-don-phillips-must-be-removed-as-clemsons-athletic-director

"Even more laughable is his decision to hire Dabo Swinney"... "All this came after a farce of a coaching search"...


"Dabo just sank, Terry Don Phillips must not be allowed to name the next coach at Clemson. A new AD must be named this winter and given time to evaluate and create a plan to get Clemson where it should be. Terry Don Phillips must go now."

[GuvHog]

Glad you brought him up. Love Terry Don Phillips. He had a vision and stuck with it and made Clemson what it is right now. Almost universally very well thought of on the hill. And a perfect example as it turns out of why we don't judge AD performance based on fan bases fickle, pre prejudiced, and hyper emotional views.

https://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2010/11/30/1847498/terry-don-phillips-must-be-removed-as-clemsons-athletic-director

"Even more laughable is his decision to hire Dabo Swinney"... "All this came after a farce of a coaching search"...

If Long is terminated and Terry Don became the Arkansas Interim AD, Bret would be gone, one of the coordinators would be named Interim HC, and Terry Don would be calling Brent Venables to offer him the Hog football HC job.

[Inhogswetrust]

Glad you brought him up. Love Terry Don Phillips. He had a vision and stuck with it and made Clemson what it is right now. Almost universally very well thought of on the hill. And a perfect example as it turns out of why we don't judge AD performance based on fan bases fickle, pre prejudiced, and hyper emotional views.

https://www.shakinthesouthland.com/2010/11/30/1847498/terry-don-phillips-must-be-removed-as-clemsons-athletic-director

"Even more laughable is his decision to hire Dabo Swinney"... "All this came after a farce of a coaching search"...


"Dabo just sank, Terry Don Phillips must not be allowed to name the next coach at Clemson. A new AD must be named this winter and given time to evaluate and create a plan to get Clemson where it should be. Terry Don Phillips must go now."

Did you see when that linked article was written? At the time Dabo was not doing so well and neither was any of the other sports. Terry don let his contract run out but rumors were that the school was not going to renew it anyway.

Also maybe he was simply the point man but I never liked the fact he was pushing for some form of student athletic fee for all students when he was at Arkansas. He got skewered by the ASG and a lot of students over that. He was not universally liked at Clemson. That being said he does seem to have a knack for hiring no name football coaches that went on to success. He hired Les Miles at OSU and Dabo at Clemson. Both eventually won NC's.

[jcbville]

Did you see when that linked article was written? At the time Dabo was not doing so well and neither was any of the other sports.

Also maybe he was simply the point man but I never liked the fact he was pushing for some form of student athletic fee for all students when he was at Arkansas. He got skewered by the ASG and a lot of students over that. Ask yourself why he was forced to leave Clemson.

I know exactly when it was written. And you know the very point it made, which is why you're pointing out why the fan base was actually right about Terry Don. So he secretly was a scumbag who wasnt a very good AD? Interesting.

Reading that article sounds eerily familiar.

[HoggyCat]

If "we" fire Long we will be a laughing stock by national media.

That'll be a first.......

[Wild Bill Hog]

If Long gets fired every liquor store in Arkansas will sell out of champagne.

[sowmonella]

Jeff Long is NOT getting fired. Good grief.

[Wild Bill Hog]

If "we" fire Long we will be a laughing stock by national media.

If "we" fire Long we will not be a laughing stock by national media.

[Inhogswetrust]

I know exactly when it was written. And you know the very point it made, which is why you're pointing out why the fan base was actually right about Terry Don. So he secretly was a scumbag who wasnt a very good AD? Interesting.

Reading that article sounds eerily familiar.

I never said he was a scumbag did I. I simply didn't like what he tried to do as Senior associate AD here with the student fee. He is overall well liked here but not unanimously. He's like everyone else and not perfect and he was not well liked at Clemson at that time by a lot of people. I admit some did blame Ms. Hill though. Hind sight is 20/20. He's also getting up there in years to start over again.

[GuvHog]

If Long gets fired every liquor store in Arkansas will sell out of champagne.

That's true and I don't even drink.   

[GuvHog]

If "we" fire Long we will not be a laughing stock by national media.

That would likely gain us some respect seeing as how the national media already views us as the laughing stock of the SEC.

[LRHawg]

AD Long's hire of Bielema on the surface (very successful in the competitive Big 12) looked like a steal for Arkansas.  Evidence shown now however, that much of Bielema's success is attributable to his very involved Athletic Director, Alvarez.  Imho Long completed the hire based on this surface evidence rather than digging for details about Wisky's success.  Therein lies the problem.  It was Long's job to know whether the hire of Bielema had a good chance of succeeding.  It was also his job to know whether J.L. Smith could successfully lead the Razorbacks.  It appears Long has failed at both tasks.  I submit that J.L. may not be enough of a football guy or have enough knowledgeable football connections to either put Bielema on a winning path now (by heavy management) or to make the next football coaching hire.  Alvarez put Bielema under his wing at Wisky and together they were successful.  Could not an Alvarez type AD do the same here (since Coach BB's buyout is ridiculous)?

Been saying this for a while now. Long is a good bureaucrat but has no business making coaching decisions. He would make a great head of an alumni foundation or dean of a school. Give me an AD that has been around successful coaches and knows what to look for.

[NaturalStateReb]

How about the AD at Arkansas State? He seems to do an amazing job of picking football coaches.

Terry Mohajir is an excellent AD.  Someone's going to snap him up eventually.  Ditto for Brad Teague at UCA. 

[HF#1]

I would bet my Hogville Account that Jeff Long will not leave the UofA on any terms but his own.

[GoldCoastHog]

Dave Van Horn

^^  this

[phadedhawg]

I do agree with the posters above, I don't believe Jeff Long truly feels what he's forced to say in interviews.  He's being the loyal man to project calm but inside he knows the score.  If he has an ounce of self preservation, Bielema is already a dead man walking.  But a professional won't air Arkansas's dirty laundry for ESPN to craft a ton of clicks out of.  When the end comes, it will seem sudden, but will have been played out for quite awhile. 

Of course I could be 100% wrong in my estimation of AD Jazzy Jeff but that's what my gut tells me.  (My gut is usually wrong so yeah..)