New Poll for Those that did not want Coach Morris

[Peter Porker]

Curious what the feel is now.

[_Hamlet_]

CCM has been head coach for less than a week so please explain to me what has swayed everyones opinion on him?? He has done absolutely nothin yet.

[_Hamlet_]

Why do people think we have a "winner"?

[RideTillIDieHawg]

I know the consensus on this board is to nut your pants while talking about how he's Bobby Petrino with better recruiting but I'm in wait and see mode.

[hoglady]

I believe this guy has a vision and a plan.
Time will tell whether that plan works here.
But I think his plan is better and more realistic than Bielema's was to put a competitive team on the field.

[jgphillips3]

Nick Saban might not win a title here.  There is always chance and risk.  However, upon review I'm willing to table his record and poor recruiting rankings as an anomaly against a stellar career thus far.  He's got energy, vision, passion, intelligence and a plan.  If he gets a top notch DC and can move our recruiting rankings from the mid-20's to the teens, we can be extremely competitive and it will work out.  Only time will tell.  I sure like what I see from him as a person.

[LawyerHog50]

"Giving the man a chance" starts with this DC hire.

He has said more than once, "We will get the best DC in the country."

He has said that because he knows his DC hire can make or break the team, and determine whether he gets fired in 4 years or makes the BCS games.

We will find out if he is full of hot air pretty soon.

[_Hamlet_]

Nick Saban might not win a title here.  There is always chance and risk.  However, upon review I'm willing to table his record and poor recruiting rankings as an anomaly against a stellar career thus far.  He's got energy, vision, passion, intelligence and a plan.  If he gets a top notch DC and can move our recruiting rankings from the mid-20's to the teens, we can be extremely competitive and it will work out.  Only time will tell.  I sure like what I see from him as a person.

Every coach has a vision, passion, and energy.  The thing that separates CCM from about any other coach in the SEC is that he LACKS experience. I can think of a lot of bad coaches with passion, intelligence, and a plan.

[_Hamlet_]

I believe this guy has a vision and a plan.
Time will tell whether that plan works here.
But I think his plan is better and more realistic than Bielema's was to put a competitive team on the field.

You would have said the opposite 5/6 years ago.

[Hawginj]

I believe CCM will be a great coach for us he was always in my top 5. I was in the Norvell boat still believe hes going to be a superstar. That being said coach Morris is a good fit and will fill his staff with hungry relentless coaches and recruiters.

[Science Fiction Greg]

CCM has been head coach for less than a week so please explain to me what has swayed everyones opinion on him?? He has done absolutely nothin yet.

People have seen that he understands what is important to winning football games, have looked into his past which is decorated with championship as a head coach in high school in Texas where he is more than well respected among other coaches (extremely important for recruiting there), have seen how bad of shape SMU was in and how much he has done to turn around that entire football program in a short time, have listened to people that know more about football than them explain why this coach is extremely highly thought of among his peers, players, and fans, and have found out how instrumental he was to installing the entire offensive philosophy Clemson has used to go from below average to a perrenial national power in less than a decade.

Basically, he has done very little.  What's changing people's minds is that they finally stopped just believing ignorant Hogville posters about what a bad choice he was and looked into him themselves.

[HBTHogs]

I wasn't happy when I first heard his name as a candidate, but I immediately researched him and watched some SMU games on YouTube and before he was even hired I was on board.

[wpswillriseagain]

Why do people think we have a "winner"?

he has won everywhere he has been. Improved built a dying program up from a coach who quit recruiting. Could very well match the former coaches highest win season this year in a much harder conference. If he stayed for the bowl game. We got a good coach. Give him 2 years, our oline, dline, and linebacker depth is garbage, everything else is alright.

[hoglady]

You would have said the opposite 5/6 years ago.

Well - Bielema proved that his plan sucked and didn't work.
So this guy has a completely different plan and I'm pretty happy that he does.

[_Hamlet_]

People have seen that he understands what is important to winning football games, have looked into his past which is decorated with championship as a head coach in high school in Texas where he is more than well respected among other coaches (extremely important for recruiting there), have seen how bad of shape SMU was in and how much he has done to turn around that entire football program in a short time, have listened to people that know more about football than them explain why this coach is extremely highly thought of among his peers, players, and fans, and have found out how instrumental he was to installing the entire offensive philosophy Clemson has used to go from below average to a perrenial national power in less than a decade.

Basically, he has done very little.  What's changing people's minds is that they finally stopped just believing ignorant Hogville posters about what a bad choice he was and looked into him themselves.

Have you done this yet?

All of this info was available prior officially hiring him as head coach. What I haven't done, unlike the rest of you, is change my opinion on him only because he is the new coach. 

[_Hamlet_]

I wasn't happy when I first heard his name as a candidate, but I immediately researched him and watched some SMU games on YouTube and before he was even hired I was on board.

If you want to watch some other good videos tune into Pixar.  Heard they have some influential vids.

[_Hamlet_]

he has won everywhere he has been. Improved built a dying program up from a coach who quit recruiting. Could very well match the former coaches highest win season this year in a much harder conference. If he stayed for the bowl game. We got a good coach. Give him 2 years, our oline, dline, and linebacker depth is garbage, everything else is alright.

I'll give him 2 years. I'll even give him 5 years, then I bet he is out.

[_Hamlet_]

Well - Bielema proved that his plan sucked and didn't work.
So this guy has a completely different plan and I'm pretty happy that he does.

So is the entire fan base but doesn't mean he is a good coach. Just a coach with a new plan.

[Science Fiction Greg]

All of this info was available prior officially hiring him as head coach. What I haven't done, unlike the rest of you, is change my opinion on him only because he is the new coach.

Sure, it was available prior to him being hired.  I was on board with him, so I didn't change for that reason. Many people had not done the research on him and did after he was hired.  That's the question I was answering.  I don't think anyone seriously changed their opinion on him only because he is the new coach.  At least none of the ones in question.  The thread is about people that were against this hire when it was made.  If they changed their mind because he was hired, they wouldn't have been against it after he was hired.

[TebowHater]

I will need to see results before I reverse course and say I was wrong. I have seen many a coach who is a good talker--doesn't do it for me. No proof anywhere he is a good coach or good recruiter. Will be interesting to see if he able to land anyone big (e.g., Bohannon) this class.

I did the research before he was hired and am completely unconvinced by the spin. SMU's recruiting regressing by 10 ranks under him - when that is supposedly his greatest strength - speaks for itself.

I sure hope I was wrong, though.

[pghawg1]

 You Know He May be Out n 2 years none of us know but by Damn it looks like he is TRYING. We All need to give him a Chance.

[Wild Bill Hog]

So is the entire fan base but doesn't mean he is a good coach. Just a coach with a new plan.

Actually he is a new coach with a new plan.  Sight unseen it has to be an improvement over the JLS/Bert fiasco we suffered through for the last many long years.

[Wild Bill Hog]

I will need to see results before I reverse course and say I was wrong. I have seen many a coach who is a good talker--doesn't do it for me. No proof anywhere he is a good coach or good recruiter. Will be interesting to see if he able to land anyone big (e.g., Bohannon) this class.

I did the research before i was hired and am completely unconvinced by the spin. SMU's recruiting regressing by 10 ranks under him - when that is supposedly his greatest strength - speaks for itself.

I sure hope I was wrong, though.

Okay, you did the research before you were hired and were completely unconvinced by the spin?  You researched your own hire and were completely unconvinced!  How did you get hired?

[LawyerHog50]

You Know He May be Out n 2 years none of us know but by Damn it looks like he is TRYING. We All need to give him a Chance.

Not sure we have the $$$$ to fire him in two years if he matches his first two seasons at SMU. the buyout would be about 12 million and while our AD said losing is grounds for termination I believe he failed to get that in the new contract.

[hoglady]

So is the entire fan base but doesn't mean he is a good coach. Just a coach with a new plan.

This guy is a good coach.
You don't become the highest paid OC in college football and be a bad coach.
The question still remains whether he can be a great College Head Football coach in the SEC West.
To win at Arkansas I think you've got to be a GREAT coach.

But let's not discount Morris' accomplishments at the Texas high school level and as a Power 5 OC at Clemson - he's no dummy, he's a good coach.

[Pork Twain]

My wish list was
Gus
Venables
Kiffin
Diaz
Leach

blah
blah
blah

Morris

That was because I was lazy and just went with the Hogville flow.  After the fact I dug into his numbers and think he is a much better fit.  If I saw Gus on fire, I would put him out with gas.

[StadiumDrive]

I think we got a winner, but we're all of 4 days in and 9 months from his first game so it's a wait and see game.

But truth be told my biggest concern is that he does well and bolts for TAMU if Jimbo Fisher doesn't work out.

[HawgnCorona]

Well - Bielema proved that his plan sucked and didn't work.
So this guy has a completely different plan and I'm pretty happy that he does.

If he can accomplish winning here I think we all can be happy..At least most of us anyways.

[Pudgepork]

I was driving along listening to ESPNU radio this morning.   I'm guessing it was the Gameday crew because Kirk H was handling most of the convo.  They started going over the various coaching hires around the country try.   I'm guessing  it was Fowler said that his wife, well he said beautiful bride, and daughter absolutely cried when they heard Morris was hired by Arkansas.   He said they live and breathe
SMU football and go to almost all games.   He said what Morris did at SMU was amazing.  He took Div III
talent and turned the program around.  He said it's a great fit at UA.   He said SMU had at best Div III talent when Morris got there

[TebowHater]

Okay, you did the research before you were hired and were completely unconvinced by the spin?  You researched your own hire and were completely unconvinced!  How did you get hired?

I apologize for the obvious typo. Thank you for adding so much to this discussion.

[shshark00]

CCM has been head coach for less than a week so please explain to me what has swayed everyones opinion on him?? He has done absolutely nothin yet.

This.
Before the hire numerous media personalities talked about how he dominated the interview process. The dude can talk. His interviews, player speech, intro presser, all proved that. He's saying all the right things like he should. However, he hasn't DONE anything yet, so why all the changes of opinions? Cause he's a smooth talker? I'm as hopeful of success as the next Hog fan, but until the entire staff is in place, some recruits start committing, and practices start showing on the field improvement I will keep the same opinion. He was probably the 3rd option at best and maybe as far down as our 5th option. Still too early for me to drink the KoolAid

[Pudgepork]

I think we got a winner, but we're all of 4 days in and 9 months from his first game so it's a wait and see game.

But truth be told my biggest concern is that he does well and bolts for TAMU if Jimbo Fisher doesn't work out.

aTm can't fire jimbo because his contract is guaranteed for the 10 yrs.   He doesn't have to win a game and still gets the money.  He can go o and forever and they won't fire him for at least 5 yrs

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Why do people think we have a "winner"?

He is going to bring a successful and aggressive offense to Arkansas. Check his 3rd year results at Clemson vs. his 3rd year results at SMU. Little or no difference except maybe a little better statistically at SMU. I have no doubt about his level of motivation or hard work. What he is going to have to do is get a very good DC because good defense is the one thing he had helping him at Clemson that he did't have at SMU. Below average on defense isn't going to get it done and if that ends up being all that we can produce, he'll likely never rise above 7 or 8 wins each year here.

[Science Fiction Greg]

This.
Before the hire numerous media personalities talked about how he dominated the interview process. The dude can talk. His interviews, player speech, intro presser, all proved that. He's saying all the right things like he should. However, he hasn't DONE anything yet, so why all the changes of opinions? Cause he's a smooth talker? I'm as hopeful of success as the next Hog fan, but until the entire staff is in place, some recruits start committing, and practices start showing on the field improvement I will keep the same opinion. He was probably the 3rd option at best and maybe as far down as our 5th option. Still too early for me to drink the KoolAid

Again, it isn't things he's done, it's the research that the people that have changed their mind have done.  People didn't like him initially because they didn't know anything about him.  Once they looked into him, their opinions have almost universally changed.

[Science Fiction Greg]

You know something else that strikes me is how many SMU and Clemson fans are telling Arkansas how lucky they are to have a great coach.  Remember all the Wisconsin fans who were happy to be rid of Bielema and made sure to come and tell us about all of his problems?

Not sure how much more evidence you people need, honestly.

[Pork Twain]

CCM has been head coach for less than a week so please explain to me what has swayed everyones opinion on him?? He has done absolutely nothin yet.

Actually reading up on the man and seeing what he has actually done, vs just going with the flow and believing the BS on Hogville.  Research is your friend and if you can research Chad Morris and not come away impressed, you did not do it right

[hoglady]

You know something else that strikes me is how many SMU and Clemson fans are telling Arkansas how lucky they are to have a great coach.  Remember all the Wisconsin fans who were happy to be rid of Bielema and made sure to come and tell us about all of his problems?

Not sure how much more evidence you people need, honestly.

One of the more valid arguments of this thread.
Thank you.

[lakecityhog]

he has won everywhere he has been. Improved built a dying program up from a coach who quit recruiting. Could very well match the former coaches highest win season this year in a much harder conference. If he stayed for the bowl game. We got a good coach. Give him 2 years, our oline, dline, and linebacker depth is garbage, everything else is alright.

This CRAP is the kind of thing that chaps me to no end! Not one person on this board is qualified to say that a single one of the players on our roster is GARBAGE! In my mind I question YOUR knowledge  by making such a statement. We have some highly recruited players on both lines, at linebacker, at receiver, at running back, at tight end and at quarterback. Obviously, coaching was a big issue or maybe the staff would still be here.

I surely do wish everyone would give up the whole "Legendary High School Coach" coach thing. I remember Notre Dame hiring  probably the biggest HS legend of all time and he flopped like a caught fish. Many great coordinators have gone on to become great coaches, MANY have also failed. IF CM is successful he will be successful in large part because he makes very good choices on his staff. If he doesn't make good hires with his assistants he will fail.

How many times has it been posted on THIS forum that CM "saved" Dabo's career? While Cm had a lot to do with Clemson's success Brent V had just as much or maybe more of an impact. Dabo simply got lucky that Stoops pushed Venables out, he was smart enough to hire him, and brave enough to give Morris a shot. That is what makes a good coach a great coach.

Time will tell on CM, time and choices.
I have noticed that he has not made a single defensive hire, which could be a good thing. Take the time to find the RIGHT DC and let him have a LOT of input on the D assistants. This is something that has given me hope, he has NOT rushed into hiring guys just to have a full staff.

[GuvHog]

All of this info was available prior officially hiring him as head coach. What I haven't done, unlike the rest of you, is change my opinion on him only because he is the new coach. 

I've gone from totally despising the hire to being Cautiously optimistic. I'm playing it cautiously because he hasn't finished putting his new staff together. We'll know more about his recruiting after both the early signing period and the February signing period are over. He is hampered this year by the fact that the Hogs have only a limited number of scholarships available and that won't help matters.

[12247]

Oatmeal is correct.  I wasn't interested enough to go look at Morris' background.  I knew he was a Gus type coach and that was because there was a local article about him a few years back. 

Morris or any coach will need good defense and if he cannot provide that, we will not win much.
Good SEC defenses can slow down his offense enough for them to outscore us if we cannot provide defense.  Pretty simple.

Morris has energy.  Hamlet stated that all coaches have that .  Dead wrong.  Around 80 percent of all coaches do not have the energy level to become really good coaches and we just had one that exhibited no energy whatsoever.  So first thing is energy, passion, refuse to be denied, fire in the belly.  Morris checks all that off pretty well.  With those attributes, if he can count to 11 without removing a shoe, he'll win more than Bret ever could.  And he surely can as he claims a Math degree.

Bottom line is I like the hire better after I researched him a little and then noted he was able to stay awake,  present decent, seemed to stay on subject without getting that lost in the storm look, and appears to have control of his ego.  On the ego part, only time will really tell.  Honestly, we had crap for so long that beating that image doesn't take much.

Darrell Royal often said, "You got to dance with who brung you to the dance."  Well the folks who make decisions done brung Chad Morris to the dance and I've decided as for me, i'm dancing. 

I truly hope dozens on here don't act like they did when Bret was hired.  The crap about best hire ever for Arkansas, best staff ever at Arkansas and likely best hire in all of college football, ever.  Any coach coming to Arkansas will face the challenge of winning in the SEC West.  It takes the right schemes on both sides of the ball, depth, the correct attitude, luck, then outhouse luck, the best recruiting possible and all that might get you to 5-3 in conference.  Someone mentioned Saban.  He likely couldn't win an SEC championship here.  We need our fellow conference members to get bad all together for us to look real good, in my opinion.

[Melancholy_Pigg]

You know something else that strikes me is how many SMU and Clemson fans are telling Arkansas how lucky they are to have a great coach.  Remember all the Wisconsin fans who were happy to be rid of Bielema and made sure to come and tell us about all of his problems?

Not sure how much more evidence you people need, honestly.

Excellent point.  Big difference on what they are saying versus what we heard from Wisconsin fans.  I like it.

[Bebop]

I am cautious but have changed my perspective on Morris.

[BearsBisonsBoars]

CCM has been head coach for less than a week so please explain to me what has swayed everyones opinion on him?? He has done absolutely nothin yet.

In my case, it's because I studied up on him and also studied up on SMU which allowed me to see the truth behind the record.

[searkhogfan]

In my case, it's because I studied up on him and also studied up on SMU which allowed me to see the truth behind the record.

^^^^THIS^^^^^^

[KCRazorbackfan]

He speaks and has the attitude of a winner, unlike the multitude of armchair head coaches on HV that think they know everything about coaching a college team but actually doesn't know stuff about anything. 

When a coach is hired, you never know how they're going to turn out; we just need to have faith in CCM that he will lead the Hogs out of the fiasco for the last 5 years.

[kp72204]

Put me in the Norvell group. I did research him and feel better about the hire. However, you can always write articles bias to your opinion. I do concede Wisconsin laughing at us after CBB.

[flippinhogmana]

I really didnt have a dog in the hunt to begin with.  Lots of coaches are rah, rah to be sure.  We have had some, but it seems to me that Morris has some cred to his line.  I think that he is doing the right things, making the right moves.  If the current players buy in, and I think they will - and if he recruits well - and I think he will, then it comes down to getting a good staff, starting with a good DC.  Those are a lot of ifs, but I think he has a good chance.

[Tejano Jawg]

No one can say with certainty that he will turn us around, make us always competitive, and have us challenging for titles. HOWEVER—and Morris was not in my top 3 or 4—I believe he gives us a GOOD SHOT. That's all we can ask right now. And that is where I think he has an advantage over some of the other candidates.

What doomed us in the past season, we were at a disadvantage before the game started. Our staff didn't have their problem-solving tasks done. As they say, we didn't have our players in a position to succeed.

[chuckinss]

Every coach I talk to in Texas....EVERY ONE OF THEM....says he is the real deal and is a homerun hire.  Good grief...lay off, people.

[farmhawg]

Why do people think we have a "winner"?

who were you before? Here since 2008 yet new log in.