So what happened with Pinalto?

[charlie harper]

I heard Mike on pressrow this morning talking about how good he looks. What happened with this guy? Did gus not want him? Or did nutt not give gus permission to offer? How does pinalto compare to the paris kid we did offer?

Thanks, I'll hang up and listen.

[pseudorabies]

Zack really wanted an offer from us.  Gus wanted to offer him, Nutt didn't.  He got an offer from Texas around the time he was down there for a visit that had a time limit on it so he took it and committed to Texas.  When Nutt finally got around to giving Malzahn the "ok" Zack told them thanks but he was firmly committed to Texas. 

[charlie harper]

Wonder who is a better te, pinalto or the paris guy?

I'm just wondering if this is another instance of nutt making a huge mistake. If so, it got swept under the rug real quick.

[return2glory]

Wonder who is a better te, pinalto or the paris guy?

I'm just wondering if this is another instance of nutt making a huge mistake. If so, it got swept under the rug real quick.

I was under the impression that Freeman, the kid from Paris, would eventually get moved into an o-line position.

[SonOfMud]

Wonder who is a better te, pinalto or the paris guy?

The kid from Paris will probably grow into a OL.

[Hollywood_HOGan]

Zack really wanted an offer from us.  Gus wanted to offer him, Nutt didn't.  He got an offer from Texas around the time he was down there for a visit that had a time limit on it so he took it and committed to Texas.  When Nutt finally got around to giving Malzahn the "ok" Zack told them thanks but he was firmly committed to Texas. 

Unreal.
Just more evidence. Yeah we sure don't need any TEs that can run Gus's system.

Wow.

[jreaganhog]

Pseudorabies is on the money.  The excerpt below is from a story Kurt Voigt wrote on Pinalto's commit to Texas.

Pianalto's only other offer was Tulsa, one which came last summer, though others were likely to come as the summer approached. Pianalto said he talked with Malzahn this week, now the University of Arkansas offensive coordinator, and he didn't think an offer was coming from the Razorbacks, the team he grew up cheering for.

"(Malzahn) said, 'I like you and I'd like to get you an offer, but coach (Houston) Nutt just thinks we have too many tight ends and receivers," Pianalto said. "I respect that.
"The only reason I think I'm in this situation is because of coach Malzahn. He got Springdale on the map, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for coach Malzahn.
"I think this is the best fit for me."

Pianalto is one of several Springdale players who was likely to be recruited this upcoming year, despite the loss of so many talented seniors a year ago.
"I'm very excited for him," Springdale coach Kevin Johnson said. "To be offered and going to play for the defending national champions, it doesn't get any better than that.

[charlie harper]

We've got too many te's and wr's? Someone please tell nutt we don't have ANY sec caliber tight ends and wide receivers on campus right now. Well, Monk, but that's it. The young man is good enough for national champion texas, spit, but not good enough for nutt.

This is nutt lording it over gus, another instance of nutt holding gus down.

[hogfan064]

We do have some very good WRs coming in and a heck of a TE from what I understand.  Still, he definitely should've been offered

[return2glory]

We do have some very good WRs coming in and a heck of a TE from what I understand.  Still, he definitely should've been offered

Refresh my memory as to the tight end that we have coming in that is supposed to be good. I'm not doubting you, I just don't remember us signing one.

[SultanofSwine]

Ben Cleveland

[hogfan064]

We do have some very good WRs coming in and a heck of a TE from what I understand.  Still, he definitely should've been offered

Refresh my memory as to the tight end that we have coming in that is supposed to be good. I'm not doubting you, I just don't remember us signing one.

Ben Cleveland from Springdale.  I believe he's the one that originally was going to Florida. 

[FLKeysGuy]

Ben Cleveland

BIG BEN

[Cresthog]

See this is exactly how you get a bad name in this state. Nutt did this crap with Warren and now look, Tennessee PIPELINE! Great job HDN! The chance you get to make Springdale a major pipeline for your team and what do you do,blow it like an idiot. See guys this is the way I see things. We get MM,DM,BC, and AN all in one year from the same school. The next year that same school has a few good D1 prospects that also want to come to Arkansas but no you pull this crap on the poor boy(s) and screw them over.

I will be honest with most of you. If my son had major D1 talent and had schools offering him, I would be very leary of Arkansas and their recruiting ways.

[FLKeysGuy]

See this is exactly how you get a bad name in this state. Nutt did this crap with Warren and now look, Tennessee PIPELINE! Great job HDN! The chance you get to make Springdale a major pipeline for your team and what do you do,blow it like an idiot. See guys this is the way I see things. We get MM,DM,BC, and AN all in one year from the same school. The next year that same school has a few good D1 prospects that also want to come to Arkansas but no you pull this crap on the poor boy(s) and screw them over.

I will be honest with most of you. If my son had major D1 talent and had schools offering him, I would be very leary of Arkansas and their recruiting ways.

Just remember that this guy wanted to offer a scollie...



It was this guy who blew it... (again)

[Cresthog]

Ohh I know that FLKeysGuy.




Ohh by the way...where can I order my You've been Mitch Slapped shirt?

[FtheDarksiders]

We have other needs on the team....we signed a great tight end last year in Ben.  It would be great to sign every hometown kid that comes along, but that will never happen.  So a kid doesn't get an offer and that makes Nutt a horrible recruiter?  Maybe its just that we need other players in other positions for the better of the entire team....you don't need a huge stockpile of TE's in the SEC.

[SultanofSwine]

Nutts inability to cultivate relationships with the HS coaches and maintain those relationships is what makes him a piss poor recruiter. That is just in state mind you, nevermind okla, tx or any SEC state like MS or LA

[Swino]

We have other needs on the team....we signed a great tight end last year in Ben.  It would be great to sign every hometown kid that comes along, but that will never happen.  So a kid doesn't get an offer and that makes Nutt a horrible recruiter?  Maybe its just that we need other players in other positions for the better of the entire team....you don't need a huge stockpile of TE's in the SEC.

We don't have a huge stockpile of SEC calibur TE's.  We have some bodies there that aren't worth much except for blocking. 

[A Boy Named Sue E.]

Despite the quotes from the Kurt Voight article referenced above, I hear Chuck Barrett on two separate occasions state exactly the opposite. Chuck said Malzahn preferred some kid from Paris over Pianalto and that it was Malzahn's decision not to offer Pianalto. Somebody's lying...........just don't know who.

[FLKeysGuy]

I'd say Kurt Voight is much closer to the SHS players and coaches than Barrett.

[Swino]

Chuck is a tool that spews out whatever Houston tells him.  The kid from Paris has OT written all over him.

[FtheDarksiders]

We have other needs on the team....we signed a great tight end last year in Ben.  It would be great to sign every hometown kid that comes along, but that will never happen.  So a kid doesn't get an offer and that makes Nutt a horrible recruiter?  Maybe its just that we need other players in other positions for the better of the entire team....you don't need a huge stockpile of TE's in the SEC.

We don't have a huge stockpile of SEC calibur TE's.  We have some bodies there that aren't worth much except for blocking. 

I never said we had a huge stockpile....I said we don't need one.  We signed Ben last year, and that other 6'6" WR that we signed out of Dallas is going to be moved to TE.  Why sign another TE that will sit until his Senior year??  Why not use that scholly on an OL or a DB that can help the team immediatly? 

[FLKeysGuy]

We signed Ben last year

  we signed Ben in February 2006.  He graduates from SHS this Saturday.

[Swino]

We have other needs on the team....we signed a great tight end last year in Ben.  It would be great to sign every hometown kid that comes along, but that will never happen.  So a kid doesn't get an offer and that makes Nutt a horrible recruiter?  Maybe its just that we need other players in other positions for the better of the entire team....you don't need a huge stockpile of TE's in the SEC.

We don't have a huge stockpile of SEC caliber TE's.  We have some bodies there that aren't worth much except for blocking. 

I never said we had a huge stockpile....I said we don't need one.  We signed Ben last year, and that other 6'6" WR that we signed out of Dallas is going to be moved to TE.  Why sign another TE that will sit until his Senior year??  Why not use that scholly on an OL or a DB that can help the team immediately? 

So we only need 2 TE's?  And one of those is a WR that could be converted to TE?  When a SEC talent TE is in your backyard and you have a bunch of converts that have been sent to TE land to rot, you pick the SEC quality and cut lose the baggage.

[FLKeysGuy]

you pick the SEC quality and cut lose the baggage.

...especially when that SEC quality already knows Gus' playbook.

[Hawgballz]

Lets handle this like a court case you have witnesses with different stories, so who do you believe?  Lets go to the physical evidence:  Gus offered the kid from Paris and he accepted well ahead of Pinalto's decision, now I for one usually ask the girl that I most want to go out with first and then if I get turned down I go to the next one, so I am guessing that Freeman was his first choice and isn't there another kid who is a TE/OL from Northeast Arkansas who was offered and has accepted already (if I remember correctly, will have to look that one up).  I think it is plain to see that Pinalto was not at the top of Gus's list and we do have other needs.  I am very glad that Pinalto got an offer from a top D-1 school and when they play I will cheer for him and hope the other 21 shorthorns get their foot hung in a bucket milking a bull.

[Swino]

You don't get it, Houston Dale Nutt decides who gets offers and when.  Gus can only give them when houston "gag a maggot" nutt gives the go ahead.

[Hollywood_HOGan]

Just more proof that our single biggest obstacle in this program succeeding Is "coach" nutter.

Gawsh i hope if we only win 6 or 7 this year we send him back to D1AA where he belongs.

[MrSpook1352]

It's ridiculous for a D1 school to let a HC make decisions about recruiting.  We should get demoted for doing something like that.

[Hawgballz]

I don't for one minute think that Coach Malzahn is that weak.  I believe he has majority control of offensive offers.  Everything from the way he carries himself to how he runs his practices to the kids he has visited and recruited tells me that for the most part he is getting his way.  Just because we disagree from the coaching staff with which kids we should go after and who should be offered does not mean their is some great conspiracy.  I get as frustrated with Nutt as the next guy, but world hunger is not his fault.  But of course he isn't doing anything to feed the children, so maybe it is his fault.

[pseudorabies]

I'd say Kurt Voight is much closer to the SHS players and coaches than Barrett.

No doubt, how can Chuck even keep up with everything going on these days with all the extracurricular activity  he has going on these days? 

[excoach]

As I've posted before, Zac is a really good ball player. He play's at a high level all the time, is an awesome downfield blocker,the kind of athlete Arkansas needed. For Houston to tell Gus they didn't have room for this kid was idiotic at best. Just goes to show you he can't recognize talent. Now Mack Brown get's a great player and Houston gets pie in his face again. As Ernest would say ( wake up America ) we have a Idiot head coach.

[FLKeysGuy]

I'd say Kurt Voight is much closer to the SHS players and coaches than Barrett.

No doubt, how can Chuck even keep up with everything going on these days with all the extracurricular activity  he has going on these days? 

He doesn't need to keep up... I'm sure the talking points memo is faxed to him daily. 

[arthurhawgerelli]

I've watched both Pianalto and Freeman many times.  I've seen the Freeman kid play since 7th grade.  He is athletic, but he will definitely be an OL.  We missed on Pianalto, big time.

Freeman is being signed much on potential.  Throw potential out, and he is an AIC level tight end (only the old guys remember the AIC I'm sure).  Pianalto is D-1 ready, right now as a tight end.

HDN screwed the pooch once again.  Apparently, the pooch is unprenateable, because the powers that can do something about the constant misses doesn't seem to care.

[HogFather]

Pseudorabies is on the money.  The excerpt below is from a story Kurt Voigt wrote on Pinalto's commit to Texas.

Pianalto's only other offer was Tulsa, one which came last summer, though others were likely to come as the summer approached. Pianalto said he talked with Malzahn this week, now the University of Arkansas offensive coordinator, and he didn't think an offer was coming from the Razorbacks, the team he grew up cheering for.

"(Malzahn) said, 'I like you and I'd like to get you an offer, but coach (Houston) Nutt just thinks we have too many tight ends and receivers," Pianalto said. "I respect that.
"The only reason I think I'm in this situation is because of coach Malzahn. He got Springdale on the map, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for coach Malzahn.
"I think this is the best fit for me."

Pianalto is one of several Springdale players who was likely to be recruited this upcoming year, despite the loss of so many talented seniors a year ago.
"I'm very excited for him," Springdale coach Kevin Johnson said. "To be offered and going to play for the defending national champions, it doesn't get any better than that.

Reading this and seeing the Nutt f-up makes me 

[excoach]

I can't believe HDN has an 34% approval rating!!!

[idochog]

After reading this about Pinalto, Its easy to see our lack of recruiting due the NCAA excuse is a load of crap.

[excoach]

I can't believe so many people bought into the NCAA recruiting scam for the reason we were having losing seasons. Unless things have changed it takes 22 players to field a team. so if you recruit right, missing a few schollies each year shouldn't have hurt at all.

[MrSpook1352]

If that's the case let's just not use all our schollies each year under Gus

[reddogfan]

Lets handle this like a court case you have witnesses with different stories, so who do you believe?  Lets go to the physical evidence:  Gus offered the kid from Paris and he accepted well ahead of Pinalto's decision, now I for one usually ask the girl that I most want to go out with first and then if I get turned down I go to the next one, so I am guessing that Freeman was his first choice and isn't there another kid who is a TE/OL from Northeast Arkansas who was offered and has accepted already (if I remember correctly, will have to look that one up).  I think it is plain to see that Pinalto was not at the top of Gus's list and we do have other needs.  I am very glad that Pinalto got an offer from a top D-1 school and when they play I will cheer for him and hope the other 21 shorthorns get their foot hung in a bucket milking a bull.

You are missing THE point.  Arkansas did offer Zack AFTER Texas had already offered and he accepted.  Gus told him, before he accepted the Texas offer that he wanted to offer, but could not at that time. 
The reason we lost Zack was because the STAFF (not Malzahn) was slow to evaluate and offer.  My biggest concern for our recruiting is that we are way behind the 8 ball compared to other "top tier" programs.  Most of the "big time" schools already have a majority of their top junior prospects evaluated and offer shortly after signing. 
You are not going to get the cream of the crop if you wait until summer camps to offer. 
Why does Tejada have to come to came before Arkansas will consider offering him? 

[bigred7987]

NOTE TO EVERYONE:
IT IS FREAKING MAY.  Recruiting didn't even get going full steam until July/August last year.  Recruits will have the chance to see success on the field and have that linger on their minds.  Anyone ever think that Pinalto went ahead and said sure to texas because it was a limited time offer yet he knows he can change his mind later if its not right for him.   
Also you guys talk about Nutt having to approve Malzahn to offer someone...but what nobody has failed to mention is that Just because Nutt says you can offer him...does that mean he HAS to offer him unless he too is sold on the guy? I would think not. 

[excoach]

you missed the point MrSpook1352. If you lose 4 schollie out of 28, then you should have 24 players who can play. Losing 4 a year shouldnt make such and impact that it causes you to have back to back losing seasons. If I'm wrong please correct me.

[MrSpook1352]

You're not wrong - so let's lose the 4 every year.  It won't affect our record.

[jabohog]

We have other needs on the team....we signed a great tight end last year in Ben.  It would be great to sign every hometown kid that comes along, but that will never happen.  So a kid doesn't get an offer and that makes Nutt a horrible recruiter?  Maybe its just that we need other players in other positions for the better of the entire team....you don't need a huge stockpile of TE's in the SEC.

No a kid not getting an offer doesn't make Nutt a horrible recruiter, the last eight years of misses and getting on recruits late makes him a horrible recruiter. Why has Nutt suddenly become interested in team needs? There has been no indication of this in the past. Just look at this years safety and linebacker depth. What we have at tight end now is an assortment of offensive linemen to block for the running backs. Ever hear of a redshirt program, if you would recruit properly you may could start one and not get caught with the lack of depth in so many postions. Amazing!

[reddogfan]

NOTE TO EVERYONE:
IT IS FREAKING MAY.  Recruiting didn't even get going full steam until July/August last year.  Recruits will have the chance to see success on the field and have that linger on their minds.  Anyone ever think that Pinalto went ahead and said sure to texas because it was a limited time offer yet he knows he can change his mind later if its not right for him.  
Also you guys talk about Nutt having to approve Malzahn to offer someone...but what nobody has failed to mention is that Just because Nutt says you can offer him...does that mean he HAS to offer him unless he too is sold on the guy? I would think not. 

NOTE TO BIG RED:
IT IS FREAKING MAY!  The BIG TIME recruits, you know the ones we say we want to go after, already have 10-20-30 offers by now.  By this time last year, both Damian and Mitch had over 25 offers from top schools.  Ben had at least 15-20.  The top programs have their junior prospects identified BEFORE signing day and offers follow immediately.  These kids that have multiple offers from top programs are not going to look too seriuosly at offers that come in late in the game (i.e. June) because they have to plan their summer camps.  They are not going to come to an Arkansas camp in the "hopes of getting an offer" when they offers from the likes of Texas, LSU, Miami, USC, Georgia, etc. 
If we want big-time recruits, we need to recruit big-time...and that means getting our offers on the table BEFORE MAY and riding them until February! 
You might get a "big-time" kid that "always wanted to be a Razorback" if you offer late but more than likely you won't get the top rated kids.

[excoach]

there is more than 4 players each year who quit, flunk out, or just can't cut it at a division I program. the point i'm trying to make MrSpook1352, is if the recruiting was what it should have been, we would have the athletes and the depth to not hurt our program. 

[MrSpook1352]

My point is that recruiting is so important that everyone has an opinion.  But losing 4 schollies a year doesn't have an adverse affect on your record?  Then why is recruiting such a big deal if losing 4 won't hurt?  Answer:  Because no one knows beforehand which 4 won't pan out.  Will it be the 4 you didn't offer because you only had 24?  Or will it be the last 4 you offered?  As you correctly point out - it ain't just about who's the most talented.  It's also about who stays in school, who's father dies, who gets hooked on marijuana, etc.  True - losing 4 might not hurt if you know which 4 not to pick.  But to do that you also have to know a lot more than just whether someone has D1 talent.  Our coaching staff may not have had that ability.  But in recruiting - that's not a unique situation.

[TulsaHogFan]

Some one asked who was lying? In Voight(sp?) he was quoting the kid.

I am betting it was the kid who was lying and not Chuck.  Chuck would never lie to anyone....right? lmao.

reddogfan seems like she has a little insight into what goes/went on in recruiting.  Might want to pay attention to what she says.

reddogfan, great post, thank you for illustrating the situation.

Mrspook....what we are trying to say is 4 schollies lost is not as bad as the problems like this. Which has more of an impact in your mind, offering D1 players late and losing them, or having 4 less to offer?

Can't imagine how the darksiders can blame this on Nutt though, its not like he told Gus we couldn't offer him. Wait he did.  But we don't have room right? So why did we just offer him then?

[excoach]

MrSpook1352, you've got to be a Nutt Hugger.