Here is one thought....

Football Insider Board
#1

CBB has hired several coaches that are not up to SEC standards. The DLine coach, both LB coaches IMO have not performed. I’m not as much down on Rhodes as I am on those guys. And obviously the OLine guy is in way over his head.

Lunney is top notch IMO
Smith is our best recruiter and a good WR coach.
No complaints on Reggie Michell RB coach.
I’m even okay with Herbert.

Upgrading all of those coaches seems to me to be a must if CBB stays. And that will be a problem because top notch coaches will not join a staff where the coach is on the hot seat.

We miss some of the assistant coaches that have left. No doubt.

And all of this falls under the responsibility of CBB. It’s a tough spot for all. I’m not sure how we get out of it without spending a huge amount of money to release CBB and staff.

Then you have the problem of who can we hire that can turn this thing around? The choices have been discussed at length on this board. No one has come up with a sure fire 100% sure deal.

But hope springs eternal when you love the Hogs…

#2

LD - CBB is the one that signed off on every signee ( we lack talent at most positions) and he’s the one that made all of these bad hires you so correctly alluded to. Why in the world should the PTB’s trust him to suddenly start making great decisions?

I agree there are no 100% sure things, but I think there are many with a better chance to do better than the guy that has us, in his 5th year, in a position to be an underdog to Arkansas State if were on the schedule! Let me repeat - ARKANSAS FREAKING STATE!!!

#3

seems to me everyone is between a rock and a hard spot.

Start with Jeff Long, stadium construction to be completed by start of season next year i think, the debt service calculated to be paid by increased ticket and suite sales, SEC sharing revenue, donations, etc. Then you have the buyout, 5.9mm is what we are told but we don’t know if the foundation has any agreements with the coach. Then you have assistants to pay, some for only a short time but then both coordinators have multiple year contracts. There is expected loss in ticket and suite sales if he stays status quo, but who really knows until ticket and suite request forms go out for next years season. What does his buy out drop to next year? Fan base is unhappy to say the least. Would that expected or anticipated loss be greater than the cost of firing the coach and staff. Now add in the cost of hiring a new coach and staff. Because of the buyout will the new coach be limited on what he can spend on assistants? Then you have recruiting defections which will surely occur, a very early signing period, and a new coach with not enough time to put together a staff and recruit effectively. A setback to begin. A new break in or grace period for the new coach, no quick fix here at all. Lastly there will be numerous coaching changes in the SEC alone, lots of competition for both the up and comers and the established seasoned veteran coach. Will we have to get into a bidding war for a coach he might want, or because of economics be forced to take a huge chance of someone out of the blue, either a young or veteran coach? Don’t know the answer to that one but i am pretty sure Long is looking at all the numbers and projections involved.

Coach B’s quandary. It is fairly apparent changes would have to be made on staff to if for nothing else to appease the fan base somewhat. As previously written and discussed what top name assistant coach wants to work for a possible dead man walking situation. I am certain every assistant coach knows the perils of his profession, and that each wants to find as much stability as possible, even though little stability exists unless you work for a top winning program, which we are not. Then next quandary is recruiting. We all know recruits are being told there is little stability in the Arkansas situation. Recruiting becomes much more difficult. looks to me recruiting will suffer either way for the short term. Will he have to change his philosophy to appease fans? Last time that occurred it didn’t work out so well. the Nutt/Malzhan situation sort of.

The fan base. Stay with what we’ve got with staff changes, hopefully hold onto recruits we have already committed, get a change somewhat in philosophy once again to appease the fan base, and hope next year will be better, which is a possibility. Key injuries have doomed this team, but is not the only reason we are where we are record wise. Or hire a new coach. One possibility is to get a young and upcoming gunslinger, spread offense, little to no defense (we’ve got that already) and hope for the best. a complete change in Arkansas football. Or hire an established coach, but not a top notch one because funds might be limited, hard place to recruit to we are told, seems like we are going down this road right now. Another two to three years of futility (the grace period) and an antsy, tired of being mediocre fan base. Also lets not leave out Longs tenure here. If he keeps status quo can he convince fan base to hold firm, but what new coach wants to come here with a possible, even if remote possibility the athletic director might leave to greener or calmer pastures. And who is to say the new coach can recruit/evaluate well enough to produce a consistent winner. I am not talking championships here, just a competitive team that is a consistent winner. side note: my have our expectations changed over the last 6 years, depressing.

Tough decision, but that is why Long makes the big bucks, if it is Long’s decision solely. We don’t know who is directing who up there. But a very tough decision looming. Of course win the next three, which no-one expects and save face and his job is a possibility. We will find that out soon enough.

#4

We are on the same page here Jackson. It all goes back to CBB. But the other person with responsibility is JL. No good answers at this point.

#5

Suites are sold on multiyear basis and the new NEZ suites are already sold. New loge and club seats are also going fast. Point is, they aren’t very sensitive to wins and losses in a particular season. Are you going to commit tens of thousands of dollars over several years if you think you’d change your mind after a bad season? Perhaps someone due to renew this offseason drops theirs, but there’s a waiting list to take any that come open. Will some season ticket holders drop? Sure, but some also drop when we’re winning. I dropped mine for financial reasons, not because we blew a 24 point lead in the bowl game.

#6

I really believe this is gonna become clearer with the last three games. The Hogs are either gonna win none, 1, 2 or 3. Go 3-0 CBB keeps his job and everyone is stunned. Many excited. 2 wins and he also keeps his job. We will sit at 6–6 heading to a bowl. Some will still grumble. But if we go 2-1 versus LSU/Miss St and Mizzou I think Bret stays. Just my opinion.
if we go 0-3 its just as crystal clear.

The murky record is 1-2. In that scenenario I see Bret being retained only if we lose heartbreakers to LSU and Miss. St. And whup Mizzou pretty good. That might not be enough.

If he goes 2-1 I figure he will go a new direction with at least 2 assistants. I would think Anderson’s job is the most iffy.

Once we play these last three all will probably become clear.

Oh…and to the “get rid of Jeff Long crowd”…I assume football if the only UA sport you care about? Unless increased ticket prices etc have you irked I’m not sure I understand the Jeff Long hate.

#7

It Is saw clear that Coach B would be gone if Broyles was still in charge. Broyles knew his fan and donor base very well.

What is not known is how current BOT or JL will play their hand. The final three games will tell more about that then the wins or losses but they are central to Coach B tenure as well.

My humble opinion and where I would place my betting money is that he is gone given record in SEC, record trailing at half time of games, failure to have strong lines and defense which is his background and he got his staff redo last year.

Waiting a year likely postpones the same decision and puts the admin. At a disadvantage in hiring new coach. I like Coach B but to quote the movie Godfather, “nothing personal , just business”.

LSU game will tell a lot how the next three games go. Lot’s players on roster from state of La. and AA with three games left to his career. Plus to be playing at 11am in Tiger Stadium.

#8

General consensus is Long has forgotten or doesn’t care about the average fan. Baseball and both men’s and women’s track programs are in good hands. Add both Golf programs and women’s soccer to that side. None of those however are revenue positive sports. Men’s baseball might make a little money. Men’s basketball I imagine revenue has dropped off. We’ve been to tourney what, 2 in last 4 to 6 years. Never made it past second round arena is rarely full. Suites unused. Heck they have some promotion where average guys can rent suites. Women’s basketball has been a disaster ever since Blair left. Dykes was a poor hire. Hopefully that has been corrected but time will tell. Lastly you have football, the big revenue producer. Thank goodness for the SEC monies. I guess it’s like all these non conference games where we pay opponents a ton Of money to get their head smashed in. That is what happens to us in the last 6 years basically. And we are becoming less competitive with the elites of this conference. I’m glad grades are up, I’m glad we don’t cheat but I’m certainly not happy with football record nor the way we seem to lose at times. Basketball looks promising but we shall see if consistency is the norm, meaning NCAA appearances every year. Women’s still a work in progress. So those of us you won’t or can’t spend money on suites, can’t or won’t become Broyles/Matthews contributors we fell sorta left out. Couple that with the success or lack thereof in three major sports programs, and that is where the Long displeasure comes from. Logical or not it’s there. In fact on the buzz this morning the question was should Long stay or go or should it be the coach. So that feeling is out there.

#9

I read with interest when someone says they would keep this coach or that coach. I don’t know if this coach or that coach would stay. I don’t know the answer to some of the questions on staff composition, but I do know that there is no guarantee any coach will commit to more time here with what is going on now. Maybe. Just depends on their opportunities. I expect this to be a year of turn over. Just because you want to keep someone (Lunney, Smith, Mitchell, Rhoads), doesn’t mean they won’t take another job. Yes, there are restrictions, but not outside the SEC in most cases.

#10

How many times are we going to be told…“this is the most important game in Bret Bielema’s tenure”. We heard that before TCU, ATM, South Carolina and now the last 3 are the most critical…this is year 5 and if given one more year we will be sitting here same time next year having the same conversation…at some point he needed to win and he just didn’t get it done.

#11

I’m not concerned about assistants, I want Bielema gone and if the new coach replaces every assistant then great so be it. Everyone on that staff from the HC to the lowest paid assistant makes to much money for the product that has been put on the field in year five, granted some assistants haven’t been here all five years but that’s a hazard of their chosen profession.

#12

So would that also not be a data point in making a decision to change the over all head coach?

If we are in such a situation where the results on the field are worthy of a question on if the head coach will return is asked… and the results on the field cause that potential change, so the only quality ast coaches we have are jumping ship… then I would think that would be a key data point to make a decision on change…

I really think these next 3 games could cause a toxic situation with are football program.

#13

The money will be the same regardless who comes in and if its the ones everyone keeps throwing out there I’m good where we are

I do not want a 1 year wonder like the Memphis coach

Matt Campbell, I’m all in on him

Morris, nope

#14