CBB has academics in rare air, staff is intact and better than ever, player character is at a high, and recruiting commits are ahead of schedule.
For those of you complaining about it being all 3 stars, please remember these are early commits before the season starts. These are 3 stars that CBB and Co think have high ceilings. It is very likely a number of the commitments are going to upgrade to 4 stars.
CBB is building a good program, I agree. Surging? I’m not so sure about that one. I liked to hear him say we need to take care of the early season blunders as well as finish strong. Makes me wonder if he was caught looking ahead a couple of weeks. Not good.
I do wish he would talk less and perform more. Although Arkansas fans seem to love it when he spouts off.
What is it that is going to push us over the top? That’s my question.
The program surged in one year under the tutelage of JL Smith. It was just the wrong direction.
CBB has steadily made the U-turn from that surge. We win 9 or more in the upcoming regular season, call it what you want - a surge or the 3 point U turn completed.
I’m looking at these guys like “quality depth.” I know it will take several years to get this program completely built up, but this phase reminds me of the development of a RS program, similar to what Nebraska had under Tom Osborne. At least I hope that’s what it is.
say what you want but the program is moving forward. The recruiting is just fine but you can make a + or - case either way.
I’m not a coach or an expert analyst; neither am I a reliable prognosticator. But I have a substantial measure of faith in this program at this juncture, based not only upon the quality of talent that BB & Co. are procuring, - -but also upon the overall character quality and the mental discipline being manifested by the individual student athletes being brought into the program and meticulously groomed. I have a strong measure of confidence in the pending payoff results of BB’s concerted, high caliber efforts.
I feel that recruiting has improved with 3-4 solid classes that are solid because the bottom 10-15 players of each class are real quality 3 stars. Petrino and Nutt took way too many chances on project players in each class, which never panned out very well. The project players never created depth or competition at most position so the teams were very shallow and dropped off considerably if a reserve played for a starter that got tired or injured. I feel this is the most professional management and stability this program has had in a long time.
We have 3-4 years of solid QB’s that may be our best group of signal callers in a long time. Our Oline looks to be building depth that will progress for a solid 3-4 years. WR is loaded for 3-4 years. Defense has some talent on the Line for 2-3 years. LB looks to be building for the first time in a long time. Our secondary is needing physical press coverage Corners.
Our next step up is winning more to adding more 4 and 5 star talent that fits into our culture of a blue collar team.
Coach has certainly stabalized this program. I have really grown to like Bielema and his style.
Everyone loves the program - until our first loss. 
I guess I get to play the roll of “Debbie Downer.” I hope all these kids are “diamonds in the ruff.” For that to be true, that means our staff has to be better than almost everyone else’s staff in the nation in finding these kids that no one else is aware of (or that no one else sees how great they are). I am going to sit back and see. I just have a hard time believing that BB is just that much better that all the other Power 5 coaches in seeing the “diamond.”
Hope I am wrong.
Hope you’re wrong as well. But… no matter what yardstick/measure you use the bottom line is its all guesswork/estimates. LaTech will give us some REAL insight into the yardsticks. Until then…it looks like we are all going to sweat it out a little. HOGS YA"LL.
Surging/potential/etc…We will know a lot more about the crucial factors in the 3rd qtr of the LaTech game. Factors like AA’s instinct to dominate the other team. Factors like the OL’s coordinated effort to dominate the other team. Factors like the secondary’s ability to go one-on -one if neccessary and jam them at the line of scrimmage. Now that some surging that I can get into.
How about Devlah Whaley and the new running back commit Hayden? Now that looks like a minor surge. Or how about that new OL commit from Iowa Heinrick-did I spell his name right? HOGS YA"LL.
Let’s all pray that Rawliegh Williams has fully recovered and can play a lot and that Kody Walker is fully healed as well. Kody and RW should be our bellcows to carry us this season, because Kody and RW will get beat up thus Whaley is going to play later. Next Year will feature RW and Whaley with our 2 new studs (MW and CH) stepping on campus. I think that Maleek Williams is going to be solid as he has been playing in Florida competition. Hayden appears to be a great back with a great family and character, but we will have to be prepared for him to possibly need time to adjust to the competition.
It is easy to get the feel that things are tracking right and it’s a good time to be an Arkansas football fan. I get that feeling from those that I visit with in the community. I think there are good vibes with the way the program is tracking, too.
I agree. I think a lot of fans are realistic about the shape the program was in with Petrino, and what CBB took over at that time. Anybody that has followed recruiting during the Danny Ford, HDN, and Petrino regimes can see the difference in the bottom of the signing classes and that is why our depth is so improved. I also think that fans see a program with an offense the NFL likes and respects.
I think the WR corp is much better than most know and it will make AA’s life easier. The WR’s are experienced and will help AA on quick routes against the Bama and LSU level defenses.
The Oline is a concern but the talent is there for a very good starting 5, so it is not as bad as some want to say. I think it will come down to quickly deciding on the starting 5 so we can start developing chemistry in Fall camp.
The Oline will not be the biggest in Football and that won’t be a problem, because we are getting higher quality athletic Olineman that are in the 300-325 lbs range. Kirkland and Tretola were good and massive but not as athletic as some of the newer Olineman.
I think we will miss the cuts and vision of Alex Collins’ BUT it won’t get exposed until aTm. RW, KW, and Duwop will carry the load very well, but they don’t have the cuts of AC. KW has no cuts and Duwop makes the wrong cuts at times.
OK…I’m going to play the Alice-in-Wonderland card. Wouldn’t it be nice if our football coaching staff stayed INTACT for at least two more years. I mean you know…Let’s-build-something-special vs. show me the bigger payday routine. OK…if you guys are done laughing at this observation it just seems to me that beyond facilities these young men/kids are looking for commitment from a staff that stays together. I know how difficult it is to keep them together-but lately we are paying them more. I just think that in the back of their minds they want STABILITY also. HOGS YA"LL.
The #1 talent in the state Montaric “Buster” Brown commits to the HOGS. He is a top 200 player nationally. …SURGING!!!
I think that we appear solid for a while at most coaching slots, BUT Enos and Robb Smith are going to be pursued if we have a good year. I would be crushed if we lose Enos after this year. We need him to stay for as long as possible to build the brand and monster to a level that recruiting is easier.