I know there have been several of theses threads so I figured in the interest of keeping us engaged I would offer another. Let me preface by saying that we are a little gun-shy right now due to the last 2 Coaches. Anyone that is hired is going to have a helluva job righting the ship.I hated to see that Paul Finebaum is saying the Gus bus needs to roll on out of Auburn. If he is saying this then it is being discussed at Auburn. I hope not as IMO and in the event the opportunity would present itself we don’t need him at Arkansas - I personally don’t think he could recruit here as well as he does at AU, and that’s the bottom line. And the fractured fan base would never heal.
I’m intrigued by Sam Pittman, but if this experiment didn’t work then we would be irrelevant for another 3-4 years.
Justin Fuente (sp?) might be a good hire
After seeing what he has done at ULL I have been personally advocating for Billy Napier. When I tell you that he has done more with less talent (8-2 on the year) it is an understatement. Saw one of the players on the news last night and he said “we believe in him and know we will be successful”. Pretty good stuff. Very intense, low-key (to the media) but the kids love him.
Lane Kiffin may well be the best option, still a big name, good tactician, he would generate discussion and a lot of air time for Hogs (which IMO is what they need) and be able to recruit, maybe even improve upon what CCM did. Seems like he has outgrown some of the earlier snafu’s in his career.
Lets hear what you have!
I’ll predict Kiffin. He’s been through a lot and seems to have matured. The big plus is his proven recruiting abilities. And he needs to bring in excellent OC ad DC.
I think the only way Shaw will leave Stanford is if the NFL comes calling. He has coached in three Rose Bowls, won his conference twice and division five times. This will be the first time he hasn’t won eight games and he has only failed to win nine twice, this season included. All of that is to say that I’m sure he has had many chances to leave Stanford. It’s his alma mater and where he coached for a while as an assistant before he became the head coach.
It reminds me of Kyle Whittingham at Utah. He has been there so long that I don’t think he is ever going to leave unless he is forced out.
According to the Seattle Times in 2017, David Shaw was making $5.6 million. I’m sure that hasn’t gone down. We’d have to throw Gus-type money to get him, if that’s even possible.
One thing you know about Stanford, they are never short of money.
Besides the salary, Shaw is a Stanford guy, played at Stanford, born in San Diego. Sure, he is going to give up his dream job and come rebuild the Hogs. Sure he is
He want to be in the best conference to prove that he and those with his hue can win…he can win at U of A…sometimes change is good…especially when it is greater than him…NUFF SAID…
Kiffin would have a high probability to land highly qualified
coordinators and assistants. Recruiting would likely be
a strong suit also. I like to think Saban would be sobbing
to see this come to fruition. Just a bit of fiction added to the friction.
You say in your first statement that if Pittman did not work out that the program would be irrelevant for another 3-4 years. Is that not the case with all coaches or just with Pittman? I also wonder what type of success would be acceptable for the next coach?
It appears to me that the Arkansas program is in the worst shape of all the SEC schools. I think the program has potential to be successful in the SEC but they are already thin on talent and are likely to have the worst signing class of all SEC schools after this coaching change and that all adds up to multiple rebuilding years.
My 1st choice for a coach from those currently being discussed is Pittman. He is certainly not the flashy choice but he has the maturity and experience to get the job done and he does not have any baggage that could be used against him in recruiting … at least I have not heard of anything. He is also a guy who has had great success with linemen and that is the obvious big need at Arkansas. If you want to win in the SEC it all starts with having solid linemen and Pittman is without a doubt the best choice for addressing this need.
Pittman is known as an excellent recruiter and he has a big personality that will serve him well in dealing with the public and with the media. I also think Pittman would bring in excellent offensive and defensive coordinators while being able to keep stability in the program by keeping appropriate coaches on the current staff. His selection would not be as expensive as some of he other coaches which should allow them to pay top dollar to recruit other key staff positions. I personally believe that that getting excellent coordinators is just about as important as the head coach and that is a huge problem for the current team.
Pittman is also in a situation whereby he could probably move on from his current position and immediately accept the Arkansas job. I cannot imagine waiting until after the bowl season to announce a coach and I cannot see them hiring a guy who was not able to win 6 games this year so I just do not see the stars aligning for most head coaches. Pittman as an Associate Head Coach could be here immediately and have a legitimate chance at negating the negative recruiting impact.
I like Kiffin. He has the star power that we need to help make us relevant again. He has experience coaching in the SEC, so he knows the landscape. He has the ability to hire a very good staff. To me it’s a no brainer.
