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LIKE IT IS : Arkansas’ trustees need to call quick timeout Published: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 PRINT E-MAIL Bart Lindsey is probably looking down from heaven and wondering what the heck is going on. When guys like Bart and Frank Oldham were on the University of Arkansas board of trustees, there was never any hesitation in calling for an emergency session if it was needed. They were proactive and always concerned first and foremost about the University of Arkansas and its future. It seems right now, today, the board needs to be proactive, even if it means going into an unscheduled session.
Not to name a football coach, but to ask questions about payoffs to former coaches, assistant coaches on Arkansas’ payroll working for Ole Miss and, mostly, where the coaching search is today. There are only 10 days left in this recruiting period, and schools from all over the Big 12 have started to make stops in Warren and Camden, trying to steal some of the state’s most talented players. Yes, Razorbacks assistant coach Tim Horton has personally dropped by those and other places to stop any bleeding that might be occurring, but it seems each day the search for a new coach results in nothing but a contract extension and raise for a coach by his current employer. In all honesty, it might be time for the Razorbacks to take a different approach. After experiencing yet another great Broyles Award luncheon and listening to some of the brightest minds in the country, it might be time for Chancellor John White and incoming Athletic Director Jeff Long to consider taking a chance on a coordinator. Find the brightest, most hardworking, detail-oriented defensive or offensive coordinator in the country from a BCS school and give him a shot. Truthfully, everyone knows the Razorbacks nation is going to have to be very patient the next two seasons, so a guy would have two years to get the Hogs boat turned in a winning direction. Actually, Frank Broyles might have made the best point of the day: It is the assistant coaches who recruit, call plays and do most of the work. The most critical thing a head coach does is hire his staff, which Broyles will quickly tell you was why he had success as a head coach. If Arkansas could hire — and these are not endorsements but are well-respected names — a Jimbo Fisher (offensive coordinator at Florida State ) or Will Muschamp (Auburn, Broyles Award finalist this year ) and impress upon him the importance of hiring people like Ed Orgeron and John Blake and delegating responsibilities, there is a chance the Hogs will have found the next Bob Stoops. Stoops was defensive coordinator at Florida before becoming the head coach at Oklahoma, and all he has done is win five Big 12 championships in nine years. Guys like Fisher and Muschamp — and there are others — are going to be outstanding head coaches for someone someday soon. Yes, there is a groundswell for Gus Malzahn, too. Someday, Malzahn will make a very good head coach. But after only two years of coaching the college game, one can only wonder how he could assemble a top-shelf staff. If a well-respected assistant like Bo Pelini is good enough for Nebraska, then maybe it is time the Razorbacks readjusted their thinking. It was Broyles’ policy to not hire assistant coaches. The one time he did that, promoting Jack Crowe, it did not work out. But, as Broyles admitted Tuesday, the game has changed since he coached. Today’s assistants do as much now as head coaches did back in the 1960 s and even the 1970 s. Look, the Butch Davis, Tommy Tuberville and even Tommy Bowden trains have left the station, and while they were interested enough to visit about the UA opening, the Razorbacks need to move on. Those guys are staying put. Time is now of the essence. And it is time the governing body of the UA was proactive. More Stories From: WALLY HALL · LIKE IT IS : Pops, Pepsi's pop flies great way to forget heat · LIKE IT IS : Stephens helped Jackson plot his own course · LIKE IT IS : Griffin No. 1 choice, then it's anybody's guess · LIKE IT IS : Hogs' NCAA run provides food for thought · LIKE IT IS : Hill, Ripley keep adding to, improving school Yesterday's Most Popular 1. HOG FUTURES JERRY MITCHELL : Hurricane brings Mitchell to Hogs 2. THE RECRUITING GUY : Purifoy's size fits into UA's plans 3. Iowa prep standout Kelly joins UA track 4. Former Diamond Hog Richards inks contract with Marlins Today's Most E-mailed |
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