LITTLE ROCK — The hiring of John L. Smith to a 10-month contract as Arkansas’ head coach was met with enthusiasm from several of the 2012 signees and with caution by some 2013 prospects.
Linebacker Vin Ascolese of North Bergen, N.J., said he was confident Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long would make the right decision.
“I know Mr. Long is a very intelligent man and he knows what he’s doing,” Ascolese said. “I’ve heard Coach Smith is a really good coach. I’m ready to play.”
Ascolese, a signee, said he’s happy to hear Smith is going to keep the coaching staff intact.
“I love the whole coaching staff,” Ascolese said.
After reading about Smith’s background on the Internet, receiver Eric Hawkins of Longview, Texas, said he believes Arkansas made a good decision.
“He coached at Arkansas, so he already knows how things work up there,” said Hawkins, another signee. “I want to get up there and meet him this summer and see what he has planned for us.”
Retaining the coaching staff was important to Hawkins, especially secondary coach Bobby Allen and receivers coach Kirk Cinkovich.
“That was my main focus, keeping this staff, keeping the coaches that recruited me, Coach Allen and my position coach, Coach Cink,” Hawkins said. “That was the main thing I was worried about.”
Allen, Texas, running back Jonathan Williams, who signed with the Hogs, was being recruited by Smith before Smith left in December to become head coach at his alma mater, Weber State.
“I feel like I have a good relationship with him,” Williams said. “I’m just excited that it’s over with and the coaches will remain on the coaching staff.”
Williams said he thinks Smith is a man of character.
“He definitely seems like a good guy,” Williams said, “He seems like somebody that’s trustworthy and somebody that when they say something they mean it.”
Smith also recruited defensive end signee Deatrich Wise of Carrollton (Texas) Hebron before leaving Arkansas.
“That’s exciting,” Wise said. “Wow, that’s outstanding news. I’ll put it that way. “
Wise said he likes Smith’s personality and his honesty.
“He’s a funny guy,” Wise said. “He’s a real down to-earth type person. He’ll tell you the truth no matter what.”
Smith being 63 years old is a good thing, too, Wise said.
“I think with age comes wisdom,” Wise said.
Receiver Austin Bennett committed to the Hogs in March and reopened his recruiting after the firing of Bobby Petrino. He said his father, Greg, finished his eligibility at Louisville as Smith was hired as the Cardinals coach in 1998.
“He thinks it’s best for the team because he’ll keep the staff,” Bennett said. “I think it helps, because with the staff they have now they’re on the verge of going to a national championship. All the players there have already built a relationship with the coaches.”
Smith’s short contract is a concern for Bennett, though.
“Of course, they have to have a winning season because he only has a one-year contract,” Bennett said. “He has to win in order to have a long-term contract.”
Tight end Christian Morgan of Plano (Texas) Prestonwood said he’s also concerned about the interim approach.
“I was a little surprised they went the interim route,” Morgan said. “I heard he’s a great guy, and I’ve heard nothing but good things. I think it’s tough dealing with an interim as far as next year and coming in bringing in a bunch of new people.
“I think that’s kind of hard to predict and kind of hard to go off of.”
Sports, Pages 18 on 04/24/2012