FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said interest level is "very high" in the vacancy on his staff that was created when Tony Vitello was hired as Tennessee's head coach earlier in the week.
Van Horn said he has heard from numerous coaches in the SEC with recommendations for the position.
"Really the last 36 hours my phone has been non-stop, either with texts or phone calls," Van Horn said Friday morning. "I've spent a lot of time on the phone. I started returning texts this morning about 5:50 a.m. that I just couldn't get to yesterday; make sure everybody feels like I'm acknowledging, at least, they're interested in the job.
"I've made a lot of calls. I've made some tough calls, telling some coaches probably not, but I appreciate it."
There is no set timetable on naming a replacement for Vitello, who spent four seasons as the Razorbacks' hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. In 2013, Van Horn waited until early July to hire Vitello as a replacement for Todd Butler, who took the head coach position at Wichita State in mid-June.
"I would like to knock it out, but a couple of the guys we're looking at, teams might still be playing," Van Horn said. "...I'd like to have it done in a couple of weeks, but if it takes longer than that, if we have to wait, we'll do what we need to do."
Van Horn said recruiting ties in Texas and the Midwest are important to keep in place. Vitello is considered one of the nation's best recruiters, and was especially effective in areas such as Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and St. Louis, metro areas that accounted for 40 percent of the team's roster this season.
"I definitely want someone who has been there and done that on the recruiting trail," Van Horn said.
Vitello was introduced during a news conference Friday on the field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Wearing an orange blazer and orange tie, Vitello said that as a player at Missouri, he looked up to Van Horn at Nebraska and former Texas Coach Augie Garrido as "giants" in the Big 12.
"Dave Van Horn was the one I watched most closely because I felt I was most like him," Vitello said. "To be able to work with him was incredible for a lot of reasons, and the important one that relates to the University of Tennessee is I feel, and I know many people feel, he is hands-down the best coach in the SEC."