FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas Coach Chad Morris reiterated Thursday during a season wrap-up news conference that there is substantial growth going on behind the scenes in the program, despite the Razorbacks' 2018 record of 2-10, an all-time low at Arkansas.
"There is no learning curve," he said during the news conferenceat the Fred Smith Football Center. "We're not starting over. We're continuing with what we established."
The Razorbacks are in the midst of a mandatory off week, then will start start winter conditioning with strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll and his staff on Monday.
Morris did not go into details about roster departures, other than to say "I do anticipate there will probably be some changing" at the quarterback position.
The Razorbacks are on the short list for graduate transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant, who hosted members of the Arkansas coaching staff for an in-home visit on Thursday, and they have a commitment from three-star quarterback KJ Jefferson of Sardis, Miss.
There has been much speculation that sophomore Cole Kelley, who opened the season as the starter, could be on the move at the end of the semester. Also, redshirt freshman Daulton Hyatt, who was scout team quarterback most of the season before suffering an ankle injury, fell to fifth string behind junior Ty Storey, Kelly and the true freshman duo of Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones.
"I have not talked to Cole," Morris said. "I have been on the road recruiting. I anticipate talking to him quickly."
Morris said he and the coaching staff, who have attacked recruiting this week, have also done some self-reflecting since falling 38-0 at Missouri last Friday to finish 0-8 in SEC play.
He estimated the Razorbacks put in 30 to 35 percent of his offensive playbook this year, but that they did not master the schemes.
"We've got to get good at something," he said. "I don't know really ... What did we hang our hat on?"
The Razorbacks struggled offensively in the first season under Morris and coordinator Joe Craddock. They rank No. 117 in total offense with 335.7 yards per game, No. 98 in rushing (143.4), tied for No. 98 in passing (192.3) and No. 115 in scoring (21.7 points per game).
Defensively, Arkansas took a nominal step forward under coordinator John Chavis. The Razorbacks are No. 78 in total defense (413.2), No. 71 against the run (167.8), No. 89 against the pass (245.3) and No. 108 in scoring (34.8).
Chavis informed Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek on Nov. 21 that he was exercising the option in his contract that extended his employment by two years and increased his salary to $1.5 million for 2019, as reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Thursday.
"The main thing with that, as we look at coach Chavis and what he's done and the improvements that we've made -- we've got to have more -- but continuity is so much a part of success and creating that continuity. The players understand what's asked of them. They understand defensively what we're doing and trying to do.
"We didn't get to exactly everything that we wanted to this year defensively and that was understandable. We thought we were going to be able to progress at a rate that would get us there, but we weren't. I think continuity is the biggest thing getting coach Chavis back in here."
Morris admitted there was a point in the season that rocked the team after the Razorbacks began showing strides on both sides of the ball through the middle part of the year.
"I think the loss against Ole Miss took the wind out of our sails," Morris said. "As much as I don't want to admit that, I think it took some wind out. But our guys continued to fight. That was a disappointing loss."
He also suggested that the bonding of the team was tested early, with back-to-back losses against Colorado State and North Texas.
"As I mentioned, I thought we would find out a whole lot about ourselves after our first hit of adversity ... and then you realize that that point we weren't as close, we hadn't established the relationships as maybe we wanted or thought we had."
Morris regretted that he and his staff "couldn't create more time" to help firm up relationships with all of the veteran players.
Yurachek, who attended the Morris press conference and chatted with reporters at a subsequent brunch, said he realized 2018 would not be an easy season.
"Coach and I have talked through since [December] ... and there's a reason he's here," Yurachek said. "It wasn't because in this instance that the program had been substantially successful.
"Not that we're actually building from the ground up, but he's building a foundation for a program that's going to have sustained success for the long haul."
Yurachek said the Razorbacks should have won a couple more games, pointing out specifically the losses to Colorado State and Ole Miss, and that he saw flashes of the team's potential.
"I think you saw glimmers of that throughout the course of the season, whether it was the way the defense played at Auburn, how we came back against Texas A&M, how our offense played against Alabama," Yurachek said. "But we just don't have the depth at any of our positions right now to sustain that throughout the course of many games, much less an entire season."
Morris passed along the bookend dates for the start of spring drills (Feb. 26) and the annual Red-White game (April 6) and assured the assembled media that better days are ahead for the Razorbacks.
"It's nowhere close to our standard," Morris said of the 2-10 campaign. "It's not acceptable. We know that. I know that. Our players know that.
"I will say, as I did last Friday night, that there is growth happening inside this program. We spent the first year establishing the culture of this program, how we do things, what we stand for and things we're not going to deviate on.
"There is not one person in this building that thinks any part of this season is acceptable. And everyone is working tirelessly every day to get this program back."
Sports on 11/30/2018