UA FOOTBALL COACHING SEARCH : Arkansas weighs options as coaching search continues

BY NATE ALLEN Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Monday, December 10, 2007

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/60115/

Considering who Arkansas seems to be considering, the Razorbacks’ coaching search may extend into 2008.

Arkansas has been searching for a head football coach since Houston Nutt resigned Nov. 26 after 10 Razorback seasons and became Ole Miss’ coach the following day.

Incoming athletics director Jeff Long, put in charge of the search by UA Chancellor John White though he doesn’t officially replace retiring athletics director Frank Broyles until Jan. 1, has said NFL coaches and college assistants will be considered along with college head coaches.

Four coaches the Razorbacks are believed to be considering all have either NFL or bowl game obligations that presumably could keep them from taking over in Fayetteville for quite awhile.

Two first-year NFL head coaches with extensive college backgrounds, Bobby Petrino of the Atlanta Falcons and a former college head coach at Louisville and former assistant at Auburn, and Lane Kiffin of the Oakland Raiders, the for- mer offensive coordinator at Southern California, are believed to be under Razorback consideration.

Their NFL seasons don’t end until Dec. 30.

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow, also a former Southern California offensive coordinator, has been mentioned as an NFL assistant who could readily become an Arkansas candidate if asked.

On the college side with bowl game obligations are Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables and Auburn assistant coach Will Muschamp.

Venables and Muschamp both have ties to Long. Long was athletics director at Eastern Kentucky while Muschamp was defensive backfield coach there.

Long was associate athletics director at Oklahoma during some of Venables ’ ongoing tenure there assisting Sooners head coach Bob Stoops.

Others either drawing attention as possible candidates or know to be interviewed include East Carolina coach Skip Holtz; Reggie Herring, Arkansas’ defensive coordinator become interim coach; Gus Malzahn, the Tulsa offensive coordinator who coordinated Arkansas ’ offense in 2006; and Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English. Herring, Holtz, Malzahn and English all are in bowl preparations, too.

Four collegiate head coaches, Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe, Clemson’s Tommy Bowden, North Carolina’s Butch Davis and Auburn’s Tommy Tuber ville have stayed put with raises after reportedly attracting interest from Arkansas.

Meanwhile, with many final exams slated today at the UA, Herring resumes practices Tuesday for Arkansas’ Cotton Bowl preparations against Missouri on New Year’s Day in Dallas.