LOL @ the notion of a fourth year head coach's problems being due to the previous coach.

I know dids isn't supporting Hoke and yeah the lack of depth really hurt the first 2 years but no excuses now.

WHO THE **** ARE WE HIRING

Arkansas was a very solid team before Petrino got caught with his hand in the nookie jar. They were 10-3, 11-2 before that. Bielema inherited a team that was on the rise and had one down year due to John LOL Smith. Furthermore, they didn't have to make a drastic philosophical change. Still, Hoke has no excuse for who is on his team now.

Petrino to Bielema wasn't a drastic philosophical change? Did you watch Ark 5 years ago? Watched them recently?

Hoke came along just as the B1G was at its lowest point in decades, with teams ranging from terrible to bad to mediocre. He even had one year of whoever that interim coach was for OSU.


Bielema came along just as the SECw was at the highest point any division in CFB has ever been. This year his entire conference schedule is bowl eligible and most of them are in the top 25 (including the #1 & #2 teams from the East).


I'm still not convinced that his style of offense can be a long term winner at Arkansas, but you can't say Bielema didn't step into a tougher position than Hoke did.

wow

just wow

Show me where I said that?

It's obviously far from their biggest problem- but having to throw their kids to the wolves didn't help their development and the OL is probably still playing below their talent level (at least based on star rankings). Not really saying more than that.

If the OL is playing below their talent level, that's an indictment of the current coach.


And wouldn't early playing time benefit the development of offensive linemen (barring injury)?

We have 4 players left from the 2010 recruiting class. We had a lot of players not pan out from Petrino's last two classes and then a lot of transfers from having three coaches in two years. 4 of the 5 starters on the line are Bielema recruits.

Ill give you a pass on the philosophical differences though. Bielema and Petrino are often mistaken for each other due to the similarities in their style of offense.

Petrino is notorious for leaving the defensive cupboard bare.

Where did you say that? You're saying it again right now. You're saying that maybe part of the reason for lack of development is that they got too much playing time early in their careers? That's a new one.

Four years in, 100% of the blame for o-line problems is on the current coach.

Looks like Chad Morris is indeed heading to SMU. I know we had a discussion about it a few months back. People don't realize how much money SMU has access to.

Very smart to lock him up before season ends and bigger programs come sniffing around

Is PJ Fleck going to get some looks this offseason? He's the youngest coach in the country, is a terrific recruiter and has Western Michigan playing some really good football.

Morris should've held out for a better job. I just don't see SMU as a good first rung on the head coaching ladder. Usually a hot coordinator can get in at a much higher level than that.

Texas guys all seem to want to go back there so maybe that is part of it.

Was talking with a friend about Fleck the other day and how I view him as a dark horse for the Michigan job. I know it's like less than 1% gonna happen but dude is young, great recruiter and ties to the Midwest. He's done a great job in Kalamazoo

His star may have faded a bit this year with all of their offensive struggles.

No doubt this is true to some extent but SMU just seems like a good way to snuff out your future career prospects.

If that was the best HC gig on offer he would be better off riding out another season at Clemson in my opinion.

Yeah, he's not going to get a big-time job. But I could see him, ala Urban Meyer & Brian Kelly, going to a school that's a step above the MAC and then getting a big-time job in 2-3 years.

Yeah, but what if they struggle again on offense? Then he could be out of a job. SMU is paying him over 3 million a year and you have to figure he gets 5 years there unless it is a total disaster. Plus, he is from Texas so you have to figure that played into his decision. TCU and Baylor having success could have also influenced it.

I don't know who the SMU AD is, but that guy has landed Larry Brown and Chad Morris. That is incredible.

Harbaugh for 3 to 4 years then he bolts and Fleck comes in. Sounds nice to me

If not Harbaugh, then Hat coming in, stabilizing the program, and retiring after 3-4 serves basically the same purpose

obv I'd prefer not to go that route, but beggars can't be choosers etc etc

The offense struggles when their good qb is hurt, no real reason to believe these struggles will continue next season. His track record at Clemson and before speaks for itself. There is a reason he is the highest paid asst in the country.

I'm just saying that other hot assistants from P5 schools can usually get a crack at an HC spot at a much higher level than SMU. Ie Rich Rod went from OC at Clemson directly to HC at West Virginia, Richt went from OC at FSU to UGA etc etx. I don't really think that SMU gives him a great shot at success and building up to a better job, but they do have the money and he seems to be a Texas guy through and through so we'll see.

I'm late to the party here, but wooooooooooow. TC just continually amazes.

But not so much coordinators who are a few years outside of being high school coaches. Malzahn was apparently passed over multiple times and told he needed head coaching experience (including Kansas preferring Charlie Weiss, ffs). There is a good chance Morris has heard the same thing since...well, since he was even still at Clemson by now.

SMU looks terrible right now, but it was a good June Jones rebuilding project until that whole "hired away by Arizona State and announcing it, then having Sun Devil boosters flip out about it and demand a different hire, specifically Todd Graham, ASU acceding and pulling the rug out from underneath him, then just...returning to SMU for that season" thing two years ago. I imagine it's been awkward and a *slight* handicap in recruiting ("Hello, I'm the guy who made ASU boosters spit out their drinks and march toward the AD with pitchforks and torches when they heard I'd been hired to coach their 6-7 team"), but they're probably OK on personnel.

Oh wait. That was 3 years ago. Never mind, they're ****ed. Probably should have gone to a sunbelt team.