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42 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Ole Miss... 😂😂😂    "The whisper is that Ole Miss is now a major player in the pursuit of Lane Kiffin’s services."    Kiffin's Agent leveraging other jobs to get Joey Freshwater PAID...   https://footballscoop.com/news/sources-things-about-to-get-real-interesting-for-lane-kiffin/

Bumping.... LOL 😂

"Sources: Things about to get real interesting for Lane Kiffin

KiffinPractice.jpg?fit=1200,638&ssl=1

By Doug Samuels.   December 5, 2019

FAU head coach Lane Kiffin’s immediate future has undergone some significant changes in the past few days.  First, it was that Arkansas had him on their radar, and Kiffin was being considered as a legit contender for the Razorbacks job. Anticipating Kiffin vs. Saban, and Kiffin vs. Gus match ups in SEC West play certainly had some serious appeal for a lot of folks. The Razorbacks wanted to make a splash with their hire, someone the fan base could rally around, and Kiffin certainly checked both those boxes.

Last night we shared information that FAU was preparing an offer with the intent to keep him. Sources had told FootballScoop, even if Arkansas were to offer him the job, it was not a foregone conclusion that Lane would take the opportunity as he certainly values his setup in Boca.

Until recently, it felt as if Lane’s options were Arkansas or FAU.  Late last night we began to hear of a change. Something was up. Word we were getting from sources had swung to, “Well, it looks like Lane is going to move on.” What changed? Did Arkansas go big, or did a new player step up?

The whisper is that Ole Miss is now a major player in the pursuit of Lane Kiffin’s services.

Kiffin’s Owls play UAB Saturday at 1:30 ET for the Conference USA title. “Then things get interesting” one source told FootballScoop.

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8 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

The Razorbacks wanted to make a splash with their hire, someone the fan base could rally around, and Kiffin certainly checked both those boxes.

I keep forgetting about Kiffin's deep ties to Arkansas and the surrounding states, and the network of high school coaches he can tap into.

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6 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Apparently that was a legit technical bug, they posted the fixed version online afterwards.

This is something, though:

 

Saw a couple other national writers who were saying that Harsin is someone to keep an eye on. Apparently he’s looking to make a move. 

If he does leave some of them think Utah’s Scalley will be at the top of Boise’s list. 

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26 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Ole Miss has a lot more recent success, a more fun school, and for recruits the cheating is a feature not a bug.

Trying to figure out what scholy restrictions does Ole Miss still have??  Pretty sure 2 more years of probation remaining (2020 & 2021) .

https://www.si.com/college/2017/12/01/ole-miss-ncaa-sanctions-penalties

"A source told Rounsaville that the NCAA Committee on Infractions has also put the program on probation for four years, docked 13 scholarships and levied a $179,000 fine. The penalties are a result of a five-year investigation into the Ole Miss program, which was then led by Freeze."

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33 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Think Harsin is a better hire in the end, and he knows Arkansas from being at arky state.

Harsin would be a homerun hire for Arky.  Just seems like he could find a better job than Arky disaster...

Arky roster is terrible right now -- seems like a rebuilding job similar to Baylor 3yrs ago, but in the F'N SEC West.... UGH!!!

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1 hour ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Saw a couple other national writers who were saying that Harsin is someone to keep an eye on. Apparently he’s looking to make a move. 

If he does leave some of them think Utah’s Scalley will be at the top of Boise’s list. 

Isn't Harsin a Boise lifer? That's his dream job. He always wanted to go back home, so I would be surprised if he left, especially for a place like Arky. Seems like a step down, tbh. 

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11 minutes ago, Spider2YBanana said:

Isn't Harsin a Boise lifer? That's his dream job. He always wanted to go back home, so I would be surprised if he left, especially for a place like Arky. Seems like a step down, tbh. 

plus those guys leaving Boise have not had much success

with a slight exception of Nutter that left Boise after 1 year and went to Arkansas where he did pretty well and was one or two crazy plays against Tennessee early on in his career from playing for the MNC

Petterson did well at UW early on, but I think the expectations were much higher for him based on the program he was taking over and the length of time he was at Boise and his success there

the others that have left Boise have been disasters

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5 minutes ago, JOSEYWALES66 said:

That’s winning by default.  Can’t believe Kiffen is in demand. He isn’t a good coach. 

I think this is pretty wrong if you look at his record

Raiders....well that was a fucking disaster to start and still is and he was what 28 years old or something

Tennessee he improved their record taking over a program that was falling off of a cliff at the time (no one knew it yet) and taking over for a legend that was fired and divided the fan base

Fulmer had gone 5-7 (3-5) in his final year Kiffin was 7-5 (4-4)  so not a massive improvement, but still an improvement of 2 overall and 1 in the SEC SEC SEC after taking over for a long long time coach not the easiest thing to do especially when the fans are divided on that coach leaving

he was 8-5 taking over USC his first year while massive cheating bastard was 9-4 his last year and Kiffin had no bowl game to go to which hurts

but he was left with a massively depleted team from players GTFOing because they knew what was coming and recruiting restrictions hurt the shit out of them.....then he was 10-2 is next year with no bowl game to go to (that hurts)

then he was 7-5 and you can't ignore the recruiting restrictions and lack of ability to practice for a bowl game (and sell the program), but he still recruited pretty damn good

he was 3-2 when he was fired, but of course USC fans know how to run a coach and a program into the ground (while ignoring the reality of players leaving and massive recruiting restrictions) more than any fan base in the country.....USc finished that season 10-4 with nothing to really suggest the coaching change made a massive difference


Helton got 10 wins his second season (3 losses) 11 his second and it has been down hill since then for them.....and he took over a program in a much better situation even if you consider Cutty Sark being told to cast off

 

then at FAU he took over a program that had gone 3-9 for 3 straight years and went 11-3, 5-7 and 9-3 so far with a chance to get to 11 wins this year (probably at least 10 and depends on the bowl opponent)

so it is not like he has taken jobs that were amazing jobs at the time he took them over and just ran them into the ground......in fact he has taken a lot of jobs that were shit jobs at the time even at a place with a lot of potential and either improved them slightly or at least kept them competitive while working through the issues at those places.....and what he has done at FAU shows he can at least coach at the D1-A G5 level and do extremely well right off

and it is not like Tennessee or USC have really massively improved since he was let go in fact they have both declined even though the circumstances for both should have been as good or better for the next coach (I suppose arguable for Tennessee)

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2 hours ago, ButtFumble said:

plus those guys leaving Boise have not had much success

with a slight exception of Nutter that left Boise after 1 year and went to Arkansas where he did pretty well and was one or two crazy plays against Tennessee early on in his career from playing for the MNC

Petterson did well at UW early on, but I think the expectations were much higher for him based on the program he was taking over and the length of time he was at Boise and his success there

the others that have left Boise have been disasters

Petersen was a home run fur UW. He’s won 2 out of the last 4 PAC 12 titles.  3 NY6 games in 6 years. 1 playoff appearance. 

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5 hours ago, Spider2YBanana said:

Isn't Harsin a Boise lifer? That's his dream job. He always wanted to go back home, so I would be surprised if he left, especially for a place like Arky. Seems like a step down, tbh. 

He did quite well at Arkansas State. It actually makes sense if he can maneuver a lengthy guaranteed contract to start his P5 career at pig. Even a modest improvement would be a nice bouncy springboard. 

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55 minutes ago, Pancho said:

lamont7906:  "Arkansas has talent on the team it's just getting the right fit to coach up, train, teach and lead that talent. To say Ole Miss and Mizzou is better prepared to win now is looking from a win loss point of view. Our losses don't match the talent we have at the program. Do we lack depth in some areas yea but a good coach can scheme and hide some areas. We have a 17 players that red shirted and the skill positions are primed and ready speaking offensively with the right coach. Just have to coach up the QB's to have them compete atva higher level. Offense line wise we have 15 on board but need one or two transfers or community college players to make it decent. Defensively you just have to put the guys in the right position and work with their mechanics hopefully the right coach would keep Bush on board." 😄

razorthin83:  "I'll give you A&M, Kentucky, and Missouri. We were within 10 points or less in those 3. I will not give you Ole Miss. 31-17 and it could've been worse, honestly. Miss St beat us by 30 points so stop it. Lets not forget Western Kentucky beating us nearly 30 as well. Shoulda, coulda, woulda's don't erase 19 straight sec losses. If our talent level was really that good, we should have slipped up and won at least one game in the sec in the last 2 and a half years." (Realistic Razorback)

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There are a block of Arky fans that think talent doesn’t matter and that a coach can just magically turn dog shit players into future draft picks.  They only have maybe five players who would crack the two deep at Okie State and that’s more than they had two years ago.

”Coach up the QB’s.”  Two of the QB’s are 5’10”, 180 and are only on the team because their grandfathers are fat cat alums.  Sure, “coach them up.”

 

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4 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

There are a block of Arky fans that think talent doesn’t matter and that a coach can just magically turn dog shit players into future draft picks.  They only have maybe five players who would crack the two deep at Okie State and that’s more than they had two years ago.  ”Coach up the QB’s.”  Two of the QB’s are 5’10”, 180 and are only on the team because their grandfathers are fat cat alums.  Sure, “coach them up.”

Arky needs to get lucky and hire a coach like a Chris Klieman...

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10 hours ago, texifornia said:

He did quite well at Arkansas State. It actually makes sense if he can maneuver a lengthy guaranteed contract to start his P5 career at pig. Even a modest improvement would be a nice bouncy springboard. 

I agree with you, but man, that just seems beneath him. Arky is worse than Tennessee. I'm almost sure they show more Boise on TV than they do Arky. I can't blame the man for taking money, I'd just hate to see that place set his career back. He would need at least 4 years. That place is a true dumpster fire. Worse than us after Mack. 

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"Yes Sir!!"

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Former Razorbacks advocate for Sam Pittman in open letter

ByTREY BIDDY Nov 12, 9:01 AM

This was sent to HawgSports.com by a well-known former Razorback football player who said he represents a group of former players who want this message to be seen. This is their message to the Razorback nation and decision-makers on the Hill regarding not only the type of person they would like to see hired but also the person they would like to see considered. HawgSports.com is just the vessel they chose. Here is their message:

An Open Letter to Mr. Yurachek, Chancellor Steinmetz, and the Arkansas Board of Trustees

As a proud former student athlete, I bleed Razorback Red. I want to start with saying y’all have an incredible responsibility and opportunity to do right by our current student athletes, state and all of Razorback nation. I personally don’t envy the decision you have to make, but respect the tough choices you have made and will continue to make in the future to bring Razorback Football back to the national standing it belongs.

I have been on good teams, bad teams, and teams everywhere in between. The one thing that separates those teams is a person that can look a room in the eyes and band them under a common thread to achieve a higher goal than they thought possible. A person that I had the privilege of playing for that I believe can do that is Coach Sam Pittman.

Growing up in Grove, Oklahoma he knows what Razorback football is all about. The toughness, grit, and loyalty that are benchmarks of our program are just a few of the qualities he has as a coach. Bottom line at the end of the day when he is coaching, he cares about his players first. He and his wife Jamie treated us like his own kids in good times and bad.

Coach Pittman has the personality to go into living rooms across all corners of the nation to recruit players and bring out the best in them. During my time at the U of A we had offensive lineman from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. For a room of around fifteen guys to have that type of national representation is something to be noted. Although he didn’t recruit each individual, he was respected by all of them. Coaches are often assigned regions that they understand and can effectively recruit, but the running joke was that Pitt went after whoever wherever because he could get them. Winning recruiting battles on the national stage is just another day in the office for Coach.

I have played with guys from Coach Pittman’s previous twelve years coaching and they all say the same thing, summed up- HE IS THE MAN. He knows what it takes to win. That means hitting a run for twelve yards into the teeth of a blitz that changed the game against Tennessee in 2015. Getting his groups to lead the SEC in sacks allowed what seems like every year. Going into Death Valley at night and rushing for 298 yards, keeping the Boot where it belongs. As of late he has taken Georgia to the CFP, had a slew of draft picks and is a benchmark for offensive line play nationally.

I challenge you to find someone that mothers love the way ours loved Coach Pittman. I challenge you to find a coach that will give everything he has because our program deserves it. I challenge you to find someone who will get every bit out of players no matter the circumstance. Lastly, I challenge you to give the current athletes the opportunity to play for a coach that will show them how to be men. Give Sam Pittman an interview and he will win you over just like he always does.

#WPS!

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14 minutes ago, Scooter Monzingo said:

Yep, I can see them Arkansas BMD’s loving that guy. Hell, he is one of them.

If he can hire quality coordinators and assistants  that can both coach 'em up and recruit,  Pittman could be a Dabo-like personality that makes the Arky alumni happy. 

He's a funny Dude, Great O-Line Coach and Hell of a Recruiter...

 

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Sam Pittman to be named head coach at Arkansas

ByTREY BIDDY 27 minutes ago

Georgia offensive line coach and associate head coach Sam Pittman will be the next head coach at the University of Arkansas, according to strong sources. Pittman has all but signed the deal.

Pittman, 58, is one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the nation at $900,000 a year. Sources say he first reached out three weeks ago about the position, and after a long search, he became the answer for the Razorbacks. He was the offensive line coach at Arkansas under former head coach Bret Bielema from 20013-15 and has always expressed a love for Fayetteville behind the scenes. During that time, Arkansas brought in some of the biggest offensive line recruits in program history, beating out blue blood programs from several states away for players like Denver Kirkland, Frank Ragnow, Dan Skipper and several others. Since 2013, eight Sam Pittman players have been drafted into the NFL, including two first-rounders. Alabama came after Pittman when he was at Arkansas, but he chose to stick with the Hogs, but he moved on when Kirby Smart came calling at UGA. He currently ranks No. 3 in the nation in top recruiters for 2020 and was No. 4 in 2018, 16 in 2017.

In terms of sacks allowed, Arkansas was extremely impressive during his time in Fayetteville. His first year while playing a couple of true freshmen and retooling things up front, the Razorback offensive line ranked first in the SEC in sacks allowed with 8.0 all season. In 2014, they gave up 14.0 to lead the SEC again. In 2015 while really opening up the passing game, they were first again with 14.0 sacks allowed. In 2016 when Pittman left Arkansas for Georgia, the Hogs dipped all the way down to No. 13 in the SEC out of 14 schools and surrendered a whopping 35.0 sacks -- literally one fewer than they had the previous three seasons combined under Pittman. Several point to Pittman leaving Arkansas as the downward turn of the Bielema era. Bielema was fired two seasons later after the Hogs dipped to 7-6 and 4-8 the next two seasons.

It is no secret Arkansas has struggled to find the right fit in the wake of how the program is perceived nationally after back-to-back 2-10 seasons under former coach Chad Morris. When a change is made like this, the coach tends to be quite different from a personality standpoint than the man he replaces. This couldn't be more true of Pittman, who comes off as honest and genuine while also being cool and collected. The players loved him at Arkansas, as noted by this open letter to Hunter Yurachek back on Nov. 12.

https://247sports.com/college/arkansas/Article/Arkansas-football-coaching-search-Hunter-Yurachek-open-letter-from-players-138459316/

Pittman played at Pittsburg State and was a first-team NAIA All-American. He is originally from El Reno (Ola.) and graduated from Grove High School in Oklahoma. His parents still reside in Missouri, so he has a lot of ties to the region. He has been a high school head coach, a junior college offensive line coach (Hutchinson) and has coached everywhere from Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Georgia in addition to Cincinnati, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.

Keep an eye on Barry Odom, the recently fired head coach at Missouri as a defensive coordinator candidate. On the offensive line, Eric Mateos was a graduate assistnat for Pittman at Arkansas and has risen through the ranks since and is now the OL coach at BYU. Brad Davis of Missouri is another O-line coach to keep an eye on as he also served as a GA under Pittman in the past.

https://247sports.com/college/arkansas/Article/Sam-Pittman-Arkansas-Razorbacks-head-coach-140125518/

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