Copyright Arkansas Online
FAYETTEVILLE -- Six weeks after the firing of Sam Pittman, the University of Arkansas enters its second open-date weekend riding a seven-game losing streak that would have hardly been fathomable after the Razorbacks destroyed Alabama A&M and Arkansas State by a combined 108-21 the first two games. Yet a series of issues beset the program before and after interim Coach Bobby Petrino assumed command. A high-powered but turnover-prone offense, a leaky defense and then a one-game nightmare penalty scenario all combined to push the Hogs to a 2-7 record and last place in the SEC standings with games against LSU, Texas and Missouri remaining. In the period since Pittman's firing, the nationwide coaching carousel has only gotten wilder. FBS athletic directors largely held off from making major financial moves -- like paying inflated buyouts and investing big money in new staffs -- the last couple of years to accommodate for the dawn of revenue sharing. Now that it is here, the restraints are off. Within the SEC alone, Florida, LSU and Auburn all fired head football coaches in the interim, widening the candidate pool. University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek has said the UA's limit on resources that restrained Pittman should not be a concern for the next Razorback coach. But certainly all candidates and their representatives will be seeking the receipts to back that statement as Yurachek has tried to move quickly to rally donors. Yurachek referenced a meeting with the UA board of trustees during a news conference with Petrino on Sept. 29. "I received a charge from our board to come back to Chancellor (Charles) Robinson ... with a plan of how we can increase the head coaches' pool, the assistant coaches' pool, the support staff pool, the operational pool moving forward," Yurachek said. "I have an opportunity to do that in the next couple of weeks, and I truly believe that we will be able to have everything that we have needed in place to attract the best head coach for our program and give that coach the resources they need to be competitive in the SEC." Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com ranked Arkansas seventh among the nine Power 4 job openings after Auburn fired Hugh Freeze last Sunday. He cited access to the College Football Playoff as the leading factor in that ranking but added "Arkansas is the ultimate wild card" on his list. Yurachek, notably tight-lipped during major coaching searches, is reportedly working with a small search committee gauging interest for the job through industry sources. Native son Rhett Lashlee, the fourth-year coach at SMU who prepped at Shiloh Christian in Springdale and played for the Razorbacks, drew strong initial support around Northwest Arkansas. However, the 42-year-old agreed to a second contract extension in two years last Saturday, prior to a 26-20 overtime win against then-No. 10 Miami that led to a field storming in Dallas. His extension now runs through the 2030 season. Fired Penn State Coach James Franklin and first-year UNLV Coach Dan Mullen are both proven program builders in the SEC. Franklin, 53, was 24-15 in three years at Vanderbilt (2011-13) before leading Penn State to a 104-45 record the past 11-plus seasons. His record includes six double-digit win seasons, five of 11-plus wins. Last year's Nittany Lions went 13-3 and were a win away from playing for the College Football Playoff title. He is reportedly a strong candidate for the Virginia Tech opening, but his shrewd agent Jimmy Sexton, whose fingerprints will be all over this coaching cycle, is not likely to rush into any decision. Some analysts believe the Razorbacks could be in play for Franklin. Mullen, 53, brought Mississippi State up from the SEC West basement to a 69-46 record in 9 seasons (2009-17), including a 5-4 record against Arkansas. He had a 21-5 start at Florida in 2018-19 before going 13-10 his final two seasons. His first UNLV team is 6-2. Mullen posted on X a few weeks back he has 0.0 interest in the Arkansas job and "Y'all need to hire Gus Malzahn." Malzahn, a prep coaching legend in Arkansas, is the offensive coordinator for Mike Norvell at Florida State. Malzahn and Norvell, a University of Central Arkansas grad whose wife, Maria, is a UA graduate from Fort Smith, could be candidates at Arkansas. Petrino, who guided Arkansas to a 34-17 record from 2008-11, including 21-5 his final two seasons, is a candidate with significant local backing. His candidacy has not been strengthened with the team's 0-4 mark under his interim watch, but he is still in the mix, according to sources. Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck, Memphis Coach Ryan Silverfield and South Florida Coach Alex Golesh are all intriguing possibilities. The powerful Lindsey family of Northwest Arkansas could play a role in his candidacy, with Fayetteville High School product Drake Lindsey a hand-picked recruit by Fleck and his starter at quarterback as a redshirt freshman. Fleck, 44, has done quite well with a program whose standing in the Big Ten is reflective of Arkansas' in the SEC. The Golden Gophers are 64-42 on Fleck's watch in his ninth season. A program that had struggled for decades prior to his arrival has battled up in the Big Ten, holds a 38-38 mark in league play and is 6-0 in bowl games for Fleck. The hiring of Fleck could signal a return home for Drake Lindsey. Silverfield's Tigers rallied from a 28-10 deficit to defeat Arkansas 33-32 Sept. 20. Memphis was No. 22 in this week's Associated Press rankings and was given the best odds of snagging a playoff bid among the Group of 6 conferences before Friday night's upset loss to Tulane. Silverfield, 45, has a 50-21 record and a 4-0 bowl mark. According to those who know him, Silverfield commands toughness and discipline with a dose of tough love and is adept at team building. Russia-born Golesh, 41, has an SEC background as offensive coordinator at Tennessee (2021-22) under Josh Heupel. His Bulls are 6-2 with an upset of then-No. 13 Florida on their resume this season, though they have since lost to Miami and Memphis. Golesh's wife, Alexis, hails from Greenwood and returns home frequently. No doubt the third-year head coach with a 20-14 record will be an attractive candidate during this cycle. Houston's Willie Fritz, 65, also interviewed with Yurachek in 2019 when he was being successful at Tulane. A proven winner who has paid his dues at all levels of college football, Fritz holds a 219-126 career record, including 11-10 in his second year at Houston. He is also a graduate of Pittsburg (Kan.) State, sharing an alma mater with Pittman. The same is true of well-regarded Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who put in 34 years at Pittsburg State as a player, assistant and head coach. Speaking of Tulane, up and comer Jon Sumrall, 43, has been connected with openings, including LSU. Sumrall, a native of Texarkana, Texas, who played linebacker at Kentucky, is 15-7 in his second year at Tulane and was 23-4 at Troy before that. North Texas Coach Eric Morris, 40, will also be attractive as an Air Raid adherent who played for Mike Leach at Texas Tech. Morris is 19-15 in his third year at North Texas after going 24-18 at Incarnate Word. Yurachek said the first and foremost characteristic he'll pursue is a proven winner and program builder. "Someone that can come in and establish what your culture is going to be as a football program," Yurachek said. "You want somebody that that has some energy and can re-energize this program and re-energize our fan base." Could any prominent SEC coordinators draw Yurachek's attention? Perhaps Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, 38, could be a factor. The son of long-time Arkansas assistant Dave Wommack and a former Arkansas fullback, Wommack is in his second season as defensive coordinator at Alabama for Kalen DeBoer after leading South Alabama to a 22-16 record in three seasons (2021-23).
