Arkansas fires HC

[appfan22]

As someone who grew up in the state of Arkansas, this worries me. Arkansans have a deep emotional tie with the state and its flagship university. The Razorbacks are the NFL/NBA/MLB team for the state all in one. People live and die with the Hogs. With Drink being an Arkansas native, I'm sure he shares some of the same sentiments.

Malzahn will be UofA's top target. He is one 7-8 win season away from being canned at Auburn. At this point in his career, it might be time to start looking for a refresh. What better place to go than back home?

But, if Malzahn doesn't bite, or wins out the remainder of his games at Auburn this year - Drink is a logical second choice. He was apart of the Mitch Mustain and Malzahn era at Springdale High School (Springdale is right around the corner from Fayetteville) the year before Malzahn took the OC job at UofA. I'm sure some of you remember the hype that Mustain drew, even though that was an utter fluke. Regardless, Drink's name will be tied to one of the better recent time periods of Arkansas football.

Arkansas fans would jump at the chance to have a young up and coming native of their state who just so happens to be one of the top protégés of arguably a top 5 SEC coach in the past decade. Throw in an 11-1 season with victories over two P5 programs and it seems like a no-brainer.

The recruiting argument is fair, but Drink could surround himself with an experienced staff with deep ties in Texas and be just fine. He's selling a program with top rated facilities, a storied tradition, a chance to compete in the best division of college football, early playing time, NFL opportunities, and a great college town atmosphere in Fayetteville. Another note to add - Morris locked down a top 25 class this past year. There is talent on the hill.

I would have a hard time believing that UofA isn't Drink's dream job. Time will ultimately tell, but this one may keep me up at night. Drink may not get a shot at this job again before another multi-million dollar offer gets thrown in his face.

I don’t necessarily disagree with anything you said, if I’m Ark there’s a couple more guys I’d rather have than Drink but he’s still way up the list. The only thing is, he’s a native of Norman, OK, not Arkansas.

He may have been born in Norman, but went to high school at Alma high in Arkansas, was an all conference player at Alma, attended Arkansas Tech, coached at Alma, coached at Springdale high, and coached at A-State.

His wife also hails from Alma just throwing that out there.

[appfan22]

As someone who grew up in the state of Arkansas, this worries me. Arkansans have a deep emotional tie with the state and its flagship university. The Razorbacks are the NFL/NBA/MLB team for the state all in one. People live and die with the Hogs. With Drink being an Arkansas native, I'm sure he shares some of the same sentiments.

Malzahn will be UofA's top target. He is one 7-8 win season away from being canned at Auburn. At this point in his career, it might be time to start looking for a refresh. What better place to go than back home?

But, if Malzahn doesn't bite, or wins out the remainder of his games at Auburn this year - Drink is a logical second choice. He was apart of the Mitch Mustain and Malzahn era at Springdale High School (Springdale is right around the corner from Fayetteville) the year before Malzahn took the OC job at UofA. I'm sure some of you remember the hype that Mustain drew, even though that was an utter fluke. Regardless, Drink's name will be tied to one of the better recent time periods of Arkansas football.

Arkansas fans would jump at the chance to have a young up and coming native of their state who just so happens to be one of the top protégés of arguably a top 5 SEC coach in the past decade. Throw in an 11-1 season with victories over two P5 programs and it seems like a no-brainer.

The recruiting argument is fair, but Drink could surround himself with an experienced staff with deep ties in Texas and be just fine. He's selling a program with top rated facilities, a storied tradition, a chance to compete in the best division of college football, early playing time, NFL opportunities, and a great college town atmosphere in Fayetteville. Another note to add - Morris locked down a top 25 class this past year. There is talent on the hill.

I would have a hard time believing that UofA isn't Drink's dream job. Time will ultimately tell, but this one may keep me up at night. Drink may not get a shot at this job again before another multi-million dollar offer gets thrown in his face.

Dead on.

Is it possible Arkansas fired Morris knowing they could get one of their top targets? It would be plausible to assume that they see the success Drinkwitz is having and know they have a good shot of landing him.

You don't fire a coach mid-season without an idea of who you're going to go after. Time for a contract extension with a 7 figure buyout (not sure if that's a thing) for Drinkwitz.

I see them throwing the book at Malzahn. He has been on the hot seat in recent years, and has a gauntlet of a schedule to get through for the remainder of the year.

His buyout with Auburn is significant (I think maybe $19mil or so), but if he leaves voluntarily, he will owe Auburn around $7mil. I could see that number being negotiated a bit if he does jump ship, but I don't think Auburn would be too upset to watch him leave. Arkansas doesn't make this aggressive of a move without some sort of expectation that a big name like Malzahn is available. They wouldn't make this move for Mike Norvell.

[AppSt94]

There are two kinds of people in Arkansas. Hog lovers and the rest. According to their message board, Drink is not a Hog lover.

[mountaineerman]

Get ready and get used to it. We are now at a place where we must follow the coaching carousel every year. Time to get a home and home clause in the buyout section of every new coach's contract.

I like this idea. Is this something that other teams do?

[AppfaninCAALand]

Get ready and get used to it. We are now at a place where we must follow the coaching carousel every year. Time to get a home and home clause in the buyout section of every new coach's contract.

I like this idea. Is this something that other teams do?

I doubt it is workable in football but very common in basketball. Since I moved to Richmond 10 years ago, VCU has had home men's basketball games vs Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, and Texas for that very scenario.


Now that I wrote this out, I've just noticed football powerhouses like to hire VCU coaches for their basketball teams, for some reason.

[ericsaid]

As someone who grew up in the state of Arkansas, this worries me. Arkansans have a deep emotional tie with the state and its flagship university. The Razorbacks are the NFL/NBA/MLB team for the state all in one. People live and die with the Hogs. With Drink being an Arkansas native, I'm sure he shares some of the same sentiments.

Malzahn will be UofA's top target. He is one 7-8 win season away from being canned at Auburn. At this point in his career, it might be time to start looking for a refresh. What better place to go than back home?

But, if Malzahn doesn't bite, or wins out the remainder of his games at Auburn this year - Drink is a logical second choice. He was apart of the Mitch Mustain and Malzahn era at Springdale High School (Springdale is right around the corner from Fayetteville) the year before Malzahn took the OC job at UofA. I'm sure some of you remember the hype that Mustain drew, even though that was an utter fluke. Regardless, Drink's name will be tied to one of the better recent time periods of Arkansas football.

Arkansas fans would jump at the chance to have a young up and coming native of their state who just so happens to be one of the top protégés of arguably a top 5 SEC coach in the past decade. Throw in an 11-1 season with victories over two P5 programs and it seems like a no-brainer.

The recruiting argument is fair, but Drink could surround himself with an experienced staff with deep ties in Texas and be just fine. He's selling a program with top rated facilities, a storied tradition, a chance to compete in the best division of college football, early playing time, NFL opportunities, and a great college town atmosphere in Fayetteville. Another note to add - Morris locked down a top 25 class this past year. There is talent on the hill.

I would have a hard time believing that UofA isn't Drink's dream job. Time will ultimately tell, but this one may keep me up at night. Drink may not get a shot at this job again before another multi-million dollar offer gets thrown in his face.

Dead on.

Is it possible Arkansas fired Morris knowing they could get one of their top targets? It would be plausible to assume that they see the success Drinkwitz is having and know they have a good shot of landing him.

You don't fire a coach mid-season without an idea of who you're going to go after. Time for a contract extension with a 7 figure buyout (not sure if that's a thing) for Drinkwitz.

I see them throwing the book at Malzahn. He has been on the hot seat in recent years, and has a gauntlet of a schedule to get through for the remainder of the year.

His buyout with Auburn is significant (I think maybe $19mil or so), but if he leaves voluntarily, he will owe Auburn around $7mil. I could see that number being negotiated a bit if he does jump ship, but I don't think Auburn would be too upset to watch him leave. Arkansas doesn't make this aggressive of a move without some sort of expectation that a big name like Malzahn is available. They wouldn't make this move for Mike Norvell.

How can Boosters come into play with paying for the Malzahn portion of the buy-out owed to Auburn? Apparently Arkansas is now on the hook for around $25 million in buyouts themselves.

The only thing giving me pause with Malzahn leaving is that he's been starting a True Freshman quarterback. You don't do that with the intent to leave a school where you have a massive contract in place and quite a bit of tenure.

[ah59396]

Drink would leave in a heartbeat if Arkansas calls his name. I wouldnt blame him one bit.

This isn’t worth worrying about. I say that because we have zero control over the outcome.

If Arkansas decides they want Drink, that’s it.

The folks in Fayetteville will be deciding our future to some degree.

[AppSt94]

I don’t disagree with what your saying, but I don’t think Drink would be interested in Ark under these circumstances. They gave Morris less than two years to clean up the mess and let him go before he can turn it around. Now if I am Drink, Arkansas is an intriguing job to me because it is close to family. However, if they are going to have a short leash on me, do I want to move my family there now with a greater probability that we could be on the move again in two years because the base is impatient, or do I wait for a more stable situation that migh provided a more long term stay?

[appfan22]

As someone who grew up in the state of Arkansas, this worries me. Arkansans have a deep emotional tie with the state and its flagship university. The Razorbacks are the NFL/NBA/MLB team for the state all in one. People live and die with the Hogs. With Drink being an Arkansas native, I'm sure he shares some of the same sentiments.

Malzahn will be UofA's top target. He is one 7-8 win season away from being canned at Auburn. At this point in his career, it might be time to start looking for a refresh. What better place to go than back home?

But, if Malzahn doesn't bite, or wins out the remainder of his games at Auburn this year - Drink is a logical second choice. He was apart of the Mitch Mustain and Malzahn era at Springdale High School (Springdale is right around the corner from Fayetteville) the year before Malzahn took the OC job at UofA. I'm sure some of you remember the hype that Mustain drew, even though that was an utter fluke. Regardless, Drink's name will be tied to one of the better recent time periods of Arkansas football.

Arkansas fans would jump at the chance to have a young up and coming native of their state who just so happens to be one of the top protégés of arguably a top 5 SEC coach in the past decade. Throw in an 11-1 season with victories over two P5 programs and it seems like a no-brainer.

The recruiting argument is fair, but Drink could surround himself with an experienced staff with deep ties in Texas and be just fine. He's selling a program with top rated facilities, a storied tradition, a chance to compete in the best division of college football, early playing time, NFL opportunities, and a great college town atmosphere in Fayetteville. Another note to add - Morris locked down a top 25 class this past year. There is talent on the hill.

I would have a hard time believing that UofA isn't Drink's dream job. Time will ultimately tell, but this one may keep me up at night. Drink may not get a shot at this job again before another multi-million dollar offer gets thrown in his face.

Dead on.

Is it possible Arkansas fired Morris knowing they could get one of their top targets? It would be plausible to assume that they see the success Drinkwitz is having and know they have a good shot of landing him.

You don't fire a coach mid-season without an idea of who you're going to go after. Time for a contract extension with a 7 figure buyout (not sure if that's a thing) for Drinkwitz.

I see them throwing the book at Malzahn. He has been on the hot seat in recent years, and has a gauntlet of a schedule to get through for the remainder of the year.

His buyout with Auburn is significant (I think maybe $19mil or so), but if he leaves voluntarily, he will owe Auburn around $7mil. I could see that number being negotiated a bit if he does jump ship, but I don't think Auburn would be too upset to watch him leave. Arkansas doesn't make this aggressive of a move without some sort of expectation that a big name like Malzahn is available. They wouldn't make this move for Mike Norvell.

How can Boosters come into play with paying for the Malzahn portion of the buy-out owed to Auburn? Apparently Arkansas is now on the hook for around $25 million in buyouts themselves.

The only thing giving me pause with Malzahn leaving is that he's been starting a True Freshman quarterback. You don't do that with the intent to leave a school where you have a massive contract in place and quite a bit of tenure.

If Malzahn loses to both Georgia and Alabama to close out the season, that's another 8-4 season without a marquee SEC win. I don't see Auburn extending much more of a leash. That big contract you mentioned would start to look more and more like a mistake. If an opportunity arose (ie. Arkansas job) where there was a chance to get out of it seemingly unscathed, I don't see why they wouldn't knock a few mil off Malzahn's buyout to Auburn to avoid officially firing him and owing him $19mil.

[bigdaddyg]

Drink was on the DG show earlier and this subject came up. Drink handled the question well and was probably not comfortable with it being asked. To be honest I don't know why any coach is asked a question about another program. I have never heard one give any answer except the canned one of "I am happy where I am, I am playing one game at a time, building a program, etc." The man will do whatever he thinks is best. Someone the other day mentioned giving more to Yosef. While this is always good we ain't never gonna raise P5 coaching kind of money.

[Appstate88]

Giving to Yosef Club will not fix the coaching $ needed to compete against P5 salaries. But if we gave $3m more we could at least offer the number of scholarships the NCAA allows for the sport teams we have at App State. Right now, we compete with less. Please consider giving to Yosef Club.

[The Rock]

Arkansas will want to make a bigger splash than a 1st year head coach at (in their view) a small time G5 school.

You could have said the same thing about Louisville...

[appfan22]

Arkansas will want to make a bigger splash than a 1st year head coach at (in their view) a small time G5 school.

You could have said the same thing about Louisville...

Arkansas hired Chad Morris with an overall losing record at SMU.

[NeerShark]

Arkansas could blow us out of the water with what they could offer. But the odds are great there'll be an even better offer for him next year, and he has to be aware of the team we'll be returning.

He'll only be more attractive next year, both because of our likely success and the fact that he'll have some of his recruits playing.

[bigdaddyg]

Arkansas will want to make a bigger splash than a 1st year head coach at (in their view) a small time G5 school.

You could have said the same thing about Louisville...

Bingo. Satt set those wheels in motion. We are not a small time G5 anymore. A good athletic director is well aware of who Satt is, what he has done already at Louisville and where he came from. That same AD knows who we are, knows who Drink is and is keenly aware of how strong our program is. We are not a secret and no longer that little FCS school who beat Michigan. Times are changing.

[NavyApp]

I think we are forgetting who their biggest booster is. Mr. Cowboy himself Jerry Jones. Where was Chad Morris' last stop? SMU. Where is SMU? Dallas. He may not be publicly pulling the strings but his wishes will be known and taken into account. I doubt it will be Drink for the simple fact that it would be such great hire for them and they are currently inept of making good football hires.

[BeauFoster]

I think we are forgetting who their biggest booster is. Mr. Cowboy himself Jerry Jones. Where was Chad Morris' last stop? SMU. Where is SMU? Dallas. He may not be publicly pulling the strings but his wishes will be known and taken into account. I doubt it will be Drink for the simple fact that it would be such great hire for them and they are currently inept of making good football hires.

There's a ton of truth in this post.

[GoBoone]

I think we are forgetting who their biggest booster is. Mr. Cowboy himself Jerry Jones. Where was Chad Morris' last stop? SMU. Where is SMU? Dallas. He may not be publicly pulling the strings but his wishes will be known and taken into account. I doubt it will be Drink for the simple fact that it would be such great hire for them and they are currently inept of making good football hires.

Reckon that has anything to do with why they have "Dallas" plastered on the front of their uniforms?

[BeauFoster]

I think we are forgetting who their biggest booster is. Mr. Cowboy himself Jerry Jones. Where was Chad Morris' last stop? SMU. Where is SMU? Dallas. He may not be publicly pulling the strings but his wishes will be known and taken into account. I doubt it will be Drink for the simple fact that it would be such great hire for them and they are currently inept of making good football hires.

Reckon that has anything to do with why they have "Dallas" plastered on the front of their uniforms?

Probably a little something to do with it, but I heard that they wanted that on there for the last couple of games to honor the people injured/property damaged in the tornadoes a month or two back.

[ah59396]

I don’t disagree with what your saying, but I don’t think Drink would be interested in Ark under these circumstances. They gave Morris less than two years to clean up the mess and let him go before he can turn it around. Now if I am Drink, Arkansas is an intriguing job to me because it is close to family. However, if they are going to have a short leash on me, do I want to move my family there now with a greater probability that we could be on the move again in two years because the base is impatient, or do I wait for a more stable situation that migh provided a more long term stay?

I think you’re setting yourself up for disappointment if you believe this.

No person in their right mind would turn down the contract he’d be offered. We are talking life changing money.

What he makes now is obviously awesome, but like with Satt, Arkansas can offer Drink a $20-$30m contract. That’s “set your great-grandkids up for life” money.

And, like with Satt, there’s no waiting in coaching. Strike when the iron is hot. Every great coach is a bad season or two away from being fired and they know it.