Drink interviews w/ Ark

[fjblair]

This kind of circus has to have negative consequences with our recruiting. We can expect this every couple of years as long as we are successful. I don't know how any mid major can sustain success with the staff turning over every other year.

Think recruits may be more interested in the foundation of success and excellence at App. Coaching staff matters but it isn't the only factor.

I hope that is the case!

[ericsaid]

Kiffin is likely the top choice of a couple of the open positions. I'm glad, and hope that he is Arkansas' first choice, but that don't mean he will take that particular job. Same way Brohm didn't take the Louisville job and opened the door for Satt. Hopefully this is just a formality and keeping his name out there gesture and will come back for at least another year or two.

Kiffin has been to Arkansas since last week and they have done an in home visit with him. They are recruiting him hard. I'd like to believe their second choice is Mike Leech. Despite how Mike is sometimes, he had Washington State in the Top Ten of the CFP and Texas Tech in the Top 5 of the AP Poll at one point. Arkansas is the perfect destination for him. He would also be able to get back into the Texas recruiting base, assuming he didn't burn any bridges, and that would be a boon to Arkansas.

His scheme is also fairly basic and he could likely take the existing talent that they have and get to at least 6 wins in his first season. Once he begins getting his guys in, they could really take off (Air Raid pun). I get the allure of Kiffin but if I'm Arkansas, I take stock of the state of my program and ask "who has turned seemingly dead end programs around before?"

I'd also like to see a Press Conference if Leech beats Saban.

[Black Saturday]

The amount had to be negotiated, approved by the BOT and written into the terms of the App contract before Drink was hired.

So the buy out can't be adjusted with an extension? And what is the baseline for the buy out clause in the contract? Where does it come from? I assume it can't be some arbitrary number but if you assigned a number to it commiserate with the expected future value of the coach, you would get significantly more money in return if they leave.

When Arkansas State had a revolving door of coaches they were able to pay their next hire with the buy out from the previous one, continuously upping their salary. Louisiana pays Napier close to $1 mm. App will need to get in that range to stave off some of the less attractive P5 positions that come calling.

Texas State pays their coach more than we do

[ericsaid]

This kind of circus has to have negative consequences with our recruiting. We can expect this every couple of years as long as we are successful. I don't know how any mid major can sustain success with the staff turning over every other year.

Think recruits may be more interested in the foundation of success and excellence at App. Coaching staff matters but it isn't the only factor.

I hope that is the case!

It's always about relationships. But beyond that initial contact, there is "what does this school provide? What is their history? Where are they going from here? Do I want to be a part of it?" I'd assume that in the event Drink left some of the staff would be retained and those relationships built with coaches like Clark and Smith would be maintained.

I'm not really sure of Smith's acumen with the entirety of the defense yet, either, but I'd assume his and Gasparato's next move will be for DC roles. One thing I'd think a new coach wouldn't mess with is the defense. We saw Roof try to tinker a little too much early in the season before taking it back a notch to what was done before.

[ericsaid]

The amount had to be negotiated, approved by the BOT and written into the terms of the App contract before Drink was hired.

So the buy out can't be adjusted with an extension? And what is the baseline for the buy out clause in the contract? Where does it come from? I assume it can't be some arbitrary number but if you assigned a number to it commiserate with the expected future value of the coach, you would get significantly more money in return if they leave.

When Arkansas State had a revolving door of coaches they were able to pay their next hire with the buy out from the previous one, continuously upping their salary. Louisiana pays Napier close to $1 mm. App will need to get in that range to stave off some of the less attractive P5 positions that come calling.

Texas State pays their coach more than we do

Yes. This is why finding ways to increase funding across the board is needed. As I've stated before, I wish App would reach out beyond their alumni for the Yosef Club. As an outsider looking in, it looks like a Good Ol' Boys and Girls club that caters to a select group of people. Small donations could be pushed and marketed as Making an Impact moreso than is already done. A lot of people who have no academic ties to App follow the program in the areas surrounding Boone including the Triad, Lenoir/Morganton/Hickory and the like.

When ECU was having success with Ruffin, they managed to get to 22,000 Season Ticket Sales prior to the season. They are in a remote area in a similar situation to App other than having a larger enrollment. Success, you'd think, would generally drive these types of investments. Then again, it could also be home opponents that help. I'd imagine being in the AAC and having a home line-up of a P5, ECU, UCF, and Cincinnati would result in an increase in season ticket sales.

[AppStFan1]

Why not explore bringing Bryan Brown back, if that's the case.

Brown would be out the door very quickly as well. I would go with Clark or Ivey. They are older than Brown and both love App. If we don't want to lose coaches every year those are the two best chances. They would stay for a long time.

I can’t say that I hate the Clark idea, Think the boat may have sailed on Ivey though.

It may have. Rumors are that that Ivey was mad when he left. I really think it would be Clark. Regardless, we don't need to waste money on these firms. Gillin or even our top boosters could come up with a good list for free. Clark would take the job and stay a while.

At least until somebody came and offered him $3MM+. This is the nature of the beast. We want to win, so people will want our coaches. If anything, we should be donating to up Gillen's salary to keep him.

Clark is not looking to go and I think he would want to stay a while. He truly loves App. You notice he was the one person who did not bolt for Louisville. He truly rather be on the mountain. I'm also told that Tim Horton is another who would jump on the job and stay a long time.

As for the money it is the reason why we HAVE TO GO TO THE AAC! I don't care what we have to do but whatever it takes to get in the AAC we go take it. We would still lose to the P5 schools but we would be the king of G5 level and never have to worry about losing a HC to another G5 or worry about whether we are going to the NY6 if we are the AAC Champ with 1 loss. I am happy for our time in the SBC so far but we need to get in the AAC.

[AppSt94]

Brown would be out the door very quickly as well. I would go with Clark or Ivey. They are older than Brown and both love App. If we don't want to lose coaches every year those are the two best chances. They would stay for a long time.

I can’t say that I hate the Clark idea, Think the boat may have sailed on Ivey though.

It may have. Rumors are that that Ivey was mad when he left. I really think it would be Clark. Regardless, we don't need to waste money on these firms. Gillin or even our top boosters could come up with a good list for free. Clark would take the job and stay a while.

At least until somebody came and offered him $3MM+. This is the nature of the beast. We want to win, so people will want our coaches. If anything, we should be donating to up Gillen's salary to keep him.

Clark is not looking to go and I think he would want to stay a while. He truly loves App. You notice he was the one person who did not bolt for Louisville. He truly rather be on the mountain. I'm also told that Tim Horton is another who would jump on the job and stay a long time.

As for the money it is the reason why we HAVE TO GO TO THE AAC! I don't care what we have to do but whatever it takes to get in the AAC we go take it. We would still lose to the P5 schools but we would be the king of G5 level and never have to worry about losing a HC to another G5 or worry about whether we are going to the NY6 if we are the AAC Champ with 1 loss. I am happy for our time in the SBC so far but we need to get in the AAC.

Clark didn’t go because he wasn’t offered a job. Sat took Ledford to be his OL Coach.

[The Rock]

Brown would be out the door very quickly as well. I would go with Clark or Ivey. They are older than Brown and both love App. If we don't want to lose coaches every year those are the two best chances. They would stay for a long time.

I can’t say that I hate the Clark idea, Think the boat may have sailed on Ivey though.

It may have. Rumors are that that Ivey was mad when he left. I really think it would be Clark. Regardless, we don't need to waste money on these firms. Gillin or even our top boosters could come up with a good list for free. Clark would take the job and stay a while.

At least until somebody came and offered him $3MM+. This is the nature of the beast. We want to win, so people will want our coaches. If anything, we should be donating to up Gillen's salary to keep him.

Clark is not looking to go and I think he would want to stay a while. He truly loves App. You notice he was the one person who did not bolt for Louisville. He truly rather be on the mountain. I'm also told that Tim Horton is another who would jump on the job and stay a long time.

As for the money it is the reason why we HAVE TO GO TO THE AAC! I don't care what we have to do but whatever it takes to get in the AAC we go take it. We would still lose to the P5 schools but we would be the king of G5 level and never have to worry about losing a HC to another G5 or worry about whether we are going to the NY6 if we are the AAC Champ with 1 loss. I am happy for our time in the SBC so far but we need to get in the AAC.

Wrong.
While the AAC does have a much larger TV contract than the sunbelt, we are still nowhere near the athletic budget of the other AAC teams. to be competitive in funding, we would have to double our giving from what it is now to be comparable even with the additional revenue from TV contract.
We could pay a HC more, but simply moving to the AAC does not end our financial shortcomings.

[AppStFan1]

I can’t say that I hate the Clark idea, Think the boat may have sailed on Ivey though.

It may have. Rumors are that that Ivey was mad when he left. I really think it would be Clark. Regardless, we don't need to waste money on these firms. Gillin or even our top boosters could come up with a good list for free. Clark would take the job and stay a while.

At least until somebody came and offered him $3MM+. This is the nature of the beast. We want to win, so people will want our coaches. If anything, we should be donating to up Gillen's salary to keep him.

Clark is not looking to go and I think he would want to stay a while. He truly loves App. You notice he was the one person who did not bolt for Louisville. He truly rather be on the mountain. I'm also told that Tim Horton is another who would jump on the job and stay a long time.

As for the money it is the reason why we HAVE TO GO TO THE AAC! I don't care what we have to do but whatever it takes to get in the AAC we go take it. We would still lose to the P5 schools but we would be the king of G5 level and never have to worry about losing a HC to another G5 or worry about whether we are going to the NY6 if we are the AAC Champ with 1 loss. I am happy for our time in the SBC so far but we need to get in the AAC.

Clark didn’t go because he wasn’t offered a job. Sat took Ledford to be his OL Coach.

I was told that he wanted to stay though. I know Satt was closer with Ledford and that both Shawn and Scott had disagreements sometimes so he was happy to stay anyway. Is that not true?

[ah59396]

My inside sources are telling me that if Drink takes the Arkansas job, Ron Rivera will be announced as the new App State HC.

[boonetown1]

Brown would be out the door very quickly as well. I would go with Clark or Ivey. They are older than Brown and both love App. If we don't want to lose coaches every year those are the two best chances. They would stay for a long time.

I can’t say that I hate the Clark idea, Think the boat may have sailed on Ivey though.

It may have. Rumors are that that Ivey was mad when he left. I really think it would be Clark. Regardless, we don't need to waste money on these firms. Gillin or even our top boosters could come up with a good list for free. Clark would take the job and stay a while.

At least until somebody came and offered him $3MM+. This is the nature of the beast. We want to win, so people will want our coaches. If anything, we should be donating to up Gillen's salary to keep him.

Clark is not looking to go and I think he would want to stay a while. He truly loves App. You notice he was the one person who did not bolt for Louisville. He truly rather be on the mountain. I'm also told that Tim Horton is another who would jump on the job and stay a long time.

As for the money it is the reason why we HAVE TO GO TO THE AAC! I don't care what we have to do but whatever it takes to get in the AAC we go take it. We would still lose to the P5 schools but we would be the king of G5 level and never have to worry about losing a HC to another G5 or worry about whether we are going to the NY6 if we are the AAC Champ with 1 loss. I am happy for our time in the SBC so far but we need to get in the AAC.

Clark wasnt brought to Louisville by Satt - he brought Ledford. That said, i do think Clark would like to stay. Horton wont happen and probably shouldn't IMO.

All that said - i doubt we lose drink this year. So, we should probably cool it with this talk.

[ASUTodd]

In going to echo a sentiment from an earlier posting ..... We have a Sunbelt championship game coming up. It is a MUST win for our remote NY6 hopes to stay alive. We have a 4 bowl win streak we could extend to 5. So many things are hanging in the balance. Regardless of what is normal, or what is "ok" by college coaching standards.....I find this disrespectful to the players, school, and alumni. I certainly hope this isn't the case. I don't know the ins and outs of the profession so I can only go off how it feels as a fan looking at it from the outside. I am assuming that DG has to give permission for any interviewing to take place. I also get that people want more money and a bigger stage. I don't have an issue with that. I do take issue with that process taking place during the season. Just kinda sucks... It's like finding out your girlfriend has been out on the corner turning tricks behind your back.

[AppStFan1]

I can’t say that I hate the Clark idea, Think the boat may have sailed on Ivey though.

It may have. Rumors are that that Ivey was mad when he left. I really think it would be Clark. Regardless, we don't need to waste money on these firms. Gillin or even our top boosters could come up with a good list for free. Clark would take the job and stay a while.

At least until somebody came and offered him $3MM+. This is the nature of the beast. We want to win, so people will want our coaches. If anything, we should be donating to up Gillen's salary to keep him.

Clark is not looking to go and I think he would want to stay a while. He truly loves App. You notice he was the one person who did not bolt for Louisville. He truly rather be on the mountain. I'm also told that Tim Horton is another who would jump on the job and stay a long time.

As for the money it is the reason why we HAVE TO GO TO THE AAC! I don't care what we have to do but whatever it takes to get in the AAC we go take it. We would still lose to the P5 schools but we would be the king of G5 level and never have to worry about losing a HC to another G5 or worry about whether we are going to the NY6 if we are the AAC Champ with 1 loss. I am happy for our time in the SBC so far but we need to get in the AAC.

Clark wasnt brought to Louisville by Satt - he brought Ledford. That said, i do think Clark would like to stay. Horton wont happen and probably shouldn't IMO.

All that said - i doubt we lose drink this year. So, we should probably cool it with this talk.

As for Clark, I heard he did not really want to go anyway. He and Satt had some disagreements, which was okay. They don't hate each other. Clark just preferred to stay.

I agree Horton won't happen. I just know he is one who would love the job and would stay.

I doubt he goes this year as well. I think if we win the SBC, and especially if we win 1-2 P5 games next year, then Drink is gone. I expect him back one more year.

[DaphneUrquhart]

Apparently Hog fans believe that Kiffin is the savior they need and he will help them beat Alabama. And this will all happen without cheating or breaking any rules on the recruiting trail. Has Arkansas really ever had any sustained success? I am not talking like one or two good years in a row but sustained with 9 win seasons?

They were pretty good in the early 60's through late 80's with Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz, and Ken Hatfield.

[The Rock]

In going to echo a sentiment from an earlier posting ..... We have a Sunbelt championship game coming up. It is a MUST win for our remote NY6 hopes to stay alive. We have a 4 bowl win streak we could extend to 5. So many things are hanging in the balance. Regardless of what is normal, or what is "ok" by college coaching standards.....I find this disrespectful to the players, school, and alumni. I certainly hope this isn't the case. I don't know the ins and outs of the profession so I can only go off how it feels as a fan looking at it from the outside. I am assuming that DG has to give permission for any interviewing to take place. I also get that people want more money and a bigger stage. I don't have an issue with that. I do take issue with that process taking place during the season. Just kinda sucks... It's like finding out your girlfriend has been out on the corner turning tricks behind your back.

Unfortunately this is the way it is now. Firings come earlier to get a jump on the interviews. This means the successful HCs who are targeted for these jobs are still coaching championships and bowl games. The new early signing period makes it even more necessary for the change to take place early. It puts coaches in a bad spot. I'm sure they want to stay with their teams, but you have to be all in with the new team and getting started on recruiting your next class begins immediately. It sucks, but I don't see it changing.

[bigdaddyg]

Apparently Hog fans believe that Kiffin is the savior they need and he will help them beat Alabama. And this will all happen without cheating or breaking any rules on the recruiting trail. Has Arkansas really ever had any sustained success? I am not talking like one or two good years in a row but sustained with 9 win seasons?

They were pretty good in the early 60's through late 80's with Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz, and Ken Hatfield.

You are absolutely correct and 1989 was 30 years ago. Nebraska was a juggernaut for a long time and they have done nothing for years. Arkansas has not sustained that success. It has been a long time but folks out there just think paying a coach huge money is all that they need. The landscape has changed especially in the SEC West. I can't see the big three down there sliding anytime soon. If they are content to maybe come in 4th then open the vault.

[AppfaninCAALand]

I said it when Satt left and it will be true when Drink leaves (whenever that is). At our level, we want the rich schools to poach our coaches. And we want it to be an ever 2-3 year thing. It means we win.

My wife's school, VCU, has replaced their men's basketball coach on average every 3 years in the 20+ years I've known her. And they are a regular in the NCAA tournament, AP Top 25, with multiple conference championships and a Final Four run.

Mid-majors that put their coaches into better jobs attrach better up-and-comers.

[bettysburner]

Lane Kiffin to Arkansas is a done deal.

[App91]

This kind of circus has to have negative consequences with our recruiting. We can expect this every couple of years as long as we are successful. I don't know how any mid major can sustain success with the staff turning over every other year.

this is why it is unusual for Mid Majors to sustain success and what makes our success that much more gratifying. Enjoy it, it may not last.

[Mjohn1988]

I said it when Satt left and it will be true when Drink leaves (whenever that is). At our level, we want the rich schools to poach our coaches. And we want it to be an ever 2-3 year thing. It means we win.

My wife's school, VCU, has replaced their men's basketball coach on average every 3 years in the 20+ years I've known her. And they are a regular in the NCAA tournament, AP Top 25, with multiple conference championships and a Final Four run.

Mid-majors that put their coaches into better jobs attrach better up-and-comers.

And I get that but the guy hasn’t even finished his first year.