All Hogs

Can Razorbacks find their own Calipari in football coaching search?

Coaching search will continue into December with a long list of veteran and young candidates
Bob Stephens|
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden has expressed interest in coaching a college team, with his name linked to Arkansas, Florida and Auburn as possibilities.
Former NFL coach Jon Gruden has expressed interest in coaching a college team, with his name linked to Arkansas, Florida and Auburn as possibilities. | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Nobody expected John Calipari to be Arkansas' next basketball coach when Eric Musselman bought a bus ticket to Los Angeles and left the Razorbacks high and dry.

Musselman, always the nomad, had worn out his welcome in Northwest Arkansas, both with boosters and the UA administration.

Good riddance was the response to the Muss Bus heading to Southern Cal back in the spring of 2024.

What did Arkansas do? Upgraded. Plain and simple, when you lose a coach, lose a player, lose a girlfriend, answer is always the same: Time to upgrade!

What happened next seemed almost as easy as ordering from Amazon. In this case, it was John Tyson making the delivery.

Tyson all but deposited his golfing buddy -- who just happened to be a Hall of Fame basketball coach -- at the doorstep of Arkansas Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek.

It was done quickly. Calipari resigned his job after 15 seasons at Kentucky, which included a national championship in 2012, and was introduced the next night as the Head Hog on April 10, 2024.

Fans flocked to Walton Arena to express their enthusiasm as Coach Cal was introduced. Razorback rooters also applauded Tyson, probably more loudly than if he'd brought chicken dinners for everyone in the building.

What's in Hogs' future with Calipari at the helm?

Calipari's story at Arkansas is yet to be told, though the first chapter started with much drama including an 0-5 start in the SEC.

A mid-season course correction was highlighted by Calipari's signature win on his return to Kentucky on Feb. 1. Tyson was on hand to enjoy that bit of tasty revenge for Coach Cal.

Calipari's first Arkansas team fashioned a 22-14 record and fought hard down the stretch to earn an NCAA Tournament berth, then upset two Hall of Fame coaches, Kansas' Bill Self and Rick Pitino of St. John's, on the way to a Sweet 16 berth.

Now, with two 5-star recruits joined with returning talent, all seems well with the Hogs' hoops program. But what about football? That, of course, is a different story.

Three wild-card candidates, one a blast from the past

Best way to replicate the Calipari hiring is to wrap up another big-time coach and hand him the keys to Razorback Stadium.

Are you listening, John T? Or does Yurachek need to get the Waltons involved this time.

Best way to make another big splash is with private NIL donations. Gotta get the big boosters on board, or recruit more big boosters.

Here's the short list of top dogs who might be faintly interested, unless they take one of the likely more coveted and open jobs at Florida, LSU, Auburn, Penn State, UCLA or Virginia Tech:

  • Jon Gruden, Super Bowl winner
  • James Franklin, fired at Penn State
  • Houston Nutt, retired won't be hired

Nutt, of course, is the former Arkansas coach who spent 10 seasons in Fayetteville and led the Hogs to two SEC Championship games, in 2002 and '06.

Nutt's been out of coaching for more than a decade, once thought he would get another chance, but now at 68 is content to make motivational speeches and play with his grandkids.

Gruden has expressed interest, both to Hogs on SI sources and his golfing and drinking buddy John Daly, the former Hog who won two major golf championships.

Most likely, the Super Bowl-winning coach will accept the Florida job if he gets back in the game.

That leaves us with James Franklin, who caught the country's attention by making Vanderbilt respectable and then by winning at Penn State.

Penn State Nittany Lions coach James Franklin stands on the field following a 22-21 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats at Beav
Penn State Nittany Lions coach James Franklin stands on the field following a 22-21 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 11. He was fired the next day. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

He led the Nittany Lions to the 12-team College Football Playoffs last season but was fired this year with a 3-3 record, 0-3 in the Big 10.

To say it frankly, Franklin couldn't win the big one. He was 4-21 at Penn State against AP top-10 opponents, including 1-18 against top-10 Big Ten teams in conference games.

As ESPN noted, Franklin's .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams is tied for the third-worst record by a coach (minimum 25 games) at a single school since the poll era began in 1936.

Of these three, Franklin is the most likely.

Three more but one will be shown the door

Three other well-known and proven coaches are clearly on Yurachek's short list. But here's the problem:

  • SMU coach Rhett Lashlee almost assuredly won't accept the job.
  • Hogs interim coach Bobby Petrino wants the job but won't be offered.

Lashlee is from Springdale, was a walkon quarterback and graduate assistant coach at Arkansas under Nutt, but has a big contract and security at SMU.

SMU Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee grew up in Northwest Arkansas and would be a great fit for the Razorbacks.
SMU Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee grew up in Northwest Arkansas and would be a great fit for the Razorbacks. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Petrino would still like a full shot at winning again for Hog fans in 2026. But he has little chance of drawing a paycheck from the UA next year due to four straight losses since he took over following the 56-13 embarrassment against Notre Dame.

Then, there's SEC retread Dan Mullen, the UNLV coach who found success at Mississippi State and Florida before the Gators cut him loose after four seasons.

Of these three, only Mullen has a shot.

Which mid-major hotshots appear best to Yurachek?

That leaves us with the aforementioned list of up-and-comers that just might be the next Urban Meyer or Nick Saban.

Of that list, the guy who beat Arkansas this year in Memhis likely has the inside track.

  • Ryan Silverfield, Memphis
  • Jon Sumrall, Tulane
  • Alex Golesh, South Florida
  • Jeff Traylor, UTSA
  • Eric Morris, North Texas

Were it not for an unfortunate play at the end of that Memphis game, Sam Pittman might still be the Hogs' coach.

And, theoretically, the Hogs might've won a couple more along the way instead of suffering through this bye week with a 2-7 record and seven straight losses.

Pittman deserved better. He certainly needed more NIL funding to be competitive with the SEC teams he was supposed to beat.

Hopefully, Yurachek and others will provide the necessary resources for the next guy to have a fighting chance in the nation's toughest conference.

HOGS FEED:

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Bob Stephens
BOB STEPHENS

Bob Stephens won more than a dozen awards as a sportswriter and columnist in Northwest Arkansas from 1980 to 2003. He started as a senior for the 1975 Fayetteville Bulldogs’ state championship basketball team, and was drafted that summer in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals but signed instead with Norm DeBriyn's Razorbacks, playing shortstop and third base. Bob has written for the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Star-Ledger, and many more. He covered the Razorbacks in three Final Fours, three College World Series, six New Year’s Day bowl games, and witnessed many track national championships. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Pati. Follow on X: @BobHogs56

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