If Briles Departs, There is Only One Man Pittman Should Have on Speed Dial

Arkansas needs to pull out all the stops to bring back fan favorite if it needs new offensive coordinator

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Nov 28, 2022 11:43 AM EST
Original:
Nov 27, 2022

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With Lane Kiffin staying put at Ole Miss until the right coach gets fired or retires, attention has turned to Hugh Freeze.

If Liberty can't collect enough money in the offering plate to keep Freeze interested in trying to help the Flames land in a major conference, they will need to start looking for a new head coach.

Hugh Freeze-Liberty — Hugh Freeze celebrates taking down the Arkansas Razorbacks on their Homecoming. (Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports)

While Freeze has probably made Liberty too attractive of a landing spot for this to happen now, a few people have passively suggested Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles as his replacement.

While this is something that would have been much more likely last season, his name will probably still pop up here or there for offensive coordinator positions. With all the heat Briles has been under from fans this season, there's a real possibility Pittman lets him exit in a dignified manner if the opportunity arises.

Should Briles find himself elsewhere next season, it begs the question of who should be the top candidate for his replacement.

The answer to that is simple.

Barry Lunney, Jr.

Lunney was beloved as an interim coach who took over for a fired Chad Morris in the midst of an even more difficult situation than the one Pittman inherited.

He is a Razorback lifer who not only coached through multiple staffs, but was a highly successful Arkansas quarterback known for showing endless levels of heart on the field.

Following a loss to Missouri in Little Rock where the Hogs held on for three quarters with Jack Lindsey and Ben Hicks at quarterback, the dream of becoming the next full-time Arkansas head coach came to an end for Lunney.

When Pittman took over, Lunney was reportedly offered the chance to remain on staff, but if he was ever going to grow into a future legitimate head coaching candidate, Lunney needed opportunity.

That opportunity came when fellow Arkansas assistant Jeff Traylor took over as head coach at UTSA. Traylor turned the entire offense over to Lunney and charged him with molding the scheme they ran at Arkansas into something more effective.

Despite being saddled with COVID restrictions two months in, Lunney immediately boosted the offense, leading a 4-win team to a 7-5 record that included a 5-2 finish in conference play and three games of 49 or more points.

Barry Lunney Jr-UT-San Antonio — UTSA offensive coordinator Barry Lunney, Jr. pulls down his mask to communicate with his quarterback. (Tim Heitman / USA TODAY Sports)

The following season, his first with a proper spring to install his offense, Lunney opened the year by putting up 37 on the road in an upset of Illinois and his former boss, Bret Bielema.

His offense continued to soar as UTEP rattled cages on the national level with an 11-0 record.

In a twist of fate, Lunney had to figure out a way to match scores with the same explosive Western Kentucky offense that got his former boss, Chad Morris, fired. It took everything he could dream up, but the Roadrunners held off the Hilltoppers, 49-41 in the Conference USA championship game.

Perhaps the biggest feather in his cap is turning the Illinois offense into something respectable this season. Arkansas fans know first-hand how difficult it is to get Bielema to stray too far from leaning almost entirely on a power running game.

However, after a losing season during which one of those losses was directly a result of Lunney, Bielema loosened the reigns on the assistant he had come to trust all those years ago in Fayetteville.

Lunney's impact was dramatic. He increased the per game scoring average by four points, raised the average passing game from 156 yards per game to 215 and the overall offense totals from 330 to 395 yards per game.

The passing game went from a 50 percent completion percentage to over 70 percent. And keep in mind that all of these numbers are before the Illini's 41-3 blasting of Northwestern could be factored in.

Illinois went from 5-7 to a breath away from facing down with Michigan in the Big Ten championship game, a team Lunney's offense was a field goal away from taking down last week.

The Illini offense put up 31+ points five times this season. For those who remember the years under Bielema, that is a feat of magic while working under a man hell bent on shortening the game as much as possible by constantly running clock.

The Razorbacks have always been at their best when they have a physical, all-heart approach led by people either on the field or on the sidelines who grew up in the state and truly understand what every game means to its people.

As gifted as Briles is at understanding offensive concepts, Lunney is an even better fit not only within the program, but with the vision Pittman originally described he wanted for his team when he took over. He understands the need for physicality and a blue collar mentality.

Lunney made the right call to move on from Arkansas when he did. He wasn't going to learn the things he has been able to pick up through experience over the last three years.

However, coming back to the Razorbacks would be the right choice also should the opportunity present itself. Not only would Lunney provide a missing ingredient for this staff, but it would be the last piece of the puzzle for his training to one day become the Arkansas head coach after Pittman decides he's had enough and wants more time with his wife on the lake.

Of course, all of this is moot if Briles is back on the headset for Arkansas next year. However, if the time does come, it would be imprudent for Lunney to not be the first call Pittman makes.