Miami Probably Won't be Able to Lure Kendal Briles Away From Hogs
By all appearances, Kendal Briles is probably going to continue being Arkansas' offensive coordinator.
The reason likely is somewhat a little different than most people think.
Whether anybody wants to admit it or not, the joy of living in Northwest Arkansas probably had very little to do with decisions assistant coaches make.
Money isn't the first choice, either, although it might be 1-B.
Winning at the SEC level is always the first option. Both head coaches, assistants and administrators (who also get fired when teams don't win enough games) all look at the roster before any decision.
"That's always the first thing you look at," one former SEC coach told me, "and it better be a big load of money to overcome that."
Sam Pittman's turnaround in two seasons has gotten everybody's attention. Briles has been there the entire time and is probably deserving of the credit he's getting.
Going to Miami doesn't offer that right now. They aren't going to be winning a whole lot down there for awhile, but name, image and likeness is probably going to help them get back faster than some expect.
Briles has already dealt with what everybody is hoping is the worst part of rebuilding with the Razorbacks.
Now he's got a quarterback in KJ Jefferson he has developed into what is going to be one of the top-rated signal-callers in the SEC.
That is due to Briles. Jefferson didn't have any coaching his first year with the Hogs under the previous coaching staff.
The combination of a strong group of running backs to go along with his running ability has made him a better passer, exceeding Briles' off-season goal of a 65% completion percentage.
Now he's got to get some wide receivers to make plays.
But Briles will likely be the coach dealing with it at least for another year.
• Graphix look back at Hogs' football
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