If Arkansas Fans Get Their Way, Who Are Realistic Options Yurachek Can Consider?

Potential list not as plentiful as Razorback fans might hope for replacing Pittman

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Oct 2, 2023 3:19 PM EDT
Original:
Oct 2, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Shortly after Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman sent his punter who recently coffin cornered a 69-yard punt to the bench so he could line up in the shotgun and go for it on fourth down in his own territory behind an untrustworthy offensive line once again, social media lit up with people calling for Pittman to be fired.

That's all well and good in the emotion of the moment. The list of reasons one would need to consider in whether a move needs to make at head coach has gotten longer that one might hope. However, after a weekend of clarity and Sunday prayer, hopefully Arkansas fans have come to one stark realization.

If athletics director Hunter Yurachek dismisses Pittman at some point over the next couple of months, he has to hire a new coach. Things didn't exactly go smoothly last time. The two people reportedly interested were a life-long offensive line coach from Georgia and a high school coach at a private school with minimal experience, and that high school coach isn't interested anymore.

For those not following, that high school coach was a pre-Jackson State Deion Sanders and, despite all the memes, he isn't coming. Even if he were, if Arkansas rolled its eyes at the heavily muted bravado of Bret Bielema, it will need at least bury a full generation before Razorback fans can handle something similar to a Prime Time swagger. Let's put that one to rest.

So, who would be viable options for the job that wouldn't require the extreme sinking feeling of settling for someone with a pulse and would that person be an upgrade to what Arkansas already has? Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, it looks like they may have to travel pretty far, which means there will be questions as to whether the coach can work. After all, everyone saw the terrible fit Bryan Harsin was over at Auburn.

JAKE DICKERT, Washington State

If there's anywhere relatable to Arkansas in the Great Northwest, it's Washington State. Tucked out away from a whole lot of anything, including major airports, the university takes a special person to lure recruits. You often have to know how to find diamonds in the rough and develop them to have success against those who do have the resources in the college football world.

The one good thing about Dickert is he provides a little bit of balance. He played quarterback and wide receiver in college, but has spent his 16 years of coaching on the defensive side of the ball. He had five seasons as defensive coordinator before a wild series of circumstances involving former head coach Nik Rolovich and several assistant's refusal to follow COVID compliance rules. Ultimately, they were all fired and Dickert won the hearts of fans and players over by coaching short-staffed under the most difficult of circumstances by going 3-2, including winning three of the last four and nearly pulling off an upset of BYU the week he was named interim coach.

In 2022, the Cougars finished the regular season 7-5, including a stunner over No. 19 Wisconsin on the road early in the season. He currently has Washington State 4-0 with wins over a pair of ranked teams in Wisconsin and Oregon State to start the year.

Beyond proving he can recruit to a remote outpost, odds are higher Arkansas might be able to lure him away because the Cougars currently only have a two-team conference. Leaving the mess Washington State is in going forward with conference realignment and the damage it will do to an already difficult recruiting situation give the Hogs a good chance if Yurachek wants to pull the trigger.

JONATHAN SMITH, Oregon State

Should Yurachek get the feeling the money men behind Arkansas decisions wants to go with offensive experience, Oregon State's Jonathan Smith might fit the bill. Smith was a four-year starter at quarterback for the Beavers and led them to an 11-1 record and the Pac-12 championship at one point.

He had six years of offensive coordinator experience, most of which were at Washington, before be tasked with digging the Beavers out of the deep ditch the program fell into during the late teens. Smith took over in 2018 and was shown a great deal of grace as he installed his system and acquired the players to run it.

It took three years of losing before Smith got Oregon State on the winning side of things at 7-6 in 2021. However, prior to a loss last weekend to Dickert's Washington State team, Smith had guided the Beavers to 14 wins in their last 17 games.

Just like Dickert, life is about to get much more difficult for him at Oregon State. Having been left out of Power Four realignment, it's going to be even more difficult to recruit to Corvallis. Smith may see the walls closing in and find it's the right time to jump ship.

LANCE LEIPOLD, Kansas

Arkansas fans know first-hand how tough Kansas coach Lance Leipold can be to face, especially his highly creative offense. One thing is for sure, Texas wouldn't exactly be jumping up and down in happiness if the Longhorns had to face him in the SEC.

Anyone who can lure and develop the talent Leipold has been able to sneak away to Kansas can definitely recruit to Arkansas. Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels, who created all kinds of misery for Arkansas last year, is the type of quarterback Arkansas has a history of landing as of late. They are plentiful in the surrounding states and often overlooked.

The man produced five undefeated seasons and became the fastest to reach 100 wins after going 100-6 to start his career. It doesn't matter that he did it at a lower level. No one wins that many games without being good at both coaching and inspiration.

He posted 10 wins at Buffalo and had them at 6-1 and in the Top 25 during the shortened 2020 season. He beat Texas his first season in Kansas, which never happens, then went 5-0 to start last year before upsetting Oklahoma State to earn a chance to face Arkansas.

His Jayhawks were 4-0 this year before having to face No. 3 Texas without Daniels following an unfortunate injury. He may not have the incentive to leave because of lack of conference like the two coaches previously mentioned, but it wouldn't take much for Arkansas to pay him more than Kansas is every willing to pay a football coach. Leipold signed a contract last year that the Jayhawks said signified just how committed they are to supporting football in Kansas. That gaudy number – $5 million per year.

JEFF TRAYLOR, UTSA

Arkansas fans might be a little uneasy about dipping into the former Chad Morris staff, but UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has long since proven he's above the train wreck that happened under Morris.

Traylor was a legend in Texas high school football, especially after turning Gilmer over in East Texas into one of the most dominant programs in the state for a long time. He then spent time at Texas, SMU and Arkansas before become head coach at UTSA.

Once in charge of the Roadrunners, a relatively new program, he built up a 31-13 record that included several huge upsets along the way, including marching into Illinois and knocking off Bret Bielema's Fighting Illini. Traylor posted double digit wins the past two seasons.

Traylor currently makes $2.5 million per year, so putting together a competitive salary shouldn't be hard for Arkansas. Plus, there's a good chance he would want to reunite with his former offensive coordinator, former Arkansas quarterback Barry Lunney, Jr., who was hired away by Bielema following the upset.

The biggest reason to consider Traylor is a recent court ruling that is setting the stage for universities to pay players directly is going to create problems for the Razorbacks in recruiting, especially in Texas. Traylor's connections may be the only path to winning seasons in the near future as the Razorbacks simply don't have the NIL resources to compete with the likes of Texas A&M, Texas, SMU, LSU and Alabama for Texas high school recruits. Traylor at least gives Arkansas a puncher's chance in East Texas.

And that's kinda where the list ends. There are other names out there, but they're either not realistic or don't have highly successful head coaching experience that might work at a place like Arkansas. On top of that, the program is most likely going to need to find someone who can come in at no more than what Pittman is currently making, so that shortens the list quite a bit also.

Needless to say, if Arkansas fans are so eager to send Pittman on an early retirement to Hot Springs, then they'd better be ready to accept the bumpy ride that follows in the coaching search. The job is technically in better shape than it was after Morris left, but NIL weaknesses from a football standpoint has made winning with the Razorbacks way harder than it once was.