Horns Down Must Be Earned, Hogs Need Missing Piece to Do It

Arkansas Razorbacks won't get pleasure of celebratory gesture if Pittman, staff can collect key recruit reflective of former beloved player

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jan 18, 2024 2:47 PM EST

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There are two conversations that have come up a lot over the past 12 hours or so.
1) The Texas Longhorns coach getting all bent out of shape over a "Horns Down" hand signal.
2) Razorback football recruiting picking up.

While is all more or less an indicator of how droll things can be in mid-January, especially when it's been North Pole cold for several days and driving is still an issue in parts of Arkansas, it does bring into focus that in almost exactly 10 months, Arkansas and Texas will hook up in their first conference game in over 30 years.

Yes, Arkansas fans are going to want to mess with Texas by throwing the horns down left and right and there will be all kinds of shirts that aren't family friendly, but when it comes to players and coaches, flashing the horns down needs to be earned.

When Houston Nutt did it after a bowl in over Texas, he earned that right. The Razorbacks had just put a pretty convincing whooping on the Big 12 South champions in their home state.

In 2021, if any players or coaches did it, then it was earned there also. Making Texas quit on your own field is definitely worthy of such an honor.

However, if it's going to happen again, in the midst of running down 5-stars in California and trying to dig up 4-star gold in Georgia, the coaching staff needs to find at least one player who isn't chosen because of his stars. He needs to be taken on solely because he's a natural leader of men.

Go back and look at the behind the scenes video of the game a few years ago against the Longhorns. About halfway through, take notice of the halftime speech Grant Morgan is giving. If Sam Pittman or any other coach uttered a word, it was wasted because Morgan said all that needed to be said.

Morgan was a 3-star out of high school. The No. 22 player in Arkansas who bet on himself and became a walk-on. He was a man of work, grit, character and natural leadership. There are no indications Arkansas has had that player lately, especially last season.

What's more impressive is how much of a custom fit he was for Pittman. Listen to him talk. It's easy to picture Pittman giving the same speech 40 years prior. He was a proper echo of the head coach without coming off as a teacher's pet.

If Arkansas wants to get in on the fun and run around flashing a horns down sign after the game 10 months from now, a Grant Morgan is going to need to rise from the ranks. There has to be an unquestionable leader in the locker room who will get guys who are slacking to give their best and light fires under backsides even when the best is being given.

The best water droplets, no matter how well formed, can do very little when scattered to their own device. However, when there's something to focus them all in a single direction as one force, they can cut down the tallest mountain. It's cheesy, but applicable.

If just one player can be found to focus all the talent Arkansas is trying to assemble, even if the talent is as individually great as other schools, the Razorbacks can cut through the SEC like they did in 2021. And also, just like that year, they can cut through Texas in Fayetteville and earn the right to flash the horns down once again.