Craig O'Neill Should Really Worry Hunter Yurachek

Arkansas Razorbacks AD can fix a lot, but this isn't problem he can solve for Hogs

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Feb 2, 2024 1:41 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There's a lot of pressure on Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek. He's in charge of running an SEC program that is reportedly cash strapped in the midst of NIL and one of the worst combined stretches of Razorbacks football and basketball in a long time.

However, if the announcement of Arkansas radio and TV icon Craig O'Neill as a weekly contributor to the 103.7 "The Buzz" radio broadcast offers any indication, Yurachek's job is going to get even harder. That's because, even though O'Neill spent his early years driving ratings with Aggie jokes and asking "Can I get a Hogalleulah?" before creating the iconic "That's another Arkansas Razorback – First Down!" as the team's PA announcer, he's had enough.

Lead radio host David Bazzel thought he had an ally in O'Neill when he tried to rope the now retired KTHV sports director into convincing his co-host, Roger Scott, of the error of his ways. Scott said he has checked out on Razorback athletics to the point when the basketball game against Missouri reached halftime, he switched over to "Vanderpump Rules" instead, despite Arkansas being in good position to get a much needed win.

However, to Bazzel's surprise, O'Neill, who has been a Razorbacks fan since the 1950s, said he agreed with Scott. He too has chosen to check out on Arkansas athletics.

"Here's the thing with me," O'Neill said. "I'm kinda leaning toward Roger. I've cooled a little bit. But here's the thing. I think after since 1958, having been a Razorback fan, I deserve to be a fair weather fan. I've stuck with them for over 60 years through thick and thin and if they're struggling, I deserve the ability to call myself a fair weather fan. I think that's only fair."

However, it's not that a Razorback lifer like O'Neill is backing off his unwavering support that should concern Yurachek. It's why it's happening that is cause for losing sleep.

"College sport is just different now," O'Neill said. "When I grew up as a Razorback fan we had Arkansas guys there. Now when you hear Chuck doing the play by play, he'll say something like 'Green has the rebound' and you're going 'Now is he our guy, or is he their guy?' I can't keep up anymore."

If fans are apathetic because of poor performance, that's something Yurachek can handle. He can bring in a new coaching staff, and, along the way, inspire others to contribute financially with a fresh start. However, apathy created by the lack of personal touch remaining in college athletics because of NIL and the transfer portal is something over which he has no control.

Arkansas wants fans to invest financially, but it's hard to put money where the heart isn't. It wasn't that long ago when Razorbacks fans would start hearing well in advance about a player the coaching staff really wanted to land.

They followed the high school careers of guys like Cedric Cobbs, Darren McFadden and Matt Jones closely for a good two years before they got to Fayetteville. If those players stuck around for a three seasons, fans had five years of emotion invested in them.

Also, players were allowed to talk to the media back then, so quality writers could sit down with them and find about their lives before coming to Arkansas and the unique things that made them who they are outside of football. These well-written feature stories added to how well Razorbacks fans felt they knew the players, which made them care even more about them through good and bad.

Fans don't know most of these players before their arrival now. Most are some transfer who popped onto the radar two weeks before they ended up on campus. No one ever hears from them unless they are deemed coached up enough behind the scenes to say basically nothing at a press conference with little revealed other than he's Bill from TCU who wears No. 6.

O'Neill's right. Even for those of us whose job it is to cover these athletes, there is a long adjustment period now of constantly looking at the roster to figure out who's on the field or court. By the time fans sort it out, there's just a couple of weeks left before that group of players either transfer or graduate.

Arkansas basketball had nine new faces this season and may hit double digits next year. Football will also be a Guess Who game next season. That doesn't inspire people to cough up cash. Especially in a state where more often than not money is tight.

Now, if Houston Nutt had asked fans to put together a little money so Darren McFadden would stick around another year instead of going to the NFL, the line would have formed to the right even if it may have been $1-$5 at a time.

But apathy created by the current business of college athletics is eroding fans' willingness to even watch the product. That's a giant leap backward from being willing to blindly give money that may or may not be used to buy a player fans not only don't know, but who may not even make it through the season.

So, if a die-hard like O'Neill is switching his status to fair weather fan, Yurachek should be worried. His bosses are already demanding the borderline impossible, and impossible just got harder.