Arkansas’ firing of Sam Pittman triggers motion on SEC football coaching carousel.
Dan Mullen makes more sense for Arkansas than Jon Gruden or Bobby Petrino.
Rhett Lashlee might make the most sense of all, if only he’d leave SMU.
We have motion on the SEC coaching carousel, and it’s full steam ahead.
Arkansas needs a coach after firing Sam Pittman, and, hey Jon Gruden’s not only available, but he wants to coach in the SEC.
A perfect match? Well, about that …
On this edition of ‘SEC Football Unfiltered,’ a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams consider potential candidates for the Arkansas job with a round of love it, like it or no thanks.
Arkansas is not an elite job, but with the right hire, it can be a top-25 job. The Razorbacks’ glory days occurred back in the Southwest Conference. In the years since Petrino crashed his motorcycle, the Razorbacks finished the season ranked just one time.
Fan passion isn’t an issue, and there’s money in Northwest Arkansas (see Walmart and Tyson Foods), but John Calipari’s basketball program demands financial support, and Arkansas cares about its baseball program, too.
So, who’s the coach that not only could connect with boosters but also handle the recruiting and CEO duties, alongside being a good coach on game day?
Here are seven potential candidates for the Arkansas job, and what our ‘SEC Football Unfiltered’ hosts think of the idea, with this round of ‘love it, like it, or no thanks.’:
Should Arkansas football consider hiring these coaching candidates?
Gus Malzahn, Florida State offensive coordinator
No thanks. Malzahn is right where he needs to be at this stage of his career — coordinating an offense.
Dan Mullen, UNLV coach
Like it. He won at Mississippi State. Arkansas should be no harder of a job than that. Mullen’s biggest chore would be connecting with boosters.
Jon Sumrall, Tulane coach
Like it. He’s won at Troy. He’s won at Tulane. Next stop: a Power Four job. Arkansas could cut Kentucky in line and hire Sumrall.
Rhett Lashlee, SMU coach
Love it. The Arkansas native and alumnus led the Mustangs to the playoff last season, and he’s got SMU’s booster game humming. He’d be a fit for Arkansas, but would he leave a good thing at SMU?
Ryan Silverfield, Memphis coach
No thanks. We almost like it, and Silverfield’s Tigers beat Arkansas, but if hiring from the Group of Five ranks, Sumrall seems like maybe the hotter commodity.
Bobby Petrino, interim Arkansas coach
No thanks. Even putting the motorcycle incident aside, can you imagine Petrino thriving in the SEC in the player empowerment era? We can’t. He’s suited to SEC coordinator jobs, not coaching jobs.
Jon Gruden, Barstool Sports personality
No thanks. Gruden is well suited to the job he has as an internet content creator, and where’s the evidence he’d be a good college coach? There is none. He wasn’t a good NFL coach, either, by the time he took a blowtorch to his career.
Later in the episode
∎ Is Alabama ‘back’? We’re not quite ready to go there. Impressive though the win against Georgia was, we saw this film last season. Beat Vanderbilt and Missouri, and then we’ll talk.
∎ LSU’s problems didn’t end with a loss to Mississippi. There’s trouble with the Tigers.
Week 6 picks against the spread!
Toppmeyer’s five-pack of picks (picks in bold):
∎ Kentucky at Georgia (-20.5)
∎ Vanderbilt at Alabama (-10.5)
∎ Kent Stateat Oklahoma (-45.5)
∎ Mississippi State at Texas A&M (-14.5)
∎ Iowa State at Cincinnati (-1.5)
Season record: 12-13 (1-4 last week)
Adams’ five-pack of picks (picks in bold):
∎ Kentucky at Georgia (-20.5)
∎ Texas (-6.5) at Florida
∎ Vanderbilt at Alabama (-10.5)
∎ Kent Stateat Oklahoma (-45.5)
∎ Texas Tech (-11.5) at Houston
Season record: 11-14 (1-4 last week)
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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
