Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

It made sense at the time.

Athletic Director Jeff Long was looking for somebody to keep the staff and schemes in place for Arkansas football in 2012. Long had reasons to believe John L. Smith — a choice strongly endorsed by Razorback players and coaches — was capable.

Smith was far from the Xs and Os guy that his predecessor was. But several components of Smith’s philosophy on program building had been implemented at Arkansas by Bobby Petrino. Surely Smith would be a breath of fresh air, able to motivate the players and coaches without, as Knile Davis put it, stepping on “everybody’s neck.”

So far, no good.

This is beginning to look like a failed experiment. And, frankly, that might be putting it kindly.

What seemed like such a no-brainer in April has led to plenty of second-guessing just three weeks into September. Fans — particularly the paying customers — have every right to be upset with what they witnessed in consecutive losses to ULM and Alabama.

These haven’t just been losses. These are historically bad losses.

Fans, media and even folks in-house are looking back at Long’s decision and wondering what else could have been done.

But what’s done is done.

Changing coaches at this point isn’t the answer. Stability has come in small doses for this program since April 1 and another overhaul at the top won’t help.

Where would it stop?

Suppose you name an interim to replace the interim. What happens if the season doesn’t get turned around by, let’s say, the bye week on Oct. 16? Do you then name an interim, interim interim?

And, frankly, who on this staff would you trust to run the program right now? Outside of, perhaps, quarterback Tyler Wilson.