Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long last spoke publicly about his search for a new football coach the day before the Razorbacks’ 52-0 loss to Alabama. He said then that he still considered John L. Smith as a candidate for the job.

Much seems to have changed since then, including the Razorbacks dropping to 1-3, Smith making series of public speaking gaffes and the revelation of just how much financial trouble the interim coach is facing. Smith is surely ruled out at this point.

So who is factoring into the search now?

Long often plays close to the vest, revealing as little as possible to as few people as possible about his searches. Smith being named interim in April was a surprise to many in positions of power within the university system until it became official.

We do know Long wanted to use the months between April’s hiring of Smith and the end of the season as a “head start” to evaluate candidates. We also feel confident in saying he’s willing to spend Top 10 money to hire the right coach.

Few folks outside of Long are abreast of just who he is considering. We don’t have his short list, but we do have a list below of (currently employed) college head coaches (in alphabetical order) that other programs are sure to consider for future head coaching openings.

These are candidates that for a variety of reasons — like current success or geographic fit — would make sense for Long and Arkansas to keep an eye on this season:

Art Briles, Baylor
Age 56
Overall 62-54
Current 3-0
Salary $1.5 Million
Why is he on this list? Briles has turned around two programs at Houston and Baylor. He’s got strong ties to Texas that would come in handy in recruiting. 
Why not him? Every stop Briles has made in his career — working his way from high school coach to Big 12 coach — has been in Texas.

Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Age 56
Overall 65-40
Current 3-1
Salary $1.5 million
Why is he on this list? Dantonio has been more successful with the Spartans than Nick Saban. Speaking of Saban, Dantonio was an assistant to college football’s top coach while with the Spartans. Defensive-minded.
Why not him? Besides playing at South Carolina and having worked for Saban, Dantonio has no real ties to the region. Would he be a geographic fit? His buyout is in the neighborhood of $3.5 million.

Sonny Dykes, Louisiana Tech
Age 42
Overall 16-12
Current 3-0
Salary $700,000
Why is he on this list? Dykes has Texas ties, so he might help the Razorbacks make inroads there. He runs a wide-open offense that would be entertaining to watch.
Why not him? Does Dykes have enough experience? Would his Texas ties lead him to hold out for a job in that state?

James Franklin, Vanderbilt
Age 40     
Overall 7-10
Current 1-3
Salary *Vanderbilit is a private school and does not release salary totals. Some reports have Franklin’s salary in the “neighborhood of $3 million.”
Why is he on this list?  At one point this summer Franklin had the No. 13 recruiting class in the country. Arkansas had the No. 13 recruiting class — in the SEC. He’s a dynamic personality and the type of salesman the Razorbacks could use. Franklin seems to have a plan in place for building the Commodores.
Why not? It appears Franklin can recruit. But can he win at a high level? Did his joke on a Nashville radio show about only hiring coaches with hot wives and his brash demeanor come off the wrong way?

Mark Hudspeth, Louisiana-Lafayette
Age 43
Overall 77-26 (11-5 at ULL/66-21 at North Alabama)
Current 2-1
Salary $750,000
Why is he on this list?  Hudspeth has ties to the state — he is a former UCA assistant — and the region — born in Mississippi, coached at Mississippi State, currently works in Louisiana. He’s got a solid  overall record, including his time at North Alabama.
Why not him? Is a season-and-half at a Sun Belt school and success in the Gulf South enough to prepare a coach for the SEC?

Gary Patterson, TCU
Age 52
Overall 112-30
Current 3-0
Salary $2.5 million
Why is he on this list? Isn’t it law that a coaching list include Patterson? Beyond that, he’s worth a look because he’s had serious success and he’s plugged into Texas, a state the Razorbacks desperately need to mine. He has, according to a SI.com report, no buyout in his contract.
Why not him? Patterson has had chances to leave before and has not. TCU has committed millions to facility improvements requested by Patterson and recently moved into the Big 12, helping his chances of winning a national title there. Do recent drug issues within the program taint his chances of landing another gig?

Chris Petersen, Boise State
Age 47
Overall 75-7
Current 2-1
Salary $2.0 million
Why is he on this list? Isn’t it law that a coaching list include Petersen? He’s successful. Boise has developed NFL players, including six drafted after the 2011 season. His buyout is cheap. How cheap? $750,000.
Why not him? Peterson seems happy at Boise and has turned down several other opportunities. He’s not much of a geographic fit and has no real ties to Arkansas or the SEC.

Paul Rhoads, Iowa State
Age 45
Overall 21-20
Current 3-0
Salary $1.6 million
Why is he on this list? If you can win at Iowa State, you can probably win anywhere. Rhoads has a relationship with Long dating to their days at Pitt. Rhoads was the defensive coordinator there.
Why not him? A .500 record — even in Ames, Iowa — will be a tough sell to the fans and possibly recruits.

Charlie Strong, Louisville
Age 52
Overall 18-13
Current 4-0
Salary $2.3 million
Why is he on this list? Honestly, Strong almost makes too much sense. He’s an Arkansas native. He has extensive ties to the SEC region. He’s a strong recruiter.
Why not him? So far his best season as a head coach netted seven victories.

Willie Taggart, Western Kentucky
Age 36
Overall 12-16
Current 3-1
Salary $475,000
Why is he on the list? If nothing else it should be noted his Hilltoppers only lost to Alabama 35-0 a week before the Razorbacks went down 52-0. Taggart is becoming a hot name among younger coaches after leading the program from two victories in 2010 to seven in 2011.
Why not: Taggart is winning at Western Kentucky, but at his age and experience level is he ready for a Top 25 job?

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