Nutt Hopes To Know Status 'Mid-Week'

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt was upbeat, but non-committal Sunday when discussing the chances he'll be back for an 11th season.

Nutt, who met with media for his usual weekend follow-up press conference, addressed his status with the Razorbacks. He said he's had preliminary discussions with university Chancellor John White and outgoing athletic director Frank Broyles, and hoped to know where he stands by "mid-week."

Rumors about Nutt's job security have been circulating for weeks, despite a contract that runs through 2012.

"We had some little prelim discussions," Nutt said. "We've got some more coming this week. We'll wait to that time and see what comes out of it. Chancellor White and Coach Broyles, they want me here. They want me to stay. That's a good feeling I'm excited about that."

There have been no discussions with incoming athletic director Jeff Long, said Nutt, who added he hoped to have that done by Tuesday or Wednesday. Long is acting as a consultant to White until taking over as athletic director on Jan. 1.

With a 50-48 victory at then-No. 1 LSU on Friday, Nutt seemed to have strengthened his position with the school. Arkansas is 8-4 this season, just ascended to No. 25 in the USA Today/ESPN coach's rankings and appears to be a possibility for the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day. Last year the Razorbacks won 10 games and advanced to the SEC Championship game.

Recent job openings in college football have also added to the uncertainty about Nutt's status. Ole Miss, Nebraska and Texas A&M all opened this week. Nutt, who has been mentioned as a candidate at Baylor, did not deny interest in other schools, though he called Arkansas his "dream job."

"This is the time of year [for openings]," said Nutt, who is 75-48 overall and 42-38 in the SEC. "There's seven, eight jobs [open] right now and there's going to be more. There's not just one thing on my mind, like that's the one. I haven't thought about that right now."

"I've always taken care of the job that I have," Nutt continued. "If you do a good enough job, they will call you. That's why I feel very fortunate to be here 10 years. That's a long time. This has been my dream job that I always wanted."

The climate has been less than perfect for Nutt over the last year. A number of controversies have surrounded the football program and fan discontent has been more noticeable. Some fans even hired planes to fly anti-Nutt banners over stadiums in Fayetteville, Little Rock and Knoxville.

Trying to reconnect with the fan base is something Nutt said he hopes to do if he remains at Arkansas. He mentioned sold out season tickets and good reception at booster club meetings as encouraging signs.

"I hope the fan base, I hope we all can come together," Nutt said. "I don't know that. I don't know for sure.

"I just know [job security] is not going to be determined by somebody that gets on a blog or somebody that has an ink pen. It's not going to be determined by those guys. It's not.

"It's going to be determined by Chancellor White, Coach Broyles and Jeff Long. It's those people that are in charge that will make the ultimate decision."

Long has not directly addressed Nutt's job status publicly. He's offered only support for the football program as a whole.

White and Broyles have both expressed public support for Nutt this month.

Broyles could not be reached for comment Sunday, but defended Nutt in an interview with Arkansas Sports 360 last week. He praised the effort Nutt got out of his players and Broyles said he was offended by the personal attacks Nutt has endured.

"Talk to people that know Houston Nutt personally and you'll find people with a great respect for him," Broyles said. "He's one you can't help but admire and respect. Talk to his team, they are behind him 100-perent. They play harder on a game-by-game basis than any team we've ever had here. ... People that criticize him have something besides football in mind."

White offered similar sentiments on Nov. 15. He said he and Nutt have met throughout the year and White expressed sympathy for the public scrutiny and criticism that Nutt has endured.

"I know that Houston and his family have gone through a lot of difficulty," White said. "My thoughts and my prayers, frankly, have been with him and his family. Houston and I have had many opportunities to chat during this year and he knows I'm very encouraging of him and supporting of him in every way that I can."

It has been customary for Nutt to meet with administrators for a post-season evaluation. Last year's talks resulted in a contract extension and pay raise.

In addition to his own evaluation, Nutt must look at his staff. He said Sunday he is hopeful his entire staff will stay in place should he remain at Arkansas. All assistants but wide receivers coach Alex Wood are under contract beyond this year and Nutt said he was hopeful an agreement to keep Wood could be reached.

Nutt and staff must also turn their attention to recruiting. Arkansas has several scholarships to fill and must solidify the commitments of recruits who gave non-binding oral pledges prior to the season.

A complete transcript of Nutt's press conference is available at Hogwired.com.