More Changes Coming for Bielema’s New Staff?

For the past few days there have been rumors of Randy Shannon leaving his new job at Arkansas to take the defensive coordinator position at East Carolina University.

This morning, sources are telling Jim Harris that newly hired Razorbacks wide receivers coach George McDonald is leaving for the offensive coordinator spot at Syracuse. His buyout of $50,000 is prorated, meaning he will owe the University of Arkansas about $46,000.

UPDATE: Jim Harris told Justin Acri and Pat Bradley of 103.7 The Buzz that you cannot blame McDonald for making the move to take a coordinator job that was available to him at Syracuse, that was not available to him at Arkansas. Harris also said it is to be expected that good coaches, such as McDonald, will be courted by and occasionally leave for other opportunities, should they have dreams of becoming head coaches in the future.

New Arkansas receivers coach George McDonald is leaving for Syracuse OC position, my sources tell me. #razorbacks

— Jim Harris(@jimharris360) January 15, 2013

Pete Roussel of CoachingSearch.com reports McDonald has officially resigned.

Arkansas wide receivers coach George McDonald has resigned.I wonder if he's heading to Syracuse.bit.ly/sbcB2K

— Pete Roussel (@coachingsearch) January 15, 2013

And to put short-tenured coaches in perspective, two weeks in, Roussel tweets:

This list of coaches accepting 2 jobs in a matter of weeks is about to get longer. It does every year.bit.ly/V1KJvn

— Pete Roussel (@coachingsearch) January 15, 2013

Regarding Shannon, Jim says:

“@cridings1: @jimharris360 @rzrbckredfan Do you think Shannon would go to ECU?” No, but I'd like to hear him say he's not interested.

— Jim Harris(@jimharris360) January 15, 2013

It was just a few weeks ago that Bret Bielema’s staff was arguably the best since the days of Frank Broyles. We will keep this post updated as events we are tracking occur.

And here is McDonald’s biography from the day he was named wide receivers coach for the Razorbacks.

“George McDonald has a reputation as a top recruiter as well as a great teacher and technician,” said Bielema. “In his heart, he has always wanted to be a college coach because he believes in recruiting young men and being a part of helping them develop for four years. He will be a positive influence on our wide receivers as they grow and learn under his guidance. His track record of developing NFL-ready receivers and his first-hand experience as a position coach in the league will be attractive to our student-athletes and future Razorback receivers. He knows what it takes to be an NFL receiver and has the ability to teach our players how to be a pro in every aspect so they can maximize their potential in college and set themselves up for a career on the next level.”