The new Razorback coaching hires by Head Coach Bret Bielema might be the beginning of building a monster in Fayetteville.
Even with two assistants yet to be hired, Coach Bielema has hired what appears – on paper – to be the best coaching staff Arkansas has had in a very long time. At least since the days of Coach Frank Broyles in the 60′s and 70′s.
What becomes clear in looking at the Broyles coaching tree is that it is perhaps the most impressive tree in all of college football. Coach Broyles had, at some point in his 19 year run at Arkansas, Barry Switzer, Joe Gibbs, Johnny Majors, Jimmy Johnson, Hayden Fry, Doug Dickey, Raymond Berry, Pat Jones, Monte Kiffin and Jackie Sherrill on staff, to name just a few. At the bottom of the page, we’ll include some interesting tidbits from the Broyles years.
Adding to the Broyles legacy is the hiring of successful coaches as Athletic Director, including Nolan Richardson, Lou Holtz, Dave Van Horn, and John McDonnell.
The man had an eye for talent.
Coach Bielema – who is part of the Frank Broyles coaching tree via Hayden Fry at Iowa – might just be cut from the same cloth. We here at Sporting Life Arkansas are very impressed with the staff he has assembled at this point. With two coaches to go, let’s take a look at the assistants that Coach Bielema has hired so far and give a few thoughts on each.
On Offense:
Jim Chaney: Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Has coached in the NFL (Rams), SEC (Tennessee) and Big Ten (Purdue). Has served as Recruiting Coordinator at three schools and has brought in highly rated recruiting classes.
Notable players: Drew Brees, Tyler Bray, Steven Jackson, Tauren Poole and Justin Hunter.
If you’ve watched Tennessee over the past couple of seasons, it’s pretty clear that the offense wasn’t the problem. Last year, Tennessee scored more than 30 points nine times and lost four of them. Utilizing elements of the Spread and the Pro Style offenses, Chaney’s teams were balanced, deadly and could strike from anywhere on the field. Very good at QB development, game planning and play calling. We like this hire very much.
George McDonald: Wide Receivers
Has coached in the NFL (Browns) and the ACC (Miami). Was Passing Game Coordinator at Miami. Named one of the top recruiters in the country by Rivals. Deep recruiting ties in Florida.
Notable players: Braylon Edwards, Mohamed Massaquoi, Phillip Dorsett, Greg Jennings, Eric Decker, Darrell Hill, and Alex Smith.
McDonald has a well-deserved reputation for developing NFL-ready receivers and as an outstanding recruiter – one of the best in the country.
Sam Pittman: Offensive Line
Has coached at Tennessee, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Named a Top 25 recruiter by ESPN. Has been associate/assistant Head Coach at NC and Northern Illinois.
Notable players: Michael Turner, Garrett Wolfe, Alex Hurst, Kiaro Holt and Jonathan Cooper.
This guy just looks the part of an offensive line coach. Looking deeper and we find that he is an outstanding coach and an excellent recruiter. While he is a bit of a coaching vagabond, his coaching skill cannot be questioned. His offensive lines at both NC and Tenn were very good at keeping a QB on his feet and allowing them to perform at a very high level.
Joel Thomas: Running Backs
Has coached at Purdue, Washington and Louisville. Strong recruiting ties in Texas. 4 straight years of 1,000 yard rushers at Washington. Excels at teaching ball security. In 2003, Louisville averaged 228.2 rushing yards per game.
Notable players: Chris Polk, Bishop Sankey, Kory Sheets and Tim Stratton.
Coach Thomas has produced 1,000+ yard running backs everywhere he has coached, with players receiving many post-season honors. An outstanding running back himself, he is a very good teacher of the position. His players run hard, run well and don’t put the ball on the ground. He was Associate Head Coach at Washington and is considered a very good recruiter.
Follow along as we break down the defensive side of the ball. Page Two
So do I win a shirt hat free tickets something lol!
You won a smiley face!
I do not ever remember as many players switching their school to follow the coaching as I have seen with Coach Bret Bielema. Or is it that it has not been published here since this is the new coach?
Not sure I understand the question, Steve. We’ve published several recruiting pieces and are tracking the recruiting moves regularly and passing along what we find. We’ve also done our level best to include highlight videos of recruits and potential recruits as we find them. Know that we will continue to do this, as we get closer to the National Signing Day in February.
My question is: Haven’t other major conference programs, in the first year of a new head coach, put together coaching staffs with emphasis on recruiting Florida in mind?
I’m just not so sure that what Arkansas has done – getting three or four guys with serious south Florida connections – is all that unique for a BCS program with conference title aspirations.
For instance, back in the mid-2000s, former Miami assistant Ed Orgeron had a few guys on his Ole Miss staff from the the U, including Art Kehoe.
I suppose one could just go down the list of former assistants at Miami and see what kind of success they after being promoted at other programs.
Not much representation in the All American Bowl for Arkansas. There were several good undecided players in the game. I still wonder if the late hires affected this years big recruiting year. We may need to rely on next year’s class to start turning the tide. Then again maybe there is some players on this year’s team ready to ….
One correction to your Broyles tidbits…Monte Kiffin was never a Broyles assistant. Kiffin’s claim to fame as an Arkansas assistant came under Lou Holtz, after Broyles retired and left Lou and Monte with a boatload of defensive talent that completely shut down Barry Switzer and his high-powered Sooner defense in the ’78 Orange Bowl…sans Cowins, Forrest and Donny Bobo.