HATFIELD DELIVERS
praise for new Arkansas staff.
SPRINGDALE — Ken Hatfield was impressed with what he heard from University of Arkansas Coach Chad Morris during the UA’s kickoff luncheon Friday at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center.
“I thought his message was great,” said Hatfield, who led the Razorbacks to a 55-17-1 record as their head coach from 1984-89 and as a senior in 1964 starred on their 11-0 team as a defensive back and punt returner. “I think he understands the passion of the fans that historically goes back years and years.
“The passion is still there. Arkansas is still a unique place, and I think Chad and his coaches can feel it now they’ve been out to the Razorback Club meetings and met the fans.”
Hatfield will be among the former Razorbacks who attend today’s scrimmage and barbecue at Morris’ invitation.
“I like the new coaching staff,” Hatfield said. “I like their intensity. I think they’ve got to find a quarterback. All five have something to offer, and someone just has to stand out eventually.”
Hatfield said it’s tough that the offensive line has been hit hard by injuries.
“I hate to see we’ve got so many offensive linemen out right now,” he said. “I haven’t seen any offense you can run without linemen. You need some dominant linemen, and finding them is a real challenge.”
Hatfield said he’s impressed by the job Arkansas’ coaching staff has done recruiting.
“The recruiting for the future has been outstanding with the commitments they’ve already got and are continuing to get,” he said. “But I think everybody here knows we want to win right now, because you owe it to the seniors. They won’t have another chance. I know Chad will do all he can to have the best year they can.”
Morris was hired at Arkansas in December after three seasons at SMU. He also was an offensive coordinator at Tulsa and Clemson and a Texas high school coach for 16 seasons.
“I think Chad was a great hire,” Hatfield said. “He’s got all the ingredients to be successful at Arkansas in the modern era of where we are in the SEC West.
“I think he’s going to help us get a lot of doors open again in east Texas and other parts of Texas for recruiting. For Arkansas, we all know how important it is to recruit Texas.”