A lot to like about Yurachek

Early in what was my first visit to the Arkansas athletic director’s office in 10 years, it was my turn to ask about Hunter Yurachek’s family.

Specifically, I wanted to know how he and his wife, Jennifer, raised three boys to be Division I football players. That’s a bit presumptive because their youngest son, Brooks, will be an eighth-grader at Woodland Junior High next fall.

The Yuracheks’ oldest son, Ryan, just finished four great years at Marshall and has a chance to make an NFL roster this summer. Ryan caught 143 passes for 1,354 yards and 26 TDs in his Marshall days, and as a senior caught 10 touchdowns, second-best nationally among tight ends.

Jake, the middle son, will be a preferred walk-on at Colorado this fall after turning down offers to Air Force and Army. He’s a 6-0, 220-pound middle linebacker who was Galveston area player of the year at Friendswood, Texas. He was firstteam Greater Houston while making 184 tackles as a senior.

Hunter Yurachek has a simple explanation for the way his boys have settled into football and other sports: They were raised around it during his days as athletic director at Coastal Carolina and Houston. They were always around practices and locker rooms. They learned the lingo, and it created in them a passion for the game.

“Being able to take them to practices, take them to

games and being able to travel with me to games and just be exposed to the young men and the coaches,” Yurachek said. “The thing that was good was to be exposed to the excitement that is around it. That gave them some inspiration to work a little bit harder.”

There was never an attempt to force the boys to specialize in one sport.

“Ryan played football, basketball and baseball,” Yurachek said. “Jake played football and baseball. Brooks is playing football and basketball. I wanted them to be well-rounded and get an opportunity to experience everything in this day of sports specialization. I thought (specialization) was one of the worst things for them.

“I think the fact that Ryan played basketball and baseball also helped him with football. The fact that Jake played basketball helped him with football. I think Brooks will get the same benefits.”

Interestingly, Hunter Yurachek gravitated away from other sports and toward basketball as an eighth-grader, then was a four-year letter winner at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C.

Yurachek’s style is obvious. He’s a relationship guy.

I wanted to get into the burning question that awaited Yurachek when he took the job. Clearly, the time to make the call on whether to play football games in Little Rock is close at hand. That’s really the only big fire that was inherited.

“We will have some resolution

on how we are going to proceed sometime later this spring or early this summer,” he said of War Memorial Stadium.

What he can tell you is that the question was on the front burner in almost every conversation he’s had as he traveled the state in his first three months.

“I’ve had an opportunity to meet with several of our key constituents and political figures across the state,” he said. “I’ve been able to ask a number of questions and get a historical perspective. One of the things I’ve said every time I’ve talked about this, I’ve understood quickly that this was not just a decision that was going to be made based on dollars and cents.

“If it was, it’s an easy decision for myself and Chancellor (Joseph) Steinmetz to make because there is a significant difference between playing games in Fayetteville and in Little Rock.

“It means a great deal to people in our state. That’s a 70-year history. I can’t tell you the number of stories where I’ve heard, ‘My wife and I had our first date in Little Rock. I still remember my father and grandfather driving across the state to go to see a game in Little Rock.’”

Yurachek inherits a master plan put in place by Jeff Long that addresses future buildings or renovations. Will there be tweaks?

“I’ve got an opportunity to have each coach take me through their facilities,” Yurachek said. “I’ve been through Bud Walton Arena. We are revising our master plan.

“Part of the plan will include feasibility studies for a renovation of Bud Walton Arena and a plan for Barnhill (Arena), whether or not

that’s a renovation of Barnhill or to find a place to build a new standalone facility that will accommodate volleyball and gymnastics.

“We’ll have a professional architectural group come in and evaluate both of those facilities, Bud Walton and Barnhill.”

Yurachek thinks Baum Stadium needs immediate attention. Like the basketball arena, the baseball stadium was due to be renovated under Long’s master plan.

“As you look at Baum Stadium, the first thing we have to really attack is our student-athlete amenities,” he said. “The stadium itself is gorgeous. We had 13,000 Razorback fans there for USC on a Saturday earlier this season. It’s an unbelievable venue to watch a game.

“But we want to give Coach (Dave) Van Horn and his staff the tools they need to continue to recruit the best student-athletes to our baseball program from across the country, to compete in the SEC where there are a record 10 teams now in the top 25. You need some of the bells and whistles to attract the top young men in the country with locker rooms and training facilities that are competitive.”

The process to improve Baum was launched early in Yurachek’s time on campus. The architect was to follow me into the AD’s office later in the day.

“I’m interested to see that and it’s something we are going to attack immediately because we’ve got a top 5 baseball program with high expectations,” Yurachek said. “We’ve set those expectations and Coach Van Horn has set them. We want to give his staff all the tools they need in a very competitive league.”

The last question was simple: What has been the single best thing about his new job?

“My last four stops I was at Akron, where there were 10 or 11 Division I programs; then I was at Coastal Carolina and we were in the shadow of South Carolina, Clemson and the Carolina Panthers, and the professional teams; and then Houston and you have the shadow that Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU cast, plus the professional teams like the Astros, Texans and Rockets.

“Then, you come here and you are the only Power 5 team in the state and there no pro teams. You get out and meet people all over the state and you realize that it’s really something special. The Razorbacks tie the entire state together. You see that passion and it’s pretty cool. Calling the Hogs is just great.”

Come fall, Yurachek will be in his new office in the expanded north end zone of the football stadium, the rebuilt Broyles Center. The $160 million construction project is on schedule and on budget to be ready for the opener against Eastern Illinois. He’s had a chance to review everything and even put some personal touches on a few areas, including his office.

“I added a shower to the bathroom,” he said of his new office. “I like to go out for an afternoon run and wanted the shower. I added an in-laid Razorback to the front of my desk.”

I like it. And, to join what I’ve heard from everyone else, there’s a lot to like about Hunter Yurachek.