Morris has makings of a Hog hero
#HammerDown. #FullTiltBoogie. #Family.
Hashtags and catchphrases may be the most defining characteristic of Chad Morris’ eight months as head football coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. They can help recruit new players and invigorate a fan base, as long as fans are willing to buy into it.
They can quickly go awry and be mocked by fans if the team is not successful. It seems so long ago, but fans were once eager to #ThrowTheA and chant #WoooPig with Bret Bielema.
The failure of Bielema at Arkansas will probably always perplex me. Many arguments can be made about why he was successful at Wisconsin and not at Arkansas, but it appeared to be the perfect marriage between coach and program. His brash personality and desire to inflict his will upon opposing defenses with a power running game seemed to be a perfect fit in Fayetteville.
Bielema’s loss(es) was Morris’ gain, as the new head Hog is poised to be the most popular head football coach at Arkansas in decades. Hashtags and catchphrases may have defined his first few months in charge, but Morris is working to change that.
I wrote in December how skeptical fans were justified in questioning the hire. Arkansas sought Auburn’s Gus Malzahn as the first choice and Mike Norvell at Memphis as the second choice. Both re-upped with their current programs.
Morris might not have even been Arkansas’ third or fourth choices, according to those who were involved in the process, but his energy on the job is undeniable, and it has paid off lately in the form of recruiting.
Arkansas had a banner two weeks through the end of July and into August. Morris secured commitments from two of the top players in the state and three more from Texas among nine new commits in the past two weeks.
Morris is most expected to impact recruiting by properly evaluating and attracting the best talent in Arkansas
— a glaring weakness during Bielema’s tenure — and Texas, where he was a head coach for 16 years. The most recent commits also include two from Tennessee, one from Oklahoma and the marquee running back of the class from Alabama.
A’Montae Spivey, of Phenix City, Ala., committed to Arkansas on Monday over offers from LSU, Missouri, Purdue, Cincinnati and more. Spivey is the 18th commitment in the
2019 class.
Add Spivey and the other 17 commitments to a roster with talent already in place. Bielema failed to deliver results, but he did not fail to build the roster he promised.
Arkansas would have finished the 2016 season 9-4 if not for two historic second-half collapses against Missouri and Virginia Tech. The Razorbacks brought back plenty of talent in 2017, even without Rawleigh Williams, and fell miserably below expectations at 4-8.
Morris does not inherit a
4-8 roster. It is far and away from the “bare cupboard” often inherited by his predecessors.
Arkansas has young talent for the future and a group of motivated veterans. Bielema developed a deeper roster with an aggressive approach to pursue walk-ons and spark competition.
Excitement around the recent commitments served as a reminder of just how desperate Arkansas fans are for a winner. A coach who can win 7-9 games every year in the Southeastern Conference with occasional years of higher success can be a hero at Arkansas.
Bobby Petrino gave fans the success they craved, but he did so while remaining a not-sogreat human being or leader. While some fans are still willing to forgive his public infidelity and unethical practices in
the workplace, his abrasive personality was enough to rub others the wrong way.
Houston Nutt was the most consistent Arkansas coach of the past three decades, but he squandered some of his best teams. The soap opera behind the scenes only made matters worse.
Members of the national media still often refer to Nutt as the “Right Reverend.” Any lack of success for Morris could lead to unfavorable comparison’s to Nutt’s style over substance and preachy persona.
Morris, also like Nutt, starts with a roster capable of winning immediately. The Razorbacks have no Michigan on the schedule after the Wolverines reneged on a two-year, home-and-home series. Arkansas will instead face Colorado State in 2018 and 2019 as the marquee non-conference matchup.
The pieces are place for Morris to be the most popular Arkansas football coach in 35 years. He has a favorable schedule, a talented roster and a fan base willing to embrace any kind of winner.
Al Davis said it best, “Just win, baby.”