Search winding down
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long said Saturday he expected to make his decision on a new head coach for the Razorbacks in a matter of days.
“And it won’t be weeks before we have a decision,” Long said as the clock ran down on the Red-white game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Long indicated he had not already made his choice to replace Bobby Petrino, who was fired April 10 for conduct unbecoming for a head coach.
Asked if he felt confident the new head coach would retain the current coaching staff and schemes as the Razorbacks players have lobbied for, Long said he hoped that would be the case.
“But I also think that any head coach deserves to have a say in who his assistant coaches will be,” Long said.
Long, who hired Bobby Petrino at the end of a 15-day search on Dec. 11, 2007, said the 12th day of his current search would not result in a conclusion today.
Asked if the experience has been difficult, Long said, “Professionally, I feel like I’m prepared for this. I’ve been through enough things, that only experience can bring, when curveballs are thrown at you and you’ve got to react.
“Yeah, I think I’m prepared for this. Nobody wants to go through this, and then personally, I’m not going to miss my daughter’s prom night pictures [Saturday night]. I’ve been able to maintain some normalcy to my family life, which is important to me. ... Things are going OK.”
Long indicated Friday his search has included candidates outside the program, along with a selection of current assistants.
Arkansas players would like little to no changes to the schemes that have helped them to a 21-5 record the past two seasons, which might narrow Long’s search of outside candidates to a coach who could take over without making wholesale staff changes.
Quarterback Tyler Wilson had a meeting with Long a few days after Petrino’s firing.
“I gave him my opinion as far as — I feel that players need to play, coaches need to coach and administrators need to administrate,” Wilson said. “I also felt, though, I’ve been around here for a while, and I said the reason I’m successful is because of my knowledge of the offense, my understanding of it, and I think we can be a successful football team with the staff we have in place.
“Whether that factors into his decision, we’ll see. But I think we have a great chance to be successful with the staff we have in place.”
Of the outside candidates, Jon Gruden’s name has gained the biggest buzz among Razorbacks fans. Gruden, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl title after the 2002 season, has entered into a new lucrative five-year deal with ESPN that begins in September, but there are indications that Arkansas might not be completely out of the picture for his services.
One play for Knile
Tailback Knile Davis, who hasn’t take contact this spring, was on the field for one play Saturday. He lined up in the backfield, then went in motion and ran a pass pattern.
Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said Davis, who missed last season recovering from ankle surgery, “begged” the coaches to get on the field.
“He wanted to be in there one play, so we just put him in motion and told him to ‘Get out of the way, make sure nobody falls on you,’ ” Petrino said. “At least he got in there for one play. It will be great to have him out there next year, back running and making plays for us.”
Something brewin’
Cornerback Kaelon Kelleybrew, a senior from Little Rock Central, had such a strong spring that he was among the second-teamers who played on the Red team, made up mostly of first-team players.
Kelleybrew had the game’s only interception — off a pass by Brian Buehner — returning it 44 yards — along with five tackles and two pass breakups.
“Kelleybrew has been good for us,” defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said. “He’s a kid at corner that you like just because he challenges every route and doesn’t play soft. He tackles. He’s been a pleasant surprise for us this spring.”