Sports in Arkansas

[Aporkalypse]

Yeah now you have to wonder if all the Springdale players end up staying or not. I can't say I blame Malzahn for leaving. I'm not sure where all the anger is being directed on the sports forums. I haven't checked any of them out yet. But I feel that it was obvious that Malzahn was getting to do the play calling like they said he would when he took the job. Tulsa seems to be one of those places where coaches don't stay too long and move up to other programs. I've gotten the impression Broyles has told him Malzahn his system won't work in the college game and won't let him try it. So Malzahn decided to to go somewhere else where they would let him. We'll have to see how he ends up doing there. If he becomes a big time coach I hope that finally spells the end for Broyles. He did great things for the Razorbacks back when he was coach but I think he really needs to move over. I feel like he's still trying to do things the way they did them decades ago. The game has passed him by and he doesn't have a clue.

[johnnydr87]

I knew it.

Hogville.net.

Our recruiting is worse than years previous....despite a ten win season.

Nutt and Broyles are incompetent. I don't see how they could possibly survive this...

[Mith242]

What's also sad is that Tulsa is paying Malzahn just as much as we were. I know it's just rumors but people are beginning to mention Coker. I'm not sure that's the direction for us to go either. Maybe my view is slanted because of what happened at Miami.

[Aporkalypse]

What's also sad is that Tulsa is paying Malzahn just as much as we were. I know it's just rumors but people are beginning to mention Coker. I'm not sure that's the direction for us to go either. Maybe my view is slanted because of what happened at Miami.

[Mith242]

The new OC is supposed to be David Lee, the former UA QB coach that's now "Offensive Coach for Quality Control" (whatever that means) with the Dallas Cowboys. He and Mustain know each other and have a good relationship, apparently.

I don't know where the Coker stuff is coming from but he could have several head coaching jobs. I can't see him coming to Arkansas to have Nutt dictated the playcalling to him. David Lee's a pigeon and that's exactly what Nutt wants.

[Aporkalypse]

Yeah I can't say I see Coker coming either. But Bo Mattingly also mentioned that it will be David Lee and the deal is almost done. I admit I don't know much about David Lee, but I'm not sure if he's going to be turning much around.

[Aporkalypse]

To make things worse, apparently Broyles and Nutt had already decided to bring in David Lee to become "co-offensive coordinator" along with Malzahn.

Also, KTUL asked Malzahn why he took the job and he said "to call the plays".

Meanwhile Broyles has made several quotes that show he's clearly lost it.

[hogwash]

This situation is so embarassing. At what point does enough become enough? It seems like everyone associated with that program is a liar.

Broyles is off his rocker its time for "regime change." He's lost touch...

[Mith242]

Yeah it really looks like they used Malzahn. They bring him on then tell him they don't think his system will work at the college level or the SEC. Then they tell him oh by the way we're bringing in another offensive coordinator and demoting you to just co-offensive coordinator. Damian Williams caught a lot of flack for leaving a little while back, but maybe he already knew about all of this. I've talked to some people who seem to place the blamce all on the Springdale players, parents, and coach. But to me this seems like it all stems from the fact that Broyles and Nutt used Malzahn to get to his players and then it almost seems like they were pushing him out the door at the end of the season. I think all this embarrassment all comes about from these underhanded dealings that Broyles and Nutt are doing.

[hogwash]

And now Mitch is leaving...

[Mith242]

And now Mitch is leaving...

[Mith242]

Man, some of the stuff Bo Mattingly is reporting is really making me wonder about the football program here. Bo Mattingly is almost making it sound like this could be a Pandora's Box opening and there could be further ramifications. He's also making it sound like he thinks there's a good chance of other Springdale players and recruits leaving. He also said he thinks there could be more fallout about how these players were misled in the recruiting process and that it could hurt future recruiting.

[Aporkalypse]

Ugh, I haven't heard about that yet......

[Mith242]

Going to Tulsa with Malzahn. His grandmother says that Nutt wouldn't even speak to him, threatened not to release him from his scholarship, etc. Used the word "abuse".

Remember what I told you a month or so ago? A lot of this has been rumored to be going on for quite a while, all of it's finally coming to a head. It's a shame Saban had to take the Bama job or things might've worked out much better for us fans.

I was going to get season tickets next year. Forget about that. I'm not supporting Nutt.

[Aporkalypse]

I really don't know if this could result in someone getting fired but I've been hearing a lot of fans who are saying they aren't going to go to anymore games till Nutt, Broyles or both are gone. This is looking to end up as a really big mess. I know a lot of people will be happy to see Nutt leave but it sucks if it had to come about this way. But I think it would take a huge fan outcry to get rid of him especially after last year. It's also a shame Butch Davis is also already taken another job as well.

[Mith242]

I hope, but seriously doubt, that the Board of Trustees could drum up enough valid complaints about Nutt to justify action against him.

I DO think that it would justify firing him after next season. Despite an easy schedule with the current team dynamics we should win no more than eight games. More importantly, if attendance drops significantly that would make an even better case to can him.

We can't get Davis back now but I'm not giving up on him. Who knows, maybe next year both Davis and Malzahn will return to NWA.

[Aporkalypse]

That would be interesting if we could end up with Davis and Malzahn. But I'm certainly not going to get my hopes up.

[NCB]

Man, what's going on with the Arkansas football program? Is Nutt at the center of all of this? Because it seems like over the last month or so, there have been constant problems up there and Nutt is always mentioned. I have alot of family in Arkansas, and my family has quite a bit of history with the University of Arkansas, so I certainly don't like seeing any of its athletic programs in the middle of what seems to be a major fallout.

[Mith242]

Man, what's going on with the Arkansas football program? Is Nutt at the center of all of this? Because it seems like over the last month or so, there have been constant problems up there and Nutt is always mentioned. I have alot of family in Arkansas, and my family has quite a bit of history with the University of Arkansas, so I certainly don't like seeing any of its athletic programs in the middle of what seems to be a major fallout.

[Aporkalypse]

David Lee announced as new offense coordinator.

Marcus Monk, Harrison and several other players held a press conference to state that all of this isn't affecting the team and dispel rumors. Ben Cleveland, London Crawford, and Andrew Norman are apparently staying.

Also today, Arkansas' top prospect, Rogers OT Lee Ziemba, committed to Auburn. The Hawaiian DE we were recruiting committed to San Diego St.

[hogwash]

David Lee announced as new offense coordinator.

[Mith242]

David Lee announced as new offense coordinator.

Marcus Monk, Harrison and several other players held a press conference to state that all of this isn't affecting the team and dispel rumors. Ben Cleveland, London Crawford, and Andrew Norman are apparently staying.

Also today, Arkansas' top prospect, Rogers OT Lee Ziemba, committed to Auburn. The Hawaiian DE we were recruiting committed to San Diego St.

[hogwash]

We'd need someone like David Cutcliffe (he coached both the Mannings) to lure the Texarkana kid. David Lee's an option QB kind of guy which can leave you with few options sometimes. We actually got a QB to sign with us because David Lee left for Dallas a few years back.

We may have a shot at Burns, but he was pretty high on Malzahn. So our chances are sketchy.

One of the problems you will see in-state recruiting wise is that Malzahn was very well respected around the state. All the talk being rumored that many of the coaches call Malzahn "high school" or felt insulted that they had to sit across the table from a "high school coach," won't sit well with HIGH SCHOOL COACHES. Its a bad practice to alienate those you have to rely on to get talent. At least half of the top ten recruits in-state aren't coming to Arkansas this year.

Ultimately for me its not about who lied and who's right or whether anyone deserves to be treated fairly, but that this stink cloud is tied to Nutt and Frank Broyles and it won't leave until they do. It limits the effectiveness of our recruiting and hampers the image of our school. There are a lot of fans that will be disillusioned until both of those men are gone. Houston Nutt will have a hard time repeating the results of this season and will probably be gone in a year. Even if he does have another 9 to 10 win season, fans will still HATE him. Why should we have to go through another year of the soap opera?

[Mith242]

We'd need someone like David Cutcliffe (he coached both the Mannings) to lure the Texarkana kid. David Lee's an option QB kind of guy which can leave you with few options sometimes. We actually got a QB to sign with us because David Lee left for Dallas a few years back.

We may have a shot at Burns, but he was pretty high on Malzahn. So our chances are sketchy.

One of the problems you will see in-state recruiting wise is that Malzahn was very well respected around the state. All the talk being rumored that many of the coaches call Malzahn "high school" or felt insulted that they had to sit across the table from a "high school coach," won't sit well with HIGH SCHOOL COACHES. Its a bad practice to alienate those you have to rely on to get talent. At least half of the top ten recruits in-state aren't coming to Arkansas this year.

Ultimately for me its not about who lied and who's right or whether anyone deserves to be treated fairly, but that this stink cloud is tied to Nutt and Frank Broyles and it won't leave until they do. It limits the effectiveness of our recruiting and hampers the image of our school. There are a lot of fans that will be disillusioned until both of those men are gone. Houston Nutt will have a hard time repeating the results of this season and will probably be gone in a year. Even if he does have another 9 to 10 win season, fans will still HATE him. Why should we have to go through another year of the soap opera?

[hogwash]

Check out that poll. It's getting pretty bad.

In saying that about Malzahn I just meant the aspect of college coach vs. high school coach. Among Arkansas high school coaches he was pretty well respected and was someone that was really a pioneer of the high powered passing attacks we are seeing across the state now. He was big on 7-on-7 summer football which is catching on. I know what you mean about the average fans and how they look at it. I was thinking about the coaches. Those guys maybe thinking, "well if thats how they feel about him, what do they think of me."

Of course general inattentiveness to recruits as referenced by several recruit interviews is probably as harmful to recruiting.

Nutt has done others to have some high schools let him know he's not exactly welcome. He has some sort of beef with Bo Hembree at Warren, that has sent a few kids to Tennessee.

But I know what you mean. I've noticed it too in talking with my in-laws in Hot Springs.

Poll on front page