Out of options? Barry Lunney Jr. may be named permanent head coach at Arkansas
Following the reports that Ole Miss will hire Lane Kiffin, Arkansas’ coaching search is about to refocus on other other candidates.
It appears as if Kiffin was the Hogs top choice; however, Ole Miss beat Arkansas to the chase, and now, the Hogs are left with a fallback plan. That plan may include taking the interim tag off of Barry Lunney Jr. and naming him the next head coach.
USA Today’s Dan Wolken and George Schroeder are cautioning Arkansas fans — based on sources — that the Hogs may name Lunney the head coach.
As Arkansas’ search regroups in the wake of Lane Kiffin’s decision to take the Ole Miss job, don’t be surprised if the school considers taking the interim tag off Barry Lunney Jr.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 7, 2019
The situation at Arkansas isn’t settled — but after a fruitless search, signs are pointing toward promoting Barry Lunney Jr., an alum/former star QB who has been the interim coach since Chad Morris’ firing.
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) December 7, 2019
Lunney was named the interim head coach when the Hogs fired Chad Morris before his second season was complete. Morris finished with a 4-18 overall record, including 0-14 in conference play. He was fired following a 45-19 loss to Western Kentucky.
Lunney is in his seventh season as an assistant coach for the Razorbacks. Prior to being named the interim head coach, he was the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. The Hogs lost the final two games of the season to LSU (56-20) and Missouri (24-14) with Lunney as the interim.
The Arkansas assistant played quarterback for the Hogs in 1992-95.
Wow that sounds like a surrender. The guy may turn out to be great but it’s hard to believe they can’t attract a up and coming coach from a lower tier league. This guy has not even been a coordinator? Sounds like they are just kicking the can down the road for another year or two when they will try again. Feel for ya hogs fans.
Dabo Swinney fell into his position now the same way Lunney would, if named. Swinney was not a coordinator either. Just an interesting point.
You can’t seriously be comparing Barry Lunny Jr.to Dabo. That’s like saying “Oh, any lottery ticket you buy has GOT to be the winning Powerball ticket.” Clemson hit the million-to-one college football lottery winner with Dabo. Sorry to break your heart, but it’s not gonna happen again, especially for Arkansas with BLJ.
Sounds to me like they did not get their first choices and are choosing to wait a year and take more time to find the right guy. I think USC is doing the same thing by keeping their coach on for another year. Not likely great for next year, but better than getting into the situation that Tennessee found itself in by hiring 23rd choice Derrick Dooley and 18th Choice Butch Jones. 1 year waiting may save 10 years of bad football. Just sayin. Ask me how I know?
Two candidates say no so we’re dead in the water now??
There are multiple coaches out there that would prolly take the job I think. I mean push comes to shove hire Matt Luke at least he has been a head coach. Even got Rich Rod out of a job, the Mcyntire guy(however you spell it), Barry odom, the guy from Arkansas st. I mean Geeze just giving up after 2 said no?
I don’t think it would be a terrible idea. If he doesn’t work out, whatever, it’s not they will be decent the next few years anyway. If he does work out, he’s all hog so he won’t leave for a better job.
Feel like we just lost another game….I really wanted Mike Leach (just like I really wanted Gus before), but like Gus-Leach used Ark to get paid more….I never wanted Kiffen, although he will make a big splash at Ole Miss…there are more guys mentioned that I wouldn’t want than those I do….but the reality is apparently present or past big name coach wants to to come to Arkansas…
Lol Houston Nutt is obviously desperate.
Feel like we just lost another game….I really wanted Mike Leach (just like I really wanted Gus before), but like Gus-Leach used Ark to get paid more….I never wanted Kiffen, although he will make a big splash at Ole Miss…there are more guys mentioned that I wouldn’t want than those I do….but the reality is apparently NO present or past big name coach wants to to come to Arkansas…
The situation at Arkansas is indeed a sad one…throwing in the towel after only two(2) coaches said “NO”. Come on, guys/AD/President/Boosters…surely there is a coach out there from a lesser conference who can actually recruit, coach-em-up, and win 5-6 games(enough to satisfy the Arky fan base).
Why a major University only believes that someone who has coached in the big-time can do it ? In any job or position, everyone has to be given a chance, right ? A young, energetic, innovative Head Coach can bring that enthusiasm back into your program….plus you don’t have to drain your account, to hire him. Perfection is not an option, just try to better your program..there are a lot of loyal Hog fans that just want the team to win some games…and the fans deserve a competitive team.
Story to say this but 5-6 games IS NOT enough to please us.
Leach is not being paid more. He got a one year extension at the same salary with a $750,000 bonus if he remains the coach one year from now. Thus why I think it has more to do with Yurachek screwing it up more than anything else.
Just for the record, a $750k bonus is more money. A lot more money. People win less when they win medium sized lotteries.
For you and I, sure. But most of the time, “more money” means a long term extension and a big base pay boost, not a one-time bonus.
If this is true FIRE HUNTER YURACHEK!
Because this guy has only been a part of the worst 8 years of Razorbacks football. He’s been here with two terrible staffs. So sure make him the coach instead of paying for a real head coach. Well Arkansas injury the beat down from Kiffin every year. The program is done if this happens. You will lose generations of fans.
Umm, not sure where you got that info from, but our AD was hired AFTER Chad Morris was announced as our head coach. Jeff Long was the AD during the Brett experiment.
Talking about Lunney. Fire Yurachek because he had three weeks to get this done and he failed miserably. Lunney has been part of two of the worst coaching staffs in the history of Arkansas football. If anything he should have been fired at the end of the year with the rest of the losers.
3 weeks? Is that how long it takes to make this kind of decision? Come on man!
I agree completely. After 49 years of hogs I’m looking for another team to try to like. This is just humiliating.
It seems like this year isn’t a good year for coaching hiring. It may pay off in the long run to still pat and wait one more year to see what the market looks like. This is what USC should have done with Shawn Elliot but we got stuck with Muschamp.
This is extremely embarrassing. We fired our coach 2 weeks before the season ended and hired a search firm to get a jump on the new coach. We shouldve been able to snatch our guy before anyone else. Now we dont even know who the top candidate is.
Maybe I’m missing something as someone who obviously is not a professional in the industry, but why do these schools even hire “search firms?” They didn’t already know who Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin are?
The problem with this is if he does not work out, he will not be part of the program anymore. Head coaches don’t go back to being tight ends coaches at the same school. He has been one of the few bright spots and to out him in a situation like this is absurd. It will be interesting to find out how they fk’d this search up so bad.
That sucks
If Barry Lunney Jr. is named the next Arkansas head football coach, Hunter Yurachek will be the next to be fired.
One thing I wish this program would stop throwing around as if it somehow is a job qualification: nobody give’s a rat’s @ss if you’re “from Arkansas.” It’s not 1960 anymore. Stop acting like Northwest Arkansas (one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country) is some isolated place out in the middle of the desert that only an Arkansan would want to come to or acting like you have to be “sufficiently Arkansan” to understand the program. Crap like that makes all of the stereotypes a self-fulfilling prophecy and is why this program can never move forward.
Go get Offensive coach at LSU or at very least just bring Nutt or Patrenio back for a couple of years
Are we seriously such a bad program now that literally NO ONE in the country wants the job and we have to give it to the guy that just got stuck with it?!?
If that’s case, just shut down football altogether at U of A! I’ve been a Razorback fan for over 40 years and this is the most humiliating thing I’ve ever seen happen to not just the football program but to the entire state of Arkansas…and that’s saying something considering we produced Bill “Bubba” Clinton!
It might not be a bad idea if Missouri kept their interim head coach either.
This is sad. HY says he has to get this right. Then waits weeks and gets embarrassed. Now we get an interim that has 0 wins. This will not get any one excited. If this happens I’ll not be looking forward to anything hogs. 49 year fan. I’m about done. They never take it seriously. We are an elite program in every sport but football. In football we can’t even beat teams we pay to lose to us. Just embarrassing.
My wife is a Oklahoma Alumni, and I support her team, but I will totally turn off Razorback Football and just cheer for the basketball team. I can root Sooner football…..at least they play big boy football. This move will totally destroy football for Arkansas.
I don’t understand this whole situation. An sec school should have about 20 qualified coaches trying to get the job. It seems like the problem is the incompetence of the AD.