No surprise Sam Pittman hired Brad Davis, Arkansas OL coach: ‘I came here to kick ass’
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Ever since Sam Pittman left Fayetteville, the Arkansas offensive line has mostly been a disaster.
With Pittman’s return to the Razorbacks, that is expected to change in a hurry but the head coach in Fayetteville can only spend so much time with the offensive line, as he’s now got so many responsibilities to deal with on The Hill as the program’s head coach.
Taking that into consideration, Pittman’s hire at offensive line coach was of the utmost importance when he returned to Fayetteville. Before hiring anyone else to join his Arkansas staff, Pittman picked up the phone and hired Brad Davis away from Missouri.
Following a strong close to the program’s 2020 recruiting cycle, which included the signings of four-star prospect Marcus Henderson and three-star prospects Jalen St. John and Ray Curry Jr. — St. John and Curry were both committed to Davis at Missouri — we have a better understanding of why Davis was the right man for the job.
During his Thursday media availability, Davis shared his impressions of Arkansas after being on campus for a short period of time and his thoughts on why the Razorbacks have struggled so much in recent seasons.
“When you walk around and look at a place like this, the facilities, the support, you wonder how it could have slipped into the way that it has,” Davis noted in a video posted to YouTube by Pig Trail Nation. “Having coached against Arkansas the last couple of years, it wasn’t a talent issue or a talent deficit.
“What I observed as an opposing coach, was a group of guys that, for whatever reason, they weren’t fighting they should have. Does that make sense? They weren’t maximizing their potential. Quite frankly, that’s the only way you give yourself a chance.”
The program’s offensive line coach then went explained how Pittman’s staff is working to turn that around and correct the issues of the past.
“People ask about recruiting and all that stuff, the guys we signed, the biggest recruiting job we did yet to do was win the hearts and minds of the players that are here now,” Davis continued. “And that’s my No. 1 mission now, to win our players over, to let them know how much I care about them, how much their success means to me. And ultimately from there, I can go demand and ask that they go off and be great.”
Davis also shared his feelings on the job he plans to do and understands the criticism that will come if expectations aren’t met.
“I understand if we don’t play well, we are going to hear about it,” Davis said, “you know what I mean? I fully anticipate it but I also came here to kick ass, so I’m not afraid to run from anybody.”
Check it out below, courtesy of Tera Talmadge of Pig Trail Nation:
Favorite soundbite of the day came from @coachbraddavis talking about the criticism Arkansas' O-line has received the past few years.
Wait until the end. pic.twitter.com/GctZsvLfyh
— Tera Talmadge (@TeraTalmadge) February 6, 2020
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
