Bret Bielema hints at possible staff changes
While Arkansas hasn’t made any assistant coaching changes since the regular season ended last month, coach Bret Bielema hinted there could be some changes made after the bowl game.
BB on staff changes: There was some movement discussed with us, but nothing right now. I expect some things after the bowl game to pop up
— Razorback Nation (@RazNation) December 19, 2016
Bielema noted that in general, the coaching carousel hasn’t been very active on the assistant front this offseason.
Bielema: There hasn't been a lot of coaching movement overall in CFB. My guess is there will be a lot of transition in CFB after the bowls.
— Bo Mattingly (@SportsTalkwBo) December 19, 2016
Bielema appears to be exploring a shift to a 3-4 defense, which could mean changes to the defensive staff.
“Things have transitioned from the 4-3 to the 3-4 of late,” Bielema said last week to the media. “I loved the 3-4. That’s what I played and coached it for a while. I had to learn the 4-3 when I got into coaching because it was a big deal.
“Football evolved to the 4-3 and now it’s coming back to the 3-4. We’ve done a little of that in our sub packages.”
The Arkansas coach also suggested the move to a new defensive philosophy could help increase pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
“With the 3-4, you can bring pressures (on the quarterback) from both sides,” Bielema added.
Many fans were upset after the Missouri game when Bielema indicated he did not have plans to make any staff changes, but it appears that the fourth-year coach has become open to shaking things up.