CBS analyst Rick Neuheisel weighs in on Chad Morris' future at Arkansas
Arkansas fans are growing increasingly restless with Chad Morris, and a portion of the fan base wouldn’t mind moving on from the second-year coach.
But former coach Rick Neuheisel, who is an analyst for CBS Sports, said it’s too early to make that kind of decision. Former coach Bret Bielema deployed a more run-heavy attack with bigger linemen, while Morris hopes to install a more pass-friendly offense with more athleticism. But that’s not the only reason for patience.
“Absolutely he needs more time, absolutely he needs more time,” Neuheisel said, according to TVH11. “This was a complete change. Going from the Bret Bielema way of doing things, to the Chad Morris way of doing things. Not only fundamentally on the gridiron, but philosophically.”
The Razorbacks sit at 2-4 this season with wins over Portland State and Colorado State, and losses to Ole Miss, San Jose State, Texas A&M and most recently, Kentucky. The Hogs play Auburn this week.
This comes after last year’s 2-10 record, and the UK loss left Arkansas with a 14-game losing streak against SEC teams, and 1-19 mark in the last 20 games.
It’s been a rough stretch for the program for a while. This string of losses is nearing the program’s longest SEC losing streak of 17 games, which started under John L. Smith in 2012 and ended under Bielema in 2014.
Neuheisel is just a former coach sticking up for another coach. I would bet he hasn’t watched 10 plays all season of garbage Arkansas football. It is totally obvious to anyone who knows anything about football that Morris is way over his head in the SEC. This team isn’t improving at all. They look unprepared every week. Now recruits and players are bailing. He has 6 games left to show drastic improvement or he should be fired immediately after the Mizzou game, just like Bert.
Agree
They can’t fire him two years in. You’ll never get a decent coach to come after that. They have to let him have his 3 years, better or worse.
I used to also subscribe to the “must give them 3 years” rule. But it shouldn’t take 2-3 years to prove your a competent coach. A competent coach doesn’t lose to San Jose St in year 2. Or lose to a team playing a WR at QB. A competent coach shows obvious signs of improvement in year 2. A competent coach doesn’t hire washed-up, over-the-hill coaches like John Chavis. Look at the job Scott Satterfield is doing at Louisville in year 1. He inherited a mess and in less than 1 season has turned the Cards into a disciplined, solid team. Arkansas fans are not expecting a Nat. Title in year 2. We are expecting tangible progress. We are not getting that.
I don’t think you’re wrong. I just think that you want good coaches to want to take the job, and firing a guy who was fairly well-regarded two years in, after firing a guy who was VERY well regarded, after a somewhat short tenure, would be a red-flag for potential candidates.
Now, I think firing Bielema was the right call, and I understand a lack of faith in Morris, but I think the best course is to give it another year. Maybe he’ll turn it around and save you the trouble, and at the least he’ll at least not be able to say he wasn’t given a fair shake.
It’s like how we gave Kim Anderson (in basketball) three years. I think after the first year-let alone the second-we knew it just wasn’t happening. But there was a real perception we couldn’t get a good replacement if we pulled the trigger too soon, so we waited, and ended up with a guy we’re comfortable with.
But I understand the angst. I don’t know what Arkansas football should fit in within the SEC pecking order, exactly, but you certainly have a right to feel you deserve much more than this.
I’ll also note that Barry Odom was basically exactly where Morris was about exactly 2 years ago. Now, I’m not saying he’s Nick Saban, but eventually the light came on, and he’s gone 19-7 since. Sometimes it does take awhile, and the road there can be VERY ugly.
Odom was bowl eligible in year 2.
We haven’t had a “decent” coach since BP was let go….that was 6-7 years ago, while the Ark job is not a great one because of the SEC West & being a difficult place to recruit to….we do have money (JJ, The Walton Family, Tyson, etc) and there will be much better coaching prospects than CM available….right now, I would take Sonny Dykes, who replaced CM at SMU….they are ranked & Dykes has shown his ability to actually make solid in-game decisions on a consistent basis…Morris & company can’t beat a WR playing QB or the worst team in the Mountain West Conference on their own field…..another year of this will not help anyone, only lose more players/fans along the way.
CCM built that roster and brought those kids in. Dykes looks like a genius as a result. How long was he at SMU? 6 yrs?
Morris did not build that roster. Dykes has 41 true freshmen and 11 other redshirt freshmen on the roster but more important, 23 players on SMU’s roster were previously at other Division I schools. The transfer list includes starters Shane Buechel QB, Brandon Stephens CB, Reggie Roberson Jr. WR, the two top tacklers, S Patrick Nelson and S Richard McBryde.
This is Dykes team and SMU is well rid of Morris
I really wish Ark would be great again. Lots of good people pull for hogs.
Does the fact that SMU is playing very well reflect on CCM since he built that team? Dykes is the beneficiary now. In time could he build Arkansas the same way if given time?
Although there has been no improvement in the record thus far, and there was no excuse for the SJSU debacle, I have seen a small amount of improvement. With another 100 yards of offense we could be 5-1 probably. 20 yards away with a chance to win on our final drive in 3 games that probably would have been won if we could have punched it in. Our talent level has increased, although young. I am impatient as well, but think at least one more year is in order.
Finally another voice of reason instead of all the chicken littles. You look at how we’ve struggled through the first few games and have been competitive in the last couple; that’s improvement. Not the sexy kind, but improvement none the less. Remember that two of our biggest weapons are freshman receivers. So although this is year 2, it’s year one for them and I think you are seeing them learn the system and that’s why we are getting competitive. Starkel is trying too hard or something, but Hicks is settling in and one of them needs to step up which should give us a win. The O-line complicates this, but I think Hicks has adapted better to the weak line. Morris has not made the best play calls and I’m with people with that frustration. I’m hoping there is a reason other than just boneheadedness, but nobody in the press will ask a direct question like that. I still think this will come together at some point in this season and a fan base will be shocked. Hopefully our whiney, impatient portion of the fan base doesn’t make it more difficult. The articles about the “meltdowns” are not good for recruiting.
I agree you have to give the guy three years for the next coach because there will be a next coach after next year. Morris is not a strong leader. He was an offensive coordinator at a school with outstanding talent. He finally won 7 games as a head coach but it is beyond my understanding as to why anyone would have thought that qualifies him to be the head coach of Arkansas.
Boot said “I agree you have to give the guy three years for the next coach because there will be a next coach after next year.”
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If i was the director and felt that way about a coach, I’d never keep him around and waste money and precious time out of perception. That makes absolutely no sense. I would be proactive and make decisions that will benefit the program as quickly as possible. I’m not going to keep a loser coaching my program if i see him as being gone; because, deep down if u have no hope that is saying I have no confidence in your ability. And if that is the case, the director should fire himself or be fired for keeping him.
Is he trying to suggest that the players we have now shouldn’t be able to beat San Jose State because the previous coach’s players are a different type of player than Morris needs? IMO, both coaches should be able to win that game with the D1 athletes they have or had.
Besides, most of Bielema’s guys are gone.