It's worth noting the rich irony of Chad Morris' coaching st
Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 1:55 pmCall me crazy, but I’m starting to have some serious doubts about Chad Morris being the guy at Arkansas.
Search the words “Bielema” on Twitter on Saturday night and well, let’s just say Arkansas fans are confident that the ex-Razorbacks coach could easily have had a few more wins than Morris so far.
Meanwhile, the program that Morris helped build up, SMU, is 4-0 coming off a win at No. 25 TCU. Despite the fact that SMU only won 5 games in the first year of the post-Morris era, it’s easy to wonder if the program is now better than it was at any point while Morris was there.
I can’t help but wonder if we’re going to be saying the same thing about Arkansas in a few years. And if so, what does that say about Morris?
To be clear, I’m not predicting that Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek is going to pull the plug on the Morris era after 2019. But even he admitted that Saturday’s loss was deflating after feeling like the program turned the corner against Colorado State the previous week.
Speaking of that, Morris was praised this offseason for signing the nation’s No. 23 recruiting class. As the coach of a 2-10 team who failed to win an SEC game, he signed a higher-rated class than:
In total, Morris signed a higher-rated class than 42 Power 5 programs in 2019. That’s wild. That’s the type of stuff that doesn’t just get local fans excited, but it makes national media turn around and go “wow, that guy can sell ice to an Eskimo.”
Nobody is denying that ability with Morris. You can bet that’ll be a sell to Yurachek as to why he needs time at Arkansas. He’s in position to sign another top 25 class. You know, assuming things don’t go horribly, horribly wrong in 2019.
Speaking of former programs, Morris obviously left Clemson in 2014. In the 4 years after that, they didn’t miss a Playoff, they went to 3 national championships and won 2 of them. No, I’m not suggesting that Clemson won because Morris left for SMU. I’m definitely not saying that.
But his career followed this strange, ironic path wherein he spends a few years at a school, leaves and they reach new heights.
Remember, SMU is coming off a win against TCU, which is significant because Morris never beat a Power 5 team during his 3 years there (or in his 9 opportunities at Arkansas so far).
There’s a world in which Yurachek’s patience runs out in the next couple of years and someone steps in only to reap the benefits of Morris’ recruiting success. Some will say Morris wasn’t given time. Others will say he was someone who could establish a foundation via recruiting and selling the program, though when push came to shove, he was never going to be the guy to get it done.
Call me crazy, but I’m starting to see the blueprint for the latter scenario clearer and clearer.
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/arkan ... wich-2019/
Search the words “Bielema” on Twitter on Saturday night and well, let’s just say Arkansas fans are confident that the ex-Razorbacks coach could easily have had a few more wins than Morris so far.
Meanwhile, the program that Morris helped build up, SMU, is 4-0 coming off a win at No. 25 TCU. Despite the fact that SMU only won 5 games in the first year of the post-Morris era, it’s easy to wonder if the program is now better than it was at any point while Morris was there.
I can’t help but wonder if we’re going to be saying the same thing about Arkansas in a few years. And if so, what does that say about Morris?
To be clear, I’m not predicting that Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek is going to pull the plug on the Morris era after 2019. But even he admitted that Saturday’s loss was deflating after feeling like the program turned the corner against Colorado State the previous week.
Speaking of that, Morris was praised this offseason for signing the nation’s No. 23 recruiting class. As the coach of a 2-10 team who failed to win an SEC game, he signed a higher-rated class than:
In total, Morris signed a higher-rated class than 42 Power 5 programs in 2019. That’s wild. That’s the type of stuff that doesn’t just get local fans excited, but it makes national media turn around and go “wow, that guy can sell ice to an Eskimo.”
Nobody is denying that ability with Morris. You can bet that’ll be a sell to Yurachek as to why he needs time at Arkansas. He’s in position to sign another top 25 class. You know, assuming things don’t go horribly, horribly wrong in 2019.
Speaking of former programs, Morris obviously left Clemson in 2014. In the 4 years after that, they didn’t miss a Playoff, they went to 3 national championships and won 2 of them. No, I’m not suggesting that Clemson won because Morris left for SMU. I’m definitely not saying that.
But his career followed this strange, ironic path wherein he spends a few years at a school, leaves and they reach new heights.
Remember, SMU is coming off a win against TCU, which is significant because Morris never beat a Power 5 team during his 3 years there (or in his 9 opportunities at Arkansas so far).
There’s a world in which Yurachek’s patience runs out in the next couple of years and someone steps in only to reap the benefits of Morris’ recruiting success. Some will say Morris wasn’t given time. Others will say he was someone who could establish a foundation via recruiting and selling the program, though when push came to shove, he was never going to be the guy to get it done.
Call me crazy, but I’m starting to see the blueprint for the latter scenario clearer and clearer.
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/arkan ... wich-2019/
