Subscribe to RSS Feed
Fourth Coach the Charm? Petrino Reportedly to be Arkansas Coach.
Posted by The Danza on Dec 11, 2007
Tommy Tuberville, Tommy Bowden, and Jim Grobe. Now, Bobby Petrino joins the other three as the fourth coach in the last two weeks to have “reportedly” accepted the job. I said that the Jim Grobe story sounded legit, and it did not work out, but this story actually does sound legit as there are press conferences scheduled on both sides for announcements. ESPN is reporting that Bobby Petrino has phoned in his resignation to the Atlanta Falcons and will accept the Arkansas Razorbacks job. Arkansas has called a press conference tonight scheduled for 11:30 p.m., where Petrino is expected to be announced as the new head coach. The Falcons have scheduled a press conference for tomorrow.
Ok. If this story turns out to not be true, then Arkansas is sure to become the laughing stock of the NCAA coaching carousel. If it is true, then we of the SEC fanbase will welcome another well-qualified coach into the league. He tried his damnedest to get into the SEC before back in 2003 when he was “interviewed” by Lowder and a few other Auburn bigwigs and officials, but we all know how that turned out.
It is being reported that he will earn approximately $3 million annually, and with Petrino having no buyout with the Falcons, the Razorbacks should come out of this monetarily sound, paying average top-tier coach salary (for this day in age, at least) for a great coach. I wouldn’t expect immediate results out of Fayetteville, as they are possibly losing two NFL first-rounders in Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, but Petrino should have the Hawgs back on track after a couple of seasons of his own recruits. Congratulations to Arkansas. We others of the SEC are glad you are not going to drop off the face of the Earth.
Honestly, I think it was a bad hire. Patrino has been traveling coach his whole career. Hasn’t been at any one place longer than 3-4 years. Don’t look for this to change at Ar-Kansas. He’ll bolt for somewhere else after a few years and the hogs will be glad it was over.
People say the same thing about Saban at Alabama. I wouldn’t consider him a bad hire. They needed a big name hire for Hog Nation to settle down, and that’s what they got. If he stays for 3-4 years but builds something great while he’s there, then fine. He can leave a great program in someone else’s hands that wants to be there for the long haul. The less sexy-name, long-haul coach would get more leeway coming into a great program than he would by coming into it right now, when tensions among fans are high over Nutt’s crazy antics over the last two years and then his mediocre 2007 season ending in resignation and abrupt hiring at a rival SEC West school.
Petrino will temporarily numb the pain and will build a good program. If he bolts in 3-4 years, so be it. He’s in virtually the same situation that Saban came into at Alabama. Will he leave in 3-4 years? It’s very possible, but not before he gets 3-4 top 5 recruiting classes of NFL-caliber talent to make the next Les Miles that comes in look like a genius.