Coaching Vacancies Threaten to Raid Arkansas and other SEC Staffs

The biggest downside to having a great coaching tree is when it’s time for the harvest. (That’s a fine metaphor, indeed.) Bret Bielema is famously part of the Hayden Fry coaching tree. Fry was the legendary Iowa coach that Bielema played for and started coaching under back in the day. Fry gave a lot of future coaches a job in his days at Iowa, including Bill Snyder, Bob Stoops, and Barry Alvarez, among others.

The good thing about having a head coach that finds great assistant coaches is the progress on the field and in recruiting. The bad thing about having a head coach that finds great assistants is that you don’t get to keep them very long. It’s one of the reasons that Bret Bielema stated he left Wisconsin in the first place. He was tired of not being able to pay his assistants enough to keep them around.

Bielema’s only been a head coach for a little over a decade, but he’s shown a great ability in finding talented assistant coaches that fit with his philosophy. Paul Chryst got his big break under Bielema as the offensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers. He left Madison to take the head coaching gig at Pittsburgh, and is now back in the land of cheese curds as the head Badger.

Dave Doeren got his first coordinator position under Bielema as well. He is now the head coach of the North Carolina State University Wolfpack. Arkansas Razorbacks fans might remember Charlie Partridge as well. He came with Bielema from Wisconsin as the defensive line coach, and left Fayetteville after one season to take the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University.

Oct 24, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Peyton Barber (25) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the first overtime against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Those are just some of the examples of the coaching talent that Bielema has surrounded himself with in the past. It’s how Bielema had success at Wisconsin, and how most coaches, from Nick Saban to Pete Carroll, have managed to stay successful. So it should come as no surprise that the Razorback’s two coordinators, Dan Enos and Robb Smith, are being mentioned as possible replacements for some of the head coach vacancies that have popped up around the country.

It’s certainly been an odd year to be a coach. It’s usually pretty rare for a team to fire a head coach in the middle of a season. However, once that ball starts rolling, other programs have to react to the situation if they want to land a solid replacement. This year, the avalanche was started by the University of Southern California. When Steve Sarkisian was fired from his job with the Trojans, the USC position instantly became the #1 job opening in the country. It forced the hands of other programs who are in the hunt for coaches to act. That’s why Miami decided to let Al Golden go, and Hawaii followed soon after.

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Add to that, the influx of vacancies for just weird reasons. Not that USC didn’t have a weird reason, but Steve Spurrier walking away from South Carolina was somewhat unexpected. Jerry Kill being forced to retire due to health reasons was the saddest thing we’ve seen all year. Overall, there are already 10 openings across the country, and by the time this offseason and hiring season is over, there’s a decent chance that not just Arkansas, but the SEC, will be picked over.

Sadly for Alabama, (but happily for literally everyone else) this seems like the year that Kirby Smart finally leaves Tuscaloosa. There are multiple openings that could fit his style and personality. The same goes for Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who has become the hottest thing on the market after his poor showing at USC before Sark.

Oct 31, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Damon Mitchell (7) on a kick return in the second half against the Tennessee Martin Skyhawks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas defeated UTM 63-28. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

One of the names being thrown around for multiple openings already is Greg Schiano, who coached with the Razorbacks current DC Robb Smith at Rutgers and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Schiano does get a head coaching gig somewhere, I will be concerned about Smith going to join his former boss. Smith has done a very good job at Arkansas. In 2014, he had a top 10 defense, something that Arkansas hasn’t had in…like…ever. He lost a lot of playmakers off that unit, but has been recruiting well and has found some success late this year in stopping the run and limiting points.

Even if Schiano doesn’t get a full time job, I’m still concerned about Robb Smith being courted by other programs. Coaching hires are like dominoes falling. I’m not worried about Smith taking the Memphis job when (not if) Justin Fuente takes a new job this year. I am, however, worried about the vacancy that will be left when Memphis hires their coach. All of that is hypothetical, but you get where I’m going with this. Robb Smith has a highly regarded defensive mind, and has done a great job at Arkansas in only his 2nd season.

New offensive coordinator Dan Enos is also a flight risk, at least to some extent. Enos came to Arkansas after being the head coach at Central Michigan for 4 seasons. His time as a Chippewa was not exactly heralded as wonderful. Before that, Enos was the QB and RB coach at Michigan State. While I don’t think Hog nation is super enthralled with all that Enos has brought with him to the Hill, one thing he offers to Bielema and the Razorbacks is stability. Enos has done a good job developing Brandon Allen and the Arkansas passing game, and has been forced to create schemes on the fly this year due to massive injuries.

Basically, the jury is still out on whether Enos will be a good fit for Arkansas and Bret Bielema. The jury is also still out as to whether Enos is happy as a coordinator, or if he’d be interested in hearing offers from other head coaching roles as they open up. He has spent lots of time recruiting across the midwest, south, and northeast, and has head coaching experience.

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The SEC could look vastly different by the start of next season. Rumors of Georgia getting rid of Richt, Sumlin flirting with USC, and some other underperforming schools that might be warming up the seat. The Big 10 and the SEC are stacked with talented, well paid coordinators. There’s a chance that some of them will be better paid head coaches by February.