Handing out the Grades: Arkansas

With the end of each college football season, there comes the hiring and firings as schools evaluate their program and whether they meet their expectations. Hiring a new coach is a dicey process and making the right or wrong hire will determine the success of the program over the next 10 years. Let’s look at this winter’s changes and hand out the grades.

Arkansas (8-4)
- Despite going 8-4 this season, following at 10-4 campaign in 2006, Arkansas felt it was time for Houston Nutt to move on after 10 seasons with the Razorbacks. The Arkansas faithful feel that they are the program where dreams come true, and obviously Houston Nutt wasn’t bring home the back, to back, to back AAU National Championships that Tom Emanski had promised them. So after a coaching search that turned up rejection from the likes of Butch Davis, Tommy Bowden, Tommy Tubberville, and Jim Grobe, the program that enjoys drama more than any other, settled on their own controversial candidate, Bobby Petrino.

Petrino is a great hire for the Razorbacks, who will be able to recruit in the competitive SEC, and will be able to bring some balance to the spread running attack that Arkansas used this season. Well, Petrino will be a great hire for the three years he will spend at Arkansas before moving on to greener pastures. The program should be more stable under Petrino’s guiding hand, and if the Razorbacks start the search for a replacement while Petrino is still their coach, it should work out perfectly.

Grade: B+

This is Exactly How You Want to Run an Athletic Program

Mitch Mustain is gone. He was outdone by a more complete Dick, and has moved on to a program known as much for its excellence as it is for the mental stability of those involved with and surrounding the program. While he most likely will not throw a pass for USC in the next 3 years, he will certainly not be involved in any soap operas.

While one might think that Mustain's departure has finally put to rest the drama surrounding the Razorbacks over the past few weeks, you would be wrong. After fans obtained Coach Nutt's cell phone records, fans, blogs, and media questioned Houston's knowledge of emails sent by boosters to Mitch Mustain encouraging his transfer, as well as Nutt's involvement with a female television reporter. This led to a letter defending her husband by Nutt's wife, which is important. I think it's a very positive sign to have your wife in your corner defending you against your critics when you've been cheating on her. Unfortunately, her letter did nothing to silence the critics, which led to Houston Nutt's open letter.

Sadly, this to has done nothing, as today, an Arkansas fan has brought a law suit against the University President and Chancellor saying they knew about the circumstances around Mustain's email and their inability to launch a fair and independent investigation into the situation. I think this could be the first time that a fan is actually bringing a lawsuit against his team.

When this situation began with the cell phone records, many wondered if this was a dangerous new trend that could develop at other universities around the country. However, after the complete debacle that this situation has become, it is pretty clear, that Arkansas is a unique program. By unique, I mean that they are completely out of control and insane. The fans are out of control calling for Houston's head, and the administration is staying out of it, when they probably need to be getting involved one way or the other, boosters are too involved, and Houston Nutt along with his wife is clearly insane.

One must wonder what would have happened had Arkansas not gone to the SEC Championship game and had instead gone 5-6. But instead, while most programs enjoy increased fan support and prosperity through success, Arkansas will continue their example of how not to run an athletic program.

Houston's a Nutt

The Arkansas football program is a mess. And it all begins with Houston Nutt. I've never liked the guy much and this just reinforces it. From basically forcing Gus Malzahn out as O-Coordinator, to allowing a booster/family friend send a bashing email to his starting QB, the shady text messages to a woman who is not his wife at shady times (i.e. when his wife was attending her mother's funeral in Oklahoma), and the denying to the public that he was interested in other jobs while at the same time he was discussing said jobs.... I never thought he was a guy I could trust with much, let alone a traditionally strong football powerhouse.

So he claims he was going to bring in David Lee as co-coordinator with Malzahn if Alex Wood left to take a job at like North Carolina or something, and that he told Malzahn this shortly after their bowl game. To shorten it all, Nutt had been in major contact with Lee starting after Thanksgiving through the time of his hiring announcement, and Alex Wood did obviously NOT leave to take a different job & is still employed in his same role at UA. In his post season press conference, Nutt says they would be working on getting some better contracts for the staff, specifically Malzahn and DC Reggie Herring. Herring got his new contract. Malzahn? He's gone, replaced quickly the day after he left. Whether or not the intention really was to have Co-Offensive Coordinators or Nutt was really pushing Malzahn out is still up for questioning.....

Secondly - Teresa Prewett. In my opinion, this woman is way too involved in UA football. I know big boosters get certain in's with players and staff, but if I'm a head football coach, I'm watching over every move a booster makes involving my players. The infamous email she sent to Mitch Mustain after the season went a month with no response from anyone at UA, even though it was proven to be forward to running backs coach Danny Nutt, the wife of Reggie Herring, the wife Houston's other brother Dickey (Head bball coach at Ark. St.), and an email account registered to Houston's family, admittedly used by his wife Diana. Nutt claimed to have no knowledge of said email until brought to his attention by Chancellor White a month after it originated. Ummmm NO. There is no way Nutt did not know about this email. Both his brothers and his wife knew about it? He in fact had at least 7 text messages to Teresa Prewett the day she originally sent the email? Ok, the guy knew. He let his starting QB get berated by a booster. So after a month, after Mustain's mom contacted the Chancellor after no action by Nutt, Nutt sends a reprimanding email to Prewett, requires her to send an apology to Mustain, bans her from getting any more sideline passes at the games and only now bans her from any contact with any of the players. Shortly after, Mustain transfers. One can't help but think this reinforced his decision to leave. Nutt wasn't watching out for the kid's back. I think that as a college football coach - that should be first priority.
Excerpts from Prewett-to-Mustain email, with an opening salutation of "Hello Mr. Interception King:":
"Please transfer. All you’ve been since you walked onto campus is a cancer, and your mother is no exception."
"...you know, the interview where you had on those glasses that made you look like a fag? I’m sure you remember. Anyhow, everyone in that room started laughing, calling you the dork. Why is it that you came to Arkansas again? Was it so your mommie could be close by to change your diaper, or was it because you thought having your lover Gus on the sideline would make playing in the SEC easier?"
"Did I mention that I want you to transfer? Helen Keller could read defenses in the SEC better than you."
And for a little Horns tie-in:
"The next time you think you and your girls are bigger than any one program – you better think again. I would love for you to be able to have a lengthy conversation with Chris Simms... he arrived on campus his freshman year in a limo thinking he was the next All Everything, was a smart ass to his coaches, was selfish, pouty, and the prime example of what a “team” player is not."
and also several times calls him "little boy". Unbelievable that Nutt let this go.

I've had enough Nutt for one day.... maybe I'll come back another time and look at Houston and his "no I'm not interested in Miami" BS and the 2000 text messages over a span of 3 months between he & a woman who is not his wife.... To sum up, I'm glad there's nothing going on like this at Texas (well, at least that I know of... you never know... )