In our only chance to talk to Mario Cristobal this week, the coach expressed confidence in QB Anthony Brown, as well as offer injury updates to some key players.
With the Oregon Ducks off this week due to their bye, media members only got one chance to meet with head coach Mario Cristobal and discuss what took place last Saturday against Stanford, as well as the rash of injuries suffered and an outlook going forward.
Seeing as it was our first chance to hear from Cristobal since Saturday afternoon, there were a lot of topics that were discussed and a lot of information that came out of the conversation. With a potential QB controversy in practice, a number of starters being lost for the season, and an offensive coordinator who underwent surgery before the game on Saturday, we learned a lot from the press conference. Here are some of the biggest and most notable pieces of information that were shared:
For a team that’s rebuilding, the most difficult part is trying to figure out what kind of defense, or offense for that matter is best to run according to the personnel that is on the roster right now.
Arizona has decided the way to go is to blitz the quarterback. And if that doesn’t work, then blitz again.
After three games, quite literally, it’s been a hit-and-miss strategy for the Wildcats under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch and defensive coordinator Don Brown. Arizona knew exactly what it was getting in Brown as the long-time assistant coach has the moniker of “Dr. Blitz.”
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But the Wildcats are prone to giving up the big play. BYU scored a touchdown of 67 yards in the first game and then San Diego State found the end zone on plays of 55, 25, and 40 yards, all in the first half. All three opponents, including Northern Arizona, had their fair share of plays of 20 yards that were not scoring plays.
That’s the bad.
The good comes from ranking second in the Pac-12 with 21 tackles for loss, only behind Oregon State. Nose tackle Kyon Barrs, who leads the team with 3.5 tackles for loss, and cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, who is considered to be a premier shutdown corner.
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The stats don’t bear it out (just one interception thus far) because opponents tend to throw on the other side of the field. In Arizona’s five games in 2020, he ranked third on the team in tackles and tied for the team lead in pass break-ups.
Oregon offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead says Roland-Wallace can cause havoc for an offense in multiple ways.
“His length and his physicality in the run game and at the line of scrimmage (make him a challenge),” he said. “He has very good short-distance quickness and the ability to redirect and the scheme that Coach Brown utilizes gives him a lot of opportunities to press at the line of scrimmage and challenge the receivers.”
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While opponents know the Wildcats will be blitzing, the difficult part, according to Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal is figuring out where it’s coming from and prepare for every possible scenario.
“The challenge this week is two personnel groupings that are very different in what they do out of them,” he said. “We have to be at our very best, got to study them thoroughly and got to have a good plan because they do affect the quarterback. They get a lot of penetration and create negative plays in the run game as well.”
As long as the Ducks get more explosion plays than negative ones, they should be just fine when the final horn sounds on this contest.
The three freshmen receivers have incredible upside, and their performance throughout Oregon’s fall camp has been impossible to ignore.
Coming into the 2021 season, the Oregon Ducks were sporting a trio of 4-star recruits at the wide receiver position, and there were some high hopes that they could potentially get onto the field early in their freshman seasons, getting a jump start on their college careers.
After almost two weeks of fall camp, those expectations have been blown out of the water. Now it’s not a question of whether or not any of these receivers can see the field in 2021, but rather a wonder of how big of an impact they can ultimately have.
With Troy Franklin, Dont’e Thornton, and Isaiah Brevard all vying for meaningful playing time in the offense, the Ducks have as good of a problem as they can ask for.
“They’re hard workers, you know they’re technicians and they really want to take the coaching points and put it on the field,” said super-senior WR Johnny Johnson III after Thursday’s practice. “I love the way those dudes work, and they’re going to continue to be great. I think we’ve got some future Biletnikoff winners over here.”
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The Biletnikoff Award, given to the best WR in college football for that season, has never been won by an Oregon Duck, but Demetrius Williams was a semifinalist in both 2004 and 2005.
The majority of the spotlight this fall has been on both Franklin and Thornton, due to their already high name recognition with the fanbase. Both freshmen were able to enroll early at Oregon and participate in the spring game, where they surely turned heads. The two led the team in receiving on the day, with Franklin hauling in four catches for 93 yards and Thorton adding 3 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.
“I think with Dont’e and Troy, the fact that they’ve been here since January, so they’ve had the whole spring and those guys have done a good job of making plays,” said Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead. “And Isaiah has come in with the rest of the other freshmen, and he’s actually — we’ve got to get him up to speed on what to do — but he’s made a lot of plays and caught a lot of touchdowns in camp. Between the three of those guys, it’s as impressive of a true freshman recruiting class as I’ve been around in a long time.”
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Fans may not have been too familiar with Brevard before fall camp started, but the freshman has done a good job of getting up to speed with the rest of the guys. In Oregon’s first scrimmage of fall camp, which was open to season-ticket holders, Brevard caught the only touchdown of the day in 11-vs-11 drills, hauling in a 38-yard pass from QB Robby Ashford. Brevard also had two other catches on the drive to set up the score.
“He has all of the physical abilities,” Johnson said of Brevard. “I think at the beginning, the playbook was kind of the biggest thing for him to figure out, and I think he’s starting to tighten up on that. He’s continued to make plays. He made a lot of plays in the last scrimmage, and he’s going to continue to do that.”
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With so many veteran and experienced receivers ahead of them on the depth chart, it may be hard to crack the starting lineup for any of these freshmen. With Johnson, and Mycah Pittman, and Jaylon Redd, and Devon Williams all jockeying for touches, there could simply be too much talent on the field to get everyone the targets that they deserve.
At a position group where the Ducks have historically underachieved over the years, that sounds like a great problem to have.
Oregon conducted its first scrimmage of fall camp inside Autzen Stadium where the defense had the advantage.
It was almost like the real thing.
For the first time this fall camp, Mario Cristobal’s Oregon Ducks football team scrimmaged inside Autzen Stadium in front of the season ticket holders and other fans.
“It was great to have our fans out here because they’re a big part of what we do at Autzen Stadium. It was just great to see them,” Cristobal said after the practice under the lights. “We’re very grateful for them being here and we know they can’t wait to be a big part of Sept. 4.”
As expected, the defense out-performed the offense as this Oregon defense has a chance to become something special. Despite missing cornerback DJ James and safety Jamal Hill because of an earlier incident with law enforcement, the secondary came to play.
Redshirt freshmen Trikweze Bridges made a case to become a starter with some of his play. He’s 6-foot-3 with a wingspan of 7-foot-2, which should be considered a huge cornerback and is a big advantage.
As for the offense, it was a mixed bag, according to Cristobal.
“I thought Anthony (Brown) early had some pressure,” he said of the Ducks starting quarterback. “(He) delivered some good balls. Some were more accurate. Some were not. There were some bright moments and some you’d like to have back.”
To be fair, it’s going to be difficult to judge the offense’s ability to move down the field on a consistent basis early on this fall. At least offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead has three weeks to iron everything out before Fresno State comes calling.
Zachary Neel – USA TODAY
Cristobal also gave praise to freshman quarterback Ty Thompson, who looks leaps and bounds better than he did in the spring thanks to a summer workout program and just being around his teammates and the facility.
“He was decisive tonight. When there was pressure, he found a way out most of the time,” Cristobal said. “Towards the end of the two-minute drill, he didn’t eat the ball. Sometimes a freshman with think, ‘I don’t want to throw an interception.’ He was very precise for most of the evening. I thought he made good decisions in the running game as well.”
Some of the other young players hoping to practice well enough to see playing time are linebacker Treven Ma’ae and running back Seven McGee, who might have the upper hand at being the starting punt returner.
The Ducks will take Sunday off from the field, but they’ll continue to weight train and have a speaker come talk to the team. Cristobal said he’s planning to have one or two speakers a week come in and share their insight on the topics they happen to specialize in.
Oregon’s Super Senior Johnny Johnson III is making himself into an all-time great Duck in Eugene.
When you think of all-time great Oregon Duck receivers throughout time, names such as Samie Parker and Jeff Maehl come to mind.
Slowly, but surely, however, Johnny Johnson III is creeping into the conversation of the school’s best pass catchers in history. If you ask Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal or offensive coach Joe Moorhead, what Johnson means to this program goes far beyond the numbers.
“Him announcing that he was going to return tells you a couple of things,” Cristobal said of his star wideout in an Oregon Sports Network interview on Media Day Monday. “His commitment to improvement for himself individually, but also the fact that he wants more for Oregon and out of Oregon.”
Johnson could have easily been a second or third-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft but instead announced he would spend his senior season in Eugene. But for Johnson, choosing to stay at Oregon as a “super senior” went beyond football.
“It gives me more of an opportunity to lead, for sure,” he said on Oregon media day. “I get to be around a lot of these young dudes I wouldn’t have the chance to meet. It’s a blessing for me and I get to grow relationships as well as become a better football player at the same time.”
Those young dudes Johnson was talking about will get to watch a real veteran go about his craft and learn. Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead says the development of the young receivers in camp is a lot due to having Johnson there.
“Just his veteran presence and the fact that he’s performed very well, and in big games,” Moorhead said in an interview with OSN. “The young guys and even the older guys see how Johnny operates and the way he conducts himself, how hard he works in the weight room and on the field with every practice rep is at a very high level and he translates that to games.”
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
But they also have some big shoes to fill once Johnson does move on to the next level.
In his four seasons at Oregon, including the shortened season of 2020, Johnson has 114 receptions for 1,617 yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s averaging over 14 yards per catch.
The Ducks have as much depth at the receiver position as any team in the country. But what most teams don’t have is a receiver that has had as much experience as Johnson will bring to the 2021 season.
When Johnny Johnson III announced he was returning for one more season, Oregon’s receiver group went from good to great just like that.
Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal may have a big decision to make where it comes to his quarterback, but whoever that is, he’s going to have plenty of targets to throw to as the Ducks will feature a group of receivers that is second to none.
That receiving group was already going to be outstanding with Mycah Pittman and Devon Williams on the field. The group went from great to possibly elite when senior Johnny Johnson III announced he was coming back for another season.
(Pool photo by Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard)
The Chandler, Ariz. native has turned into a dependable playmaker that can beat nearly every defender despite his 6-foot, 199-pound frame. Johnson comes into the 2021 season with 114 career receptions for 1,617 yards and 14 touchdowns. His breakout season came in 2019 when Johnson caught 57 balls for 836 yards and seven scores.
Johnson was primed to have another monster season in 2020 until the world was turned upside down. He also had to learn a new offensive scheme under coordinator Joe Moorhead, plus a new quarterback tossing the pigskin. All of those factors, as expected, put a damper on his season as Johnson caught just 19 passes for 267 yards and two scores.
Now with more of a normal senior season ahead of him, Johnson can have a year the Ducks know he can have, But Johnson isn’t nearly the only weapon at Oregon’s disposal.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
On the other side of the field, Pittman is also out to prove that 2020 was a fluke, but for different reasons than his receiving counterpart. He was sidelined after five games due to COVID-19. His freshman season was also cut short due to injuries, so the Ducks are hoping those maladies are history and they can see what Pittman can do in a full 12-game season.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder came to Eugene in 2019 as one of the top prep wide receivers in the country and has shown flashes of brilliance on the field.
With names like Johnson and Pittman on the roster, it’s easy to forget players such as Jaylon Redd and Williams. Oregon is looking forward to having all four of those players healthy at the same time just to see the havoc they can do against opposing defenses.
Redd is entering his senior season with 118 career receptions for 1,238 yards and 14 touchdowns. He chose to use his extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic and the Ducks have to be thrilled with that decision. Redd can be used in multiple ways due to his size and speed.
At 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds, he has been used as a scatback or a slot receiver, making it difficult to find him in the formation. Redd has five career rushing touchdowns.
Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard
Williams, at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, led the Ducks with 286 yards and two touchdowns in the six games he played. When he committed to USC in 2018, he was considered the top athlete in the country. He played all 12 games for the Trojans in 2018 but caught just four passes for 87 yards.
With his size, the Ducks will be able to exploit mismatches in the secondary for easy touchdowns. He classified as a sophomore, so Oregon hopes it gets two or maybe three full seasons with Williams on the field.
If for some reason an injury occurs to one of the four main receivers, the Ducks will be able to turn to players such as freshman Troy Franklin, a 6-foot-2, 170-pounder from East Palo Alto, Calif. He was one of the top receivers in the 2020 recruiting class.
Freshman Kris Hutson saw limited playing time last season as did sophomore Josh Delgado.
The only thing that could stop this group is injuries because defenses are going to have a difficult time keeping these Ducks covered.
Led by CJ Verdell and Travis Dye, the Ducks running backs might be the best duo the country has to offer.
The Oregon Ducks have enjoyed the services of a lot of quality running backs in its history, but the dynamic duo of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye has the chance to eventually go down as one of the best.
Both are juniors that already have plenty of accolades attached to their names. Verdell has already gone on record as to saying he wants to rush for 2,000 yards this season. Oregon has never had a tailback go for 2,000 yards in a single season, but if someone has a chance to do it, Verdell could be the guy.
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon will most likely rely on its running game this season with an inexperienced Pac-12 quarterback calling the signals, so offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead will likely be calling Verdell’s number a lot throughout the year.
Having his number called in virtually every situation is something Verdell is used to. In his freshman season, he rushed the ball 202 times in 13 games for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns. Verdell equaled his initial success his sophomore season with 198 rushing attempts for 1,220 yards and eight scores. In 2020, the junior was slowed by a couple of injuries that allowed him to just gain 285 yards (57 ypg) in five contests and three touchdowns.
Now fully healthy, Verdell believes he and his team is due for a monster season.
“The main goal here ever since Coach Cristobal took over the program and going in the direction we’ve been going is to definitely get into that playoff and win a national championship,” he said in a press conference last week.
If those goals are to be accomplished, Verdell is going to need Dye to shoulder some of the load. Dye is the speed back with Verdell’s power.
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
No longer considered Troy Dye’s younger brother, Travis has turned into a quality tailback himself and is a weapon receiving the ball as well. At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Dye has 37 career receptions for 467 yards and six touchdowns through the air.
When Verdell was sidelined much of the latter half of 2020 with a thumb injury, Dye became the starting tailback where he flourished. In those seven games, he gained 443 yards and averaged nearly seven yards per carry.
In goal-line situations, the Ducks relied on Cyrus Habibi-Likio, but the power back decided to move on to Boise State, leaving those situations to Verdell and Dye.
Behind those two main tailbacks, redshirt freshman Sean Dollars was looking to see more playing time, but he suffered a considerable leg injury, so he won’t see action until the middle of the season, according to Cristobal.
True freshman Seven McGee, a four-star recruit from Rochester, NY, won’t be on campus until June. So Aaron Smith, a 5-11, 205-pounder from San Jose, Calif. has received the other snaps in Spring practice. Whether he sees the field come September remains to be seen, but just being able to get those early reps in is going to be invaluable to him.
Senior Anthony Brown is the starting quarterback, but freshman Ty Thompson isn’t going to make Mario Cristobal’s decision an easy one.
Nearly every head football coach wants a healthy positional competition in spring practices as it tends to make the players better, causing the cream to rise to the top.
If there is one spot on the football field the coach wants to be sure of it’s the quarterback. But if that all-important spot isn’t a sure thing, you want two talented players to compete.
That’s exactly what faces Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal, as he watches senior Anthony Brown and freshman Ty Thompson battle each other. It’s a decision that will be so close that Cristobal might not be able to make it until the fall.
Whatever that decision is, however, the Ducks will be in good hands.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Brown came to Eugene last season after a three-year career at Boston College. His time with the Eagles was hit-and-miss because of injuries, but when he was able to see the field, Brown was able to tear apart Big East defenses.
In those three seasons, Brown threw for 40 touchdowns and 4,738 yards. Those numbers would be bigger, but he suffered a season-ending injury after six games as a junior.
Once healthy again, Brown transferred to Oregon looking to start, but then the pandemic hit last year and put spring practices on hold. His progress in offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s system was hampered, so the staff went with Tyler Shough, the known quantity.
But Brown slowly worked his way onto the field as the season went along. He played well in the Pac-12 title game where he threw for two touchdowns against USC, and then again in the Fiesta Bowl. Despite the 34-17 loss to Iowa State, Brown rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 147 yards in part-time duties, splitting reps with Shough.
After the season, Shough transferred, making Brown the incumbent, but when Oregon recruited and signed the program’s first-ever five-star quarterback, the Ducks suddenly had a decision to make at quarterback.
Nick Oza/The Arizona Republic
Thompson is the Ducks’ first five-star signal-caller to sign. He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 215 pounds. Thompson was Arizona’s top prep football player last season and was rated as the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the country.
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At Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz., the two-time state champion ended his career throwing for 9,891 yards and 100 touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,145 yards, averaging nearly five yards a rush and 20 scores.
It’s difficult to ignore a talent like that, and since Thompson is an early enrollee, it gives the freshman the best possible chance to start right away.
As the schedule is set, no one would blame Cristobal if he wanted to go with the upper-classman. Ohio State looms as the second game of the season in the 12-game slate and having a true freshman enter the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio might be too much to ask.
Oregon has the talent at the other positions to be the favorite to win the Pac-12 title and possibly sneak into the College Football Playoff if everything falls into place for the Ducks.
This one decision might determine the destiny of the 2021 Oregon Ducks football team.
NASHVILLE – The American Football Coaches Association’s annual convention took place Jan. 12-14 at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Many coaches from across the nation and the world were present. Vols Wire was in attendance and discussed a wide range of topics with various coaches from career achievements, what lies ahead and talking concepts that included the Air Raid mesh with Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin.
The event kicked off with Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck discussing his career and how he has risen from a junior wide receiver at Northern Illinois attending the AFCA Convention and knowing he wanted to coach. He has since climbed the coaching ranks, becoming a first-time head coach at Western Michigan (2013-15). There, his ability to build a program with its culture on display was at the forefront and he has since moved on to rebuild Minnesota’s program in the same capacity.
Current and former University of Tennessee coaches were present at the annual event. UT Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer also made his presence.
The likes of former Tennessee assistant and current Duke head coach David Cutcliffe discussed his time at UT coaching under Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer.
“Coach Majors was the most organized practice guys,” Cutcliffe said.
The Duke head coach mentioned Majors made it a point for assistants to write down any mistakes they made and learn from it.
“The big thing with Phillip (Fulmer) was perseverance,” Cutcliffe continued regarding the pair of former UT head coaches. “He was the most consistent, perseverian person that I have ever been around.”
Cutlciffe also discussed with Vols Wire his openness to changing coaching tactics as the game does with rules, the transfer portal and other items such as offenses changing.
“I have learned more in the last five years than I have in the previous 15,” he said. “We all have to be prepared to do that in our line of work.”
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Recently departed Tennessee running backs coach David Johnson was also present at the AFCA Convention representing his new school, Florida State. Johnson discussed the amount of hard work he gave to Tennessee over the last two years with Vols Wire, simply saying that he worked hard during his time on Rocky Top.
Other coaches present at the Convention discussed UT’s coaching staff vacancy with Vols Wire. The common theme was that Jeremy Pruitt will take his time to fill the opening Johnson has left behind, much like he did when hiring offensive coordinator Jim Chaney last offseason. Johnson left UT on Jan. 4.
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Former Tennessee head coach Butch Jones also took part in the 2020 AFCA Convention on its second day. Jones, who finished his second season as an analyst at Alabama in 2019, mentioned to Vols Wire that he eventually plans on getting back into a head coaching position again and is enjoying his time under Nick Saban.
One coach told Vols Wire that Jones will enhance what went well during his Tennessee tenure and will fix what could have been better when he becomes a head coach again.
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Former Tennessee defensive graduate assistant Jon Shalala arrived at UT during the summer of 2016 under Jones and defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. Shoop went to Mississippi State in the same capacity for the 2018-19 seasons.
Shalala remained at Tennessee throughout Pruitt’s first season as head coach in 2018. He then followed Shoop to Mississippi State and served as an assistant to inside linebackers throughout the 2019 season.
Mississippi State fired head coach Joe Moorhead following the Bulldogs’ bowl game and have since hired Mike Leach for his replacement. Shalala has experience handling transition when Tennessee went from Jones to Pruitt following the 2017 season. He remains currently within Mississippi State’s program under Leach and told Vols Wire that everything has been good so far during the transition.
Shalala filled in for linebackers coach Chris Marve during the Music City Bowl against Louisville. Marve left Mississippi State to join Mike Norvell’s Florida State coaching staff.
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
University of Tennessee at Martin running backs coach Sean Fisher was selected to the AFCA 2020 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. Fisher previously discussed his coaching career on the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” with newly hired USA Academy head coach Rush Propst. The interview can be listened to below.
Coaching search discussions, contract negotiations, job opportunities for Gus Malzahn, Bill Clark and Rush Propst.
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Arkansas is in the process of hiring a new head coach. The Razorbacks are a 2020 opponent for Tennessee. The Vols will travel to Arkansas on Oct. 31, 2020.
KNOXVILLE — Arkansas fired head coach Chad Morris one day following the Razorbacks’ 45-19 loss to Western Kentucky in Week 11 of the 2019 season.
Morris finished his Arkansas tenure with a 4-18 record in two seasons.
Now a coaching search is taking place and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is at the forefront of Arkansas’ vacancy. Malzahn served as the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator in 2006 and has a long history in the high school ranks throughout the state.
Gus Malzahn’s coaching career in Arkansas
Hughes High School (1991, DC)
Hughes High School (1992–1995, HC)
Shiloh Christian High School (1996–2000, HC)
Springdale High School (2001–2005, HC)
Arkansas (2006, OC/WR)
Arkansas State (2012, HC)
Gus Malzahn’s playing career in Arkansas
Arkansas (1984–1985)
Henderson State (1987–1989)
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Former quarterback Mitch Mustain and tight end Ben Cleveland played for Malzahn at Springdale High School and Arkansas. Both discussed their former coach on Fox Sports Knoxville’s radio show ‘Tennessee Two-A-Days’, providing their thoughts if Malzahn would leave Auburn and return to Arkansas as the Razorbacks’ next head coach.
“Obviously that is going to be the state’s number one choice is trying to get coach Malzahn back home,” Cleveland said. “At the end of the day, he gets to dictate what he wants to do. He has done a phenomenal job at Auburn, but I know everyone in the state, or even with the Arkansas program, would love to have coach Malzahn back.”
Cleveland also mentioned that the timing for Malzahn to return to Arkansas is more realistic now compared to two years ago when the Razorbacks courted the Auburn head coach.
“Circumstances need to be lined up for him to take it,” Cleveland said of Malzahn. “Do I think circumstances are more lined up now than they were two years ago, before we offered him that crazy amount, yes.”
Mustain also discussed Arkansas’ head coaching vacancy now compared to two years ago.
“It seems like we have that talk every couple of years when Arkansas decides to flip something over,” Mustain said. “One-hundred percent last time it was not a good move for him at the time. I’m not so sure this time, some things have changed.
“Having a close relationship with Gus, at least a close working relationship in the past, I would be hard-pressed to tell him to jump for it and go. Auburn, obviously he has his issues at Auburn, and there’s a lot of question as to how long he could hang onto that if he doesn’t make some serious changes. We have seen him make some changes in play-calling, taking back some of that role, and we saw a lot of improvement I think with it, and that was a criticism I even had where he was handing that off.”
‘Tennessee Two-A-Days’ co-host and former Hoover and Colquitt County High School head coach Rush Propst discussed on the show how someone “can stay at a place too long.”
“Because we’re competitors, we’re fighters, we are going to fight you tooth and nail on everything,” Propst said. “When you tell us we should go, or when you feel that maybe you are not as popular as you were two years ago, you dig into even more so to show people that you can still run this ship.
“Eventually it comes a point in time that you have to look at retirement and where do you want to end up as a human being – not as a coach but as a human being. You get to retire doing what you love, coaching football, in your home state.”
If Malzahn does leave for Arkansas, then a head coach opening would need to be filled at Auburn.
Cleveland calls UAB head coach Bill Clark “a hot name” throughout college football for any vacancy.
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Propst has a longtime relationship with Clark. The former Hoover and Colquitt County head coach has been doing consultant work this season with various schools including UAB.
The seven-time high school state champion and 2015 national championship head coach has fielded college coaching discussions recently, while breaking down the game with the likes of Troy Calhoun, Trent Dilfer, Tony Franklin, Hugh Freeze, Todd Graham, Tyson Helton, Mike Leach, Hal Mumme, Jake Spavital and George Quarles.
With Clark being a candidate for head coaching vacancies at Florida State and Arkansas currently, he is also in-line for contract negotiations with UAB following three consecutive seasons of reaching a bowl game and winning the 2018 Conference-USA championship in as many years following the program’s reinstatement.
“They’re probably going to renegotiate his contract closer to $2 million,” Propst said of Clark.
Propst continued to discuss Clark’s historic achievements following UAB’s shutdown during the 2015 and 2016 seasons and him being considered for multiple Power 5 jobs.
“Nobody has done anything in the history of college football to what he did at UAB – even remotely close,” Propst said. “If Gus decided not to come (to Arkansas), he (Clark) would be a great choice because he has been able to take a program that was given the death penalty – the real death penalty – where football was taken completely away for two years. He goes back and not only brings it back to a good level, he wins the conference. He knows how to recruit. Like Gus, he is a high school coach at heart. He knows what high school coaches want to hear.”
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
The entire discussion of Malzahn and Clark being part of head coaching searches on ‘Tennessee Two-A-Days’ with Propst, Mustain and Cleveland can be listened to below that include the Blazers’ coach to also receive a hard look from Mississippi State if the Bulldogs’ job were to open.
