Tag: Kenny Guiton

Sam Pittman gives reason for firing Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos

Sam Pittman met with the media on Monday afternoon and explained his reasoning for firing offensive coordinator Dan Enos.

Sunday afternoon, Arkansas football officially relieved offensive coordinator Dan Enos of his duties – ending his second stint with the program after just eight games. On Monday, head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] spoke to the media and gave an explanation behind his decision.

“First thing I want to say is, Dan worked extremely hard. He was in the building all the time and put a lot of hours into it,” Pittman said. “It just wasn’t working. So, yesterday (Sunday) morning we decided to go ahead and let Dan go.”

The firing of Enos came just a little over 24 hours after the Razorback offense was unable to score a single touchdown and put together a historically bad perfomance during their 7-3 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday. It’s a popular decision among Arkansas fans and one that had to be made.

One interesting comment that Pittman made early on was how the players may have lacked excitement and motivation to play hard for [autotag]Dan Enos[/autotag].

“A lot of coaching has to do with enthusiasm, spirit and wanting to run through a wall for people,” said Pittman. “We just really never had that on the offensive side of the ball. If you look at it defensively, there’s a lot of that there.”

That sheds some much-needed light on why the offense would look flat, uninterested and lethargic at times this season when the defense would be playing with incredible energy and aggressiveness. It may get overlooked, but having a coach that players want to go out and play for is an extremely important aspect of the hiring process. However, it was far from the only issue that the Arkansas offense faced this year under Dan Enos.

“We’ve got to give our kids a chance to win,” Pittman said. “It just seemed like nothing ever came easy for us this year and we’ve got to do some things differently. One of those things is we have to cut down on the volume that we have.”

Pittman would go on to say that the offensive playbook was very deep, but that it would make calling plays for specific playmakers more difficult. With wide receivers coach [autotag]Kenny Guiton[/autotag] taking over as interim offensive coordinator, not only will they look more like the Arkansas offense of previous years but there will be more emphasis on getting the ball in the hands of their best playmakers.

“Lord knows, we had a lot of offense. You got to shrink that down and do a little good, and let the playmakers make plays,” Pittman said.

The Razorbacks will have 12 days to get Guiton and the offense ready, thanks to this week’s BYE. They travel to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators in “The Swamp” one week from Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Which receiver can emerge as KJ Jefferson’s favorite target in 2023?

The Hogs have a lot of fresh faces in the receiving room, so who can become “the guy” this season? Let’s take a closer look at the best candidates.

[autotag]Kenny Guiton[/autotag] had a tough challenge ahead of him following the 2022 season.

Entering his third year as wide receivers coach in Fayetteville, he was going to have to replace 72.5% of the team’s total receiving production from the prior year.

Matt Landers, Jadon Haselwood and Trey Knox? All gone.

Guiton knew he needed to go out and get some weapons for returning quarterback [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag], and he was able to do just that. Isaac Teslaa, Andrew Armstong and Tyrone Broden all chose to come to Fayetteville over other SEC schools.

The reason? Guiton says that was simple.

“Look at the room. Any starters coming back? Really no seniority. Nobody in the room that’s caught any balls yet in live action,” Guiton told the media earlier this week. “So I wanted some guys with college experience, make the room competitive and let’s go from there.”

So far this offseason, the room has been extremely competitive. As a result, Jefferson will have plenty of talented pass catchers to throw to this year. Though the question remains, which receiver can emerge as the go-to option in Arkansas’ passing attack this season?

Let’s take a look at the most likely candidates.

Arkansas wideout Isaiah Sategna poised for bigger role as sophomore

Razorback fans should expect to see a lot more of sophomore speedster Isaiah Sategna in 2023.

Entering the 2023 season, one of the biggest question marks for this Arkansas football team is at the wide receiver position.

With an influx of transfers and a new offensive coordinator, it remains to be seen which weapons [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] will be able to rely on most in the passing game. One wideout who appears to be in line for a starting role as slot receiver is sophomore [autotag]Isaiah Sategna[/autotag].

Sategna, a Fayetteville native, has been turning heads throughout spring practices and into fall camp. Arkansas wide receivers coach [autotag]Kenny Guiton[/autotag] credits that to his maturity from last year to now.

“His maturity level and how much he’s grown from last fall to spring to now, I mean, it’s a big jump,” Guiton said following practice on Tuesday. “He’s a guy that understands what we want to get done when you make a play call and he’s able to go out and execute.”

“He’s matured to a point where we can really count on him, and I think he knows that. I think he’ll excel at everything we throw in front of him.”

Sategna only played in four games last season and totaled 24 offensive snaps. 18 of those snaps came in the Liberty Bowl, which was a big learning moment for the second year receiver.

“Yeah, right before halftime against Kansas, I didn’t run the best route and KJ ended up throwing an interception,” said Sategna, speaking to the media on Tuesday. “I really felt like that was my fault. I go back and watch that a lot. That just makes me want to work even harder and stuff, and I’m going to keep that in the back of the mind this year whenever I’m going against these other DBs and just know that I’m going to get my payback.”

That moment obviously sparked a change in Sategna’s mindset as he’s become one of the most reliable receivers over the course of spring practices and now fall camp. His speed, pass catching ability and improved route-running means that he’s likely in line to for more playing time this fall.

“I’m trying to get on the field this year. I don’t care where it’s at,” Sategna said. “Last year, it was kind of weird because I was on the bench. That’s never happened for me. This year I’ve just tried to go hard in practice and not take any plays off and just know that practice translates to the games.”

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Recruiting guru Guiton revamps Hogs’ receiving corps

Arkansas receivers coach Kenny Guiton is proving to be an outstanding recruiter, bringing in talented new faces to fill some voids.

With the departure of Arkansas’ four top receiving targets from a year ago, the Razorbacks went into the offseason with a definite need to fill the void.

To the rescue was receivers coach and emerging recruiting guru Kenny Guiton, who proceeded to land three coveted replacements.

Gone are wideouts Matt Landers (47 catches, 901 yards and 8 TDs), Jadon Haselwood (59, 702, 3), and Ketron Jackson Jr. (16, 277, 3) and tight end Trey Knox (26, 296, 5). Landers and Haselwood opted to turn pro, while Jackson and Knox chose to transfer. The primary back-up Warren Thompson (12, 178, 2) also decided to leave the program.

Guiton proceeded to out-recruit a number of Power 5 programs to bring in a trio of highly touted transfers: Andrew Armstrong (62, 1,020, 13) from Texas A&M-Commerce, Isaac TeSlaa (68, 1,325, 13) from Hillside College and Tyrone Broden (32, 506, 7) from Bowling Green. The three should be an immediate welcome addition for senior quarterback KJ Jefferson and new offensive coordinator Dan Enos’s pro-style offense.

Guiton, a former quarterback at Ohio State, worked his magic last season, bringing in a pair of transfers that quickly blossomed – Landers and Haselwood.

Along with another Guiton recruit, freshman Isaiah Sategna, the reworked receiving corps looks to pose a definite threat to opposing secondaries. The speedy Sategna had two impressive TD catches in last spring’s Red-White Game.

Despite having a group that lacks playing experience in the SEC, Guiton is confident that he has the right mix of talent to support a stellar Razorback passing game this season.

“The further and further you go, the more ease you start to get,” he said after the fifth practice of the fall. “I don’t know if I will ever be fully eased until we win some games. But right now, I’m feeling good. I love the competitive nature in our room. You can tell everything is up for grabs.”

With 20 practices remaining before the season opener against Western Carolina in Little Rock, Guiton will just let everything sort itself out.

“We have plenty of guys competing their butts off, in order to be one of those three starters, but they also know when your time comes to shine, you better be ready for it.”

Arkansas football: Latest recruiting news and updates for 2024 class

As focus shifts from the 2023 recruiting class to 2024, here’s some of the latest updates when it comes to the Razorbacks.

Arkansas football isn’t officially done with the 2023 recruiting class but the main focus has already shifted towards the 2024 class.

Right now, [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] has only secured one commit for the 2024 class, Kavion Henderson – a four-star defensive lineman from Alabama, but that number will grow as we make our way through the spring and summer.

Officially, Arkansas has offered a scholarship to 261 players in the 2024 class according to 247Sports.com’s recruiting database. This will be the first full recruiting cycle for new coordinators [autotag]Travis Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Enos[/autotag]. Williams, alongside co-defensive coordinator [autotag]Marcus Woodson[/autotag], come to the Razorbacks with well-respected recruiting backgrounds in key areas such as Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

Enos is in his second stint with the Razorbacks and has staff members below him with strong recruiting acumen. [autotag]Jimmy Smith[/autotag] (running backs coach) and [autotag]Kenny Guiton[/autotag] (wide receivers coach) are two of the better recruiters on staff. Arkansas also added [autotag]Morgan Turner[/autotag] from Stanford as tight ends coach, who has an impressive track record of recruiting future NFL tight ends.

Here’s a quick look at some of the latest updates for Arkansas recruiting in the 2024 class.

Jadon Haselwood showing leadership in WR room

Jadon Haselwood feels like he has found a home in Fayetteville, and the Hogs found a new leader in the wide receiver room. 

[autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] feels like he has found a home in Fayetteville, and the Hogs found a new leader in the wide receiver room.

“I feel like I’m here where I fit, I am here where I belong,” Haselwood told media. “I feel like I’m way more appreciated here, and I’m more, like, the coaches put me in more positions to contribute.”

Second-year wide receiver coach, [autotag]Kenny Guiton[/autotag], proclaimed the non-vocal Hasselwood as the “vocal leader” of the wide receiver room. Guiton’s first season finished with [autotag]Treylon Burks[/autotag] becoming the third Razorback wide receiver to be drafted in the first round (the first since Matt Jones in 2005).

Haselwood brings NFL attributes with him after transferring from Oklahoma after three seasons.

“It’s just different when you’ve got a guy that long, that tall, that fast and can track the ball,” Guiton said Tuesday. “He’s added to our room something different. I actually think it’s picked up other guys, as well, to say ‘look at that.’ He’s jumped into it, he’s eager to learn every day and he’s getting better and better every day to learn and know how we do things.”

Haselwood had his best college season when he led the Sooners in receiving touchdowns and third in receiving yards. It won’t be a surprise if he becomes one of the top wide reciever prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft.

“He’s stepped in, an older guy who’s played some ball at another place, another conference and things,” Guiton said. “He’s stepped in. A really, really smart guy who understands what’s going on around him. He steps up and he talks. He’s able to lead guys on.”

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Where are they now? Former Ohio State Quarterback Kenny Guiton to join staff at Arkansas

Kenny Guiton went from backup at Ohio State to moving up the coaching ranks. He is reportedly set to join the staff at Arkansas.

Kenny Guiton, affectionately known as “Kenny G,” was one of the most well-liked and respected players in his time as a member of the Ohio State football team. The former OSU quarterback was a career backup in scarlet and gray, but that didn’t keep him from being a fan favorite and being named a captain in 2012 and 2013.

While Guiton didn’t play in many games, he did put up some stellar numbers when he was forced into action during his senior year. Braxton Miller had sustained an injury and Guiton went on a memorable three-game run to keep the Buckeyes in the hunt for a Big Ten title and possible national championship.

In those three games, the backup QB would lead the Buckeyes to wins over San Diego State, Cal, and Floridan A&M. He would through for over 640 yards and 12 touchdowns to only two interceptions.

Guiton quickly decided that he wanted to get into coaching after a very brief professional stint and joined Tom Herman as a grad assistant at the University of Houston. Since then, Guiton has coached wide receivers and quarterbacks at Texas, Louisana Tech, and Colorado State.

It was announced earlier that Guiton will be making the jump to the SEC and joining newly hired Sam Pittman at Arkansas to coach the wide receivers for the Razorbacks.

Always a class act and a fan favorite, the former backup quarterback is making strides in the coaching world. At this pace, we may see Guiton as a head coach at some point in the future.

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