Auburn assistant in Arkansas mix
Posted on Friday, December 7, 2007
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas ’ search for a new football coach could be headed back toward Auburn, Ala., but not for Camden native Tommy Tuberville, the Tigers ’ head coach.
Will Muschamp, Auburn’s defensive coordinator and among five finalists this year for the Broyles Award given to the nation’s top assistant coach, is interested in the Arkansas vacancy, according to sources.
Incoming Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long has worked with Muschamp previously at Eastern Kentucky, where Long was athletic director from 1998-2000 and Muschamp coached the secondary in 1999.
Muschamp, 36, is a former Georgia player who was Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator at LSU and with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in 2005 before joining Tuberville’s staff at Auburn before the 2006 season.
“I like Will Muschamp,” Long said Thursday. “I coached his brother [Mike ] at Duke in 1986.” Auburn leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense (16. 7 points ) and second and seventh in total defense (298. 3 ). Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who held the same position at Brigham Young, North Carolina State and Southern California, also is interested in the Arkansas job, sources said.
Chow is 61 but plans to coach several more years, sources said. He was part of three national championship teams in college at BYU (1984 ) and USC (2003 and 2004 ).
After the 1996 season, then-Arkansas Coach Danny Ford tried to hire Chow as offensive coordinator, but Chow opted to stay at BYU.
Other names being mentioned for the Razorbacks’ job Thursday included Atlanta Falcons Coach Bobby Petrino and Cincinnati Coach Brian Kelly.
Petrino, a former Louisville coach and Auburn offensive coordinator, is in his first season with the Falcons, but it’s been an unexpectedly rough time in Atlanta after the suspension of star quarterback Michael Vick.
Reggie Herring, Arkansas ’ defensive coordinator the past three years who has been appointed interim head coach since Houston Nutt’s forced resignation Nov. 26, remains a candidate for the job.
Tulsa offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who held the same position at Arkansas last year and was a highly successful high school coach, interviewed with Long about the Razorbacks’ job but appears to be a long-shot candidate because he has only two years of college experience.
With Malzahn calling the plays this season, Tulsa leads the nation in total offense (542. 5 yards per game ), ranks third in passing offense (374. 6 ) and is 10 th in scoring offense (39. 5 points ), one spot behind Arkansas (39. 8 points ).
Asked about Malzahn and Herring, Arkansas board of trustees member Jim Lindsey said he thought both were strong coaches who would be good choices for the Razorbacks.
“From what I understand, Reggie is doing an unbelievable job of leading the team,” Lindsey said. “I think Gus Malzahn is an exceptionally gifted coach. I hold them both in high esteem.” Long reiterated Thursday night he is considering hiring a coordinator as well as an experienced head coach.
Long has traveled extensively in meeting with several coaching candidates the past few days, but he was in Fayetteville on Thursday night and met with Arkansas’ players along with Chancellor John White to discuss the search.
“I’ve been out of town quite a bit, so it was good to get home to see my two daughters,” Long said. “They had missed Dad.”
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
