Talking Football with Tunka Todd

Recruiting top-quality players to the University of Arkansas has always been a daunting task. The team has struggled with a lack of depth, especially at key skill positions like wide receiver and tight end on offense, and defensive tackle, linebacker, and safety on defense. Unfortunately, Arkansas has a habit of recruiting players who need two or more years of development, and that’s just not good enough in today’s college football landscape. In the past, it was common for recruits to stay on a team for more than two years without playing, but with the advent of the new and “improved” transfer portal, players are leaving schools faster than ever.

So, what can a football coach do to retain key personnel and head off this trend? The answer is simple yet difficult to achieve: recruit high-quality players out of high school who can come in and compete for a spot on the depth chart right away, ensuring playing time immediately. Unfortunately, Arkansas hasn’t been able to do this consistently, which has led to a lack of quality depth at key positions.

Despite having Sam Pittman as head coach for the past five years, Arkansas still struggles to recruit top-quality players. Some blame the fan base for calling for Pittman’s job, which has led to rumors of his firing. While that may have played a part, the team’s lackluster 4-8 record is also a factor. Pittman’s failure to hire a competent offensive coordinator and retain a coach who couldn’t recruit or develop talent at the offensive line has also hurt the team’s recruiting efforts.

To make matters worse, Arkansas has lost two four-star wide receivers in this recruiting cycle, one of whom went to SEC rival Missouri, and the other was released from his National Letter of Intent. This is due, in part, to Arkansas’s tendency to recruit top talent but then hide them on the bench, which leads to wasted time and resources in developing players who end up leaving the team. In this age of college football, where teams are constantly looking to steal top talent, Arkansas needs to stop “balling on a budget” and start playing their best players, regardless of their class standing. Can Pittman salvage his job & the program this coming season? Will he play young players with high-end talent? Time will tell, but this old Coach isn’t going to hold his breath. I said what I said! 

Tunka Todd