Fansided

Arkansas expected to hire Chad Morris away from SMU

By Brad Berreman

NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Chad Morris of the Southern Methodist Mustangs reacts during a game against the Tulane Green Wave at Yulman Stadium on October 29, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 29: Head coach Chad Morris of the Southern Methodist Mustangs reacts during a game against the Tulane Green Wave at Yulman Stadium on October 29, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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After not getting Gus Malzahn or Mike Norvell, Arkansas is nearing a deal to hire Chad Morris as Bret Bielema’s replacement.

Dating back to Les Miles when he was at LSU, Arkansas seemed to be the school used by a coach as leverage to get a raise and a longer contract from his current school. It worked for Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and Memphis’ Mike Norvell this year, coincidentally or not, as Arkansas also looked for a new athletic director.

Hunter Yurachek was named Arkansas new athletic director on Monday, so it makes sense the search for a football coach will ramp up now. With Malzahn and Norvell out of the mix, Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports reported SMU head coach Chad Morris has emerged as the school’s top target.

Morris is winding down his third season at SMU, and the Mustangs are 7-5 heading into the DXL Frisco Bowl against Louisiana Tech on Dec. 20. From 2-10 his first season to 5-7 in 2016 to seven wins and a bowl this year, Morris has turned around SMU’s program quickly.

Morris was a high school coach in Texas, and he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tulsa in 2010 under Todd Graham But it was a move to Clemson to take over as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach under Dabo Swinney that made Morris a name on the college football landscape, with a successful run running a fast-paced spread offense from 2011-2014.

The Mustangs are top 15 in the FBS in scoring offense (40.2 points per game), total offense (493.8 yards per game) and passing offense (308 yards per game) this year. So Morris will be bringing his system to the SEC, in an effort to revive the Razorbacks’ program after a mostly disappointing five-year run (29-34 record) under Bielema.

Next: Who are the best fits for the Oregon job?

By all accounts, Morris isn’t Arkansas’ first choice. But if the Razorbacks become something other than a red-headed step child to Alabama, Auburn and LSU in the SEC West, he will prove to be the right choice.

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