Hot Board For Arkansas Head Coaching Vacancy Golesh

[WillisWG]

Former Josh Heupel Tennessee Assistant On Hot Board For Arkansas Head Coaching Vacancy | Rocky Top Insider

Former Tennessee assistant coach and current USF head coach Alex Golesh is on a hot board for the Arkansas head coaching vacancy.

www.rockytopinsider.com

Golesh is an obvious candidate for any head coach openings this offseason, South Florida is off to a 3-1 start to the 2025 season with upset wins over Boise State and Florida and its lone loss coming at Miami. South Florida went 3-22 in the two seasons before Golesh took over as head coach. But the Bulls are now 17-13 in Golesh’s two-plus seasons as head coach.

 

[ATCVolinmn]

He'll wait for a more stable environment than Arkansas! There will be more options later this year.....

 

[RockyTop140]

I think he’ll have better opportunities.

 

[UTwild82]

If they show any signs of life under Petrino, I think he'll get the job.

 

[Savannahbayvol]

If they show any signs of life under Petrino, I think he'll get the job.

If the Walton family ever gets really excited about football Arky could be a real destination job.

 

[GVF]

Kind of sucks for Pittman. He is a good coach and was long regarded as the top OLine coach in FBS. Was the highest paid one anyway at UGA at $900K. Too bad Arky didn't pan out more successfully as HC.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

If they show any signs of life under Petrino, I think he'll get the job.

Arkansas can do better than what Petrino is now. How many other SEC programs would consider hiring him?

 

[GVF]

Arkansas can do better than what Petrino is now. How many other SEC programs would consider hiring him?

The only thing Petrino has going for him at his age is that he was one of the innovators. Most coaches his age were old style offensive types. UGA gets away with that with Bobo cause they can pound you to death. And he knows just enough to open it up when he needs to back you off.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

The only thing Petrino has going for him at his age is that he was one of the innovators. Most coaches his age were old style offensive types. UGA gets away with that with Bobo cause they can pound you to death. And he knows just enough to open it up when he needs to back you off.

I get that but the magic he had in his lamp when arky was rolling back in the day is probably gone. There are Lots of bright coaches out there to choose from

 

[GVF]

Arkansas can do better than what Petrino is now. How many other SEC programs would consider hiring him?

Arky is just in no mans land when it comes to recruiting. Admin way better than FL job as far as I know, but it's just tough to build and sustain there year and and out. Kind of was Mizzous problem too all those B12 years. On the outskirts of B12 territory and B10 recruiting territory.

And the state in general is not a SEC player breeding ground.

 

[GVF]

I get that but the magic he had in his lamp when arky was rolling back in the day is probably gone. There are Lots of bright coaches out there to choose from

Oh I agree completely. Just saying, that is the only thing he has to offer at his age. Worse comes to worse atleast it won't be an outdated look. Minimally, he'd be in tune with the type OC he needs. But, he should be "not off" the long list just in case. Wasn't it Petrino that let the Mustain's railroad him on how to coach instead of putting his foot down?

Edit: I think the Mustain ordeal was Houston Nutt. Kinda odd he disappeared after Arky. He wasn't elite, but he was pretty solid, at Ole Miss too. He just seemed to vanish.

 

[Delmar]

Arkansas can do better than what Petrino is now. How many other SEC programs would consider hiring him?

None. But desperation makes people do stupid things.

 

[05_never_again]

Arky is just in no mans land when it comes to recruiting. Admin way better than FL job as far as I know, but it's just tough to build and sustain there year and and out. Kind of was Mizzous problem too all those B12 years. On the outskirts of B12 territory and B10 recruiting territory.

And the state in general is not a SEC player breeding ground.

Arky's biggest problem isn't NIL or location. It's the expectations of their own admin/boosters/fans. When you factor in everything, they are probably somewhere around 11th-13th in the SEC if you're doing a power ranking of the programs. Despite that, they think their program's floor in any given year is 8 or 9 wins, with a really good year being 10+ wins. When a coach starts going 6-6 or 7-5, they immediately start grumbling. They started talking about moving on from Pittman in late 2022 and it just built since then. Their floor is more like 6 or 7 wins, a good season is 8 or 9 wins, and a historically good season is 10+ wins there. Under that criteria, if you throw out his first season/COVID year, Pittman only had 1 bad season there (2023).

I do get their frustrations with his in-game coaching because they're totally justified, but most of the games he lost there are games that Arkansas is supposed to lose.

 

[GVF]

Arky's biggest problem isn't NIL or location. It's the expectations of their own admin/boosters/fans. When you factor in everything, they are probably somewhere around 11th-13th in the SEC if you're doing a power ranking of the programs. Despite that, they think their program's floor in any given year is 8 or 9 wins, with a really good year being 10+ wins. When a coach starts going 6-6 or 7-5, they immediately start grumbling. They started talking about moving on from Pittman in late 2022 and it just built since then. Their floor is more like 6 or 7 wins, a good season is 8 or 9 wins, and a historically good season is 10+ wins there. Under that criteria, if you throw out his first season/COVID year, Pittman only had 1 bad season there (2023).

I do get their frustrations with his in-game coaching because they're totally justified, but most of the games he lost there are games that Arkansas is supposed to lose.

All fair. I think Arky should be better than a 6-7 game floor but still fair. And Pittman made a pretty huge jump. Very little experience even as a coordinator. Went from Oline to HC. His years of experience and rep as a Oline coach is really only thing that enabled that promotion. Just never had a history of in game decisions falling on him that a OC/DC/HC have to be good at and fast.

Typically though, their schedule on the east/west play pretty much had 3 solid losses in the stable, plus one.

 

[McDad]

Former Josh Heupel Tennessee Assistant On Hot Board For Arkansas Head Coaching Vacancy | Rocky Top Insider

Former Tennessee assistant coach and current USF head coach Alex Golesh is on a hot board for the Arkansas head coaching vacancy.

www.rockytopinsider.com

Golesh is an obvious candidate for any head coach openings this offseason, South Florida is off to a 3-1 start to the 2025 season with upset wins over Boise State and Florida and its lone loss coming at Miami. South Florida went 3-22 in the two seasons before Golesh took over as head coach. But the Bulls are now 17-13 in Golesh’s two-plus seasons as head coach.

I don't wanna see him in the SEC. But especially no where near UF or LSU. With the ability to recruit to those schools baked in, he'd be dangerous.

 

[GVF]

I don't wanna see him in the SEC. But especially no where near UF or LSU. With the ability to recruit to those schools baked in, he'd be dangerous.

He wouldn't be so dangerous at Ark. Fl yes. LSU batten down the hatches. Don't really see why Kelly is still even there. Except they pay EO alot of money still. Kelly is like a 36-24-36 Columbian goddess that can't win a beauty pagent. I'm a passing LSU fan when UT is not at stake cause of wife and inlaws being LA natives. Despise watching them unfold under Kelly. Expecially this year. One QB has kept him from being completely awful down there.

 

[McDad]

He wouldn't be so dangerous at Ark. Fl yes. LSU batten down the hatches. Don't really see why Kelly is still even there. Except they pay EO alot of money still. Kelly is like a 36-24-36 Columbian goddess that can't win a beauty pagent. I'm a passing LSU fan when UT is not at stake cause of wife and inlaws being LA natives. Despise watching them unfold under Kelly. Expecially this year. One QB has kept him from being completely awful down there.

McRib is from Alexandria, LA.

Where are her and her people from?

 

[WillisWG]

I don't wanna see him in the SEC. But especially no where near UF or LSU. With the ability to recruit to those schools baked in, he'd be dangerous.

Dabo's replacement?

 

[McDad]

Dabo's replacement?

Perfect.

 

[Ernie McCracken]

True this . I really like Golesh! Good, smart innovative coach and I wish him much success. But don't come anywhere near the SEC. Then I will have to hate him.... HA.

GBO

 

[GVF]

McRib is from Alexandria, LA.

Where are her and her people from?

Originally, St. Martinville I believe is correct. Atleast where she was born. Maybe some connection to Franklin area. Could have lived there too. But pretty sure was St. Martin Parish mostly. They were bayou people. Her pops had the 90 mph broken english that left me squinting. Her mom was N.GA mountian woman, so all 6 kids are kind of messed up lol. But, the kids never talked liked pops. All pretty normal talking. One brother can let it rip like those gator hunter TV show people though if he's goofing around. She was 7 when they moved to Upstate SC then GA accross the river.

 

[GVF]

Dabo's replacement?

That could be coming. But, prob not this year. He has 2 natty's?? In not so distant past?? He'll get a little more leeway. He might get told to get with the modern era or go ahead and leave. But, clemson is as good as they'll ever be agian if they run him off, and they probably know that. So it will be a slow burn unless D4H comes in and says he's safe.

 

[gohogs14]

Golesh’s wife is from Arkansas and a former football season ticket holder, so that’s interesting. But haven’t really heard his name come up yet in the first group of candidates. That may change if he goes 11-1 or something this year.

 

[Volnanza]

He wouldn't be so dangerous at Ark. Fl yes. LSU batten down the hatches. Don't really see why Kelly is still even there. Except they pay EO alot of money still. Kelly is like a 36-24-36 Columbian goddess that can't win a beauty pagent. I'm a passing LSU fan when UT is not at stake cause of wife and inlaws being LA natives. Despise watching them unfold under Kelly. Expecially this year. One QB has kept him from being completely awful down there.

There is not a more over rated coach than Brian Kelly. He's doing exactly what I though he would do down there. Kelly has a very hard ceiling.

 

[05_never_again]

All fair. I think Arky should be better than a 6-7 game floor but still fair. And Pittman made a pretty huge jump. Very little experience even as a coordinator. Went from Oline to HC. His years of experience and rep as a Oline coach is really only thing that enabled that promotion. Just never had a history of in game decisions falling on him that a OC/DC/HC have to be good at and fast.

Typically though, their schedule on the east/west play pretty much had 3 solid losses in the stable, plus one.

He definitely benefitted early on from having Briles and Odom as his coordinators, especially Odom. It isn't a coincidence that his worst season there was after both of those guys left. Pittman was a recruiting/motivator/personality hire, and it could have worked out if he had other good cards in the deck after his 2 initial coordinators who were good left.

Hiring Dan Enos to replaces Briles was an epic fail and led to their admin forcing Petrino on him, which I'm sure was supposed to make him feel uncomfortable. Travis Williams was pretty highly thought of as a DC, but their defense (when not playing against Nico) was really up and down in 2024 and is just downright awful this year.