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Re: Nutt out @ Arkansas
Fayetteville-Oxford express
11/27/2007 6:00:47 AM
Daily Journal
By Parrish Alford
Daily Journal
OXFORD – Ole Miss has a new football coach.
Houston Nutt became the leading candidate for the Ole Miss job in the middle of the day Monday, then closed the deal before midnight, sources close to the program told the Daily Journal.
Nutt, the second-longest tenured coach in the SEC, jumped to the front of athletics director Pete Boone’s search – ahead of former Washington coach Rick Neuheisel – when Nutt apparently would not return to Arkansas.
Arkansas chancellor John White offered Nutt $2.4 million a year to remain as coach, but Nutt refused, saying his presence was too divisive an issue for the state of Arkansas, according to ESPN.com.
He resigned at a Monday evening news conference.
“I wanted for the state to come together as one, and at this time I didn’t think we could have one heartbeat,” Nutt said.
Sources indicate Ole Miss offered Nutt $9.5 million over five years – $1.9 million a year – the fifth year being a rollover year. Nutt’s Arkansas contract was for about $1.5 million a year.
He was also believed to be targeted by Baylor University, which was ready to offer about $2 million a year.
Nutt leaves Arkansas with a 10-year record of 75-48. He won or shared the SEC Western Division title three times and made two trips to the SEC championship game in Atlanta. He is 7-3 against Ole Miss, having won six of the last seven meetings by an average margin of 22.8 points. Arkansas defeated Ole Miss 44-8 in Oxford on Oct. 20.
Among the points being discussed late Monday were assistant coaches. Boone apparently wanted to see wide receivers coach Hugh Freeze and defensive coordinator John Thompson retained. Freeze and Thompson are the coaches in charge since Ole Miss on Saturday fired Ed Orgeron, who compiled a 10-15 mark – just 3-21 in the SEC – in three seasons.
There was also interest in Texas Tech coach Mike Leach and Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, but all signs pointed to Neuheisel Sunday and Monday morning.
Momentum shifts
About midday Monday the momentum that once seemed building toward Neuheisel started to slow. About that time word began to spread that Nutt would resign from Arkansas in a 6:30 p.m. news conference.
Boone had brief discussions with Neuheisel for the Rebels’ vacancy in 2004 before Orgeron was hired.
Neuheisel wasn’t far removed from problems with the NCAA for betting in a March Madness pool. He was fired from Washington in 2003 but was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the NCAA.
Neuheisel was hosted at the Ole Miss-LSU game in 2003 – the game in which David Cutcliffe’s Rebels played for control of the Western Division – in the south end zone suite of Ole Miss supporter Richard Scruggs.
For Ole Miss to pursue Neuheisel three years later was really just warming up old relationships.
Neuheisel now serves as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Through a Ravens media relations assistant, Neuheisel issued a “no comment” regarding his possible involvement with Ole Miss.
Later Monday, Baltimore coach Brian Billick did not deny that Neuheisel has been contacted by at least one university.
“Rick has been and will be an outstanding college coach,” Billick said. “He was basically exonerated from what happened before. ... I would be very surprised if a number of schools were not interested in Rick Neuheisel.”
Wallace:Eager to win
Ole Miss wide receiver Mike Wallace did not immediately embrace the idea of Nutt as head coach, but he supported the opportunity to win.
“I think (Arkansas) had a real good offense for the players they have, but I don’t think that offense would fit the players we have,” said Wallace, who had six touchdown catches this season. “But it’s not just about throwing the ball. I really want to win. Coach O tried to get it done, but it just didn’t
happen for us when he was here.”
Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 11/27/2007, section 0 , page 0
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