FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – Chad Morris knew it would be an uphill climb to get Arkansas back to relevance in the SEC but after just 22 games, the Razorbacks are again searching for a new coach.
A loss to Western Kentucky and former Hog quarterback Ty Storey appeared to be the final straw as Morris was fired today, less than two full seasons on the job. Morris went 4-18 as the Arkansas head coach and went 0-14 against SEC opponents.
Morris now has a 18-40 record as a college football head coach with stops at SMU and Arkansas.
A lack of results was obvious for Morris during his tenure with Arkansas but it was the lack of development that stood out to most Razorback fans. In both seasons at the helm, the Hogs appeared to get worse as the season went on and the lack of adjustments compounded those issues. In his final three SEC games as head coach, Arkansas was beaten by an average of 37 points. Some of the worst losses in recent decades happened under Morris’ watch as the Hogs blew an 18-point lead at Colorado State, was blown out at home by North Texas (44-17) in 2018 and then lost to San Jose State and a lopsided 45-19 defeat against Western Kentucky this season.
“As part of my continued evaluation, I have come to the conclusion that a change in leadership is necessary to move our football program forward and position it for success,” Yurachek said. “It is clear that we have not made the progress necessary to compete and win, especially within the Southeastern Conference. Throughout our history in football, as well as with our other sport programs, we have demonstrated that the University of Arkansas is capable of being nationally competitive. I have no doubt that as we move forward, we will identify a head coach that will help lead our program to that benchmark.
“I want to express my personal and professional regard to Coach Morris and thank him for his investment in the lives of our student-athletes.”
Morris was hired in Dec., 2017 to replace Bret Bielema but the majority of the athletic department who did the leg work to bring Morris in has since left, including Julie Cromer-Peoples who was the acting athletics director at the time of Bielema’s firing and right until the final week before Morris was hired. Current Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek was hired just two days before Morris was announced as the Razorbacks new coach.
Yurachek and and interim head coach Barry Lunney Jr. will hold a press conference Monday at noon.
