Houston Nutt has been out of coaching since his firing at Ole Miss after the 2011 season, and Nutt says he isn't too optimistic he'll ever get another chance to walk the sidelines as a head coach in college football.
"The window's probably shut now," Nutt said Monday. "Never say never, but there were about 20 jobs open and they're all getting filled now.
"It's getting to that point where it would take an athletic director to really step out there and say, 'Hey, we'll take a chance on him.' "
Nutt, who was in Northwest Arkansas speaking at the Burlsworth Trophy luncheon, has a 135-96 record in 19 seasons at Murray State, Arkansas and Ole Miss, including 75-48 in 10 seasons with the Razorbacks in 1998-2007.
Three times Nutt was SEC coach of the year -- in 2001, 2006 and 2008 -- but at 58, he said he believes his age probably is keeping schools from hiring him.
Many of the recent hirings are coaches moving from mid-major to major programs or coordinators getting the chance to run a program.
"It seems like a lot of the guys being hired are 40 or younger," Nutt said. "It's frustrating, because I feel like I have the energy of a 30-year-old."
Nutt said he enjoys his work as analyst with the CBS Sports Network, but also said he misses coaching, especially working with the players.
Many former Razorbacks talked to Nutt after the Burlsworth Trophy luncheon, introducing him to their children and posing for pictures.
"You don't miss some of the headaches of coaching, but you really miss the competitive deal on Saturday and you miss the relationships," Nutt said. "You miss the guys."
Nutt said some schools expressed interest in him when he was fired at Ole Miss after the 2011 season.
"I had a few offers early on I probably should have taken," he said. "But I just didn't feel like it was the right time."
Tough crowd
Houston Nutt said it's "much crazier" coaching in the SEC these days than during his 14-year stint in 1998-2011 at Arkansas and Ole Miss, with 11 of 14 current conference coaches being on the job four years or less.
"There's more money now, so everybody's going to expect more," Nutt said. "They're all making $4 million, but only one team can win each game, so somebody's going to be unhappy."
Nutt said he was disappointed but not shocked about Mark Richt's firing at Georgia.
Richt had an overall record of 145-51, including 9-3 this season, and led the Bulldogs to a bowl each season.
"I understand the expectations, and when you're supposed to win the SEC East at Georgia and you don't, something's going to happen," Nutt said. "Plus, he's been there 15 seasons. They get tired of your words."
Ain't Nick
Three of the past four coaching hires in the SEC have been former Nick Saban assistants.
Florida hired Jim McElwain, a former Saban offensive coordinator at Alabama, after last season and he's delivered a 10-3 record and the Gators' first SEC East title since 2009.
On Sunday, Georgia announced the hiring of Kirby Smart, Saban's defensive coordinator at Alabama since 2008, and South Carolina announced the hiring of Will Muschamp, Saban's defensive coordinator at LSU and an assistant with him with the Miami Dolphins.
It's the second SEC head coach job for Muschamp, who went 28-21 in four seasons at Florida and was fired.
Another former Saban assistant, Derek Dooley, was fired at Tennessee after three seasons and a 15-21 record.
It seems every SEC school with an opening is trying to hire a clone of Saban, who has a 146-34 record at LSU and Alabama with 6 SEC championships and 4 national titles.
"You've got to give it to Coach Saban," Houston Nutt said. "No one does a better job of keeping his foot on the pedal, but it's hard to duplicate that.
"Everybody wants to be like Nick Saban, but you've got to be yourself."
QUIZ
What was Houston Nutt's record against Alabama during his 10 seasons at Arkansas?
ANSWER
5-5
Sports on 12/08/2015