FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema will meet in south Florida today with ace tailback Alex Collins and his family to discuss Collins' future.
Most observers believe Collins will declare for the NFL Draft after rushing for a career-best 1,577 yards and a school-record 20 touchdowns this season.
Speaking after Arkansas capped its 8-5 season with a 45-23 victory over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday, Bielema said he wants what's best for the team's juniors who have the option to declare early, but he made a pitch for Collins -- who was seated a few chairs away on the dais that night -- to stay.
"If he comes back with us next year, you are probably looking at a Heisman candidate," Bielema said. "He will go down as one of the best players, not only at Arkansas, but he could be the first player [in the SEC] to rush for four 1,000-yard seasons.
"If he goes on, the NFL is going to get a very good football player with a lot of growth and a lot of opportunity in front of him, and we're just blessed to have three years with him already."
Collins did not address his future at the Liberty Bowl postgame news conference after rushing for a season-high 185 yards and three touchdowns. Collins instead praised all the players and coaches who assisted him in amassing the third-best season rushing mark at Arkansas, trailing only Darren McFadden's production in 2007 (1,830 yards) and 2006 (1,647).
The Razorbacks will have to replace All-America tight end Hunter Henry and left tackle Denver Kirkland, who both declared as underclassmen Monday.
Sorting out the roster and his coaching staff is a high priority over the next month. Offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who guided the offense to a No. 29 ranking with 465.5 yards per game and a No. 27 ranking in scoring with 35.9 points per game, is in line to receive a hefty pay raise from his first-year salary of $550,000.
Bielema and Enos have had preliminary discussions on the topic, and Bielema said Athletic Director Jeff Long has been helpful in allotting funds for keeping assistant coaches.
With the departure of offensive line coach Sam Pittman, who also served as assistant head coach, Bielema is in the market to make a hire. He suggested after Pittman's departure in early December that his list of candidates for the job included coaches in the NFL. He said he'd like to recruit with the new offensive line coach on the first recruiting weekend in January, after the American Football Coaches Association convention in San Antonio from Jan. 9-13.
Former Bielema assistant Bob Bostad, who was on the staff of fired Tennessee Titans Coach Ken Whisenhunt, is a likely candidate. Bostad was the running game coordinator at Wisconsin for six years before heading to the NFL, starting with Tampa Bay in 2012. Bostad and Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb , were both on the Buccaneers staff in 2013.
Another candidate could be Jeff Stoutland, who was on the staff of fired Coach Chip Kelly with the Philadelphia Eagles. Stoutland has 29 years of college coaching experience, including back-to-back BCS national championship runs as the offensive line coach at Alabama (2011-12), a seven-year stint at Michigan State (2000-06) and four years with the University of Miami (2007-10), where he served as interim head coach to close out 2010. Stoutland just concluded his third season with the Eagles.
Bielema has made several off-the-radar hires the last couple of years, which worked out well. Smith helped turn the Arkansas defense around to the No. 10 ranking in total defense in 2014. His hiring of Enos, a standing head coach at Central Michigan, and running backs coach Jemal Singleton from Oklahoma State last year, paid big dividends this fall.
The Razorbacks, who struggled with fumbling issues in 2014, tied for No. 1 nationally (along with South Carolina) with three lost fumbles this season. Collins lost fumbles against Texas Tech and LSU, and quarterback Brandon Allen had one raked out versus Texas A&M.
Sports on 01/06/2016