Ex-Hog assistants sport SEC stripes

FAYETTEVILLE -- The leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy as college football's top player is being tutored by a former University of Arkansas assistant coach.

Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa -- who tops every Heisman Trophy poll -- has a new position coach this season in Dan Enos.

The previous three seasons Enos was the Razorbacks' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for coach Bret Bielema.

Tagovailoa has completed 107 of 152 passes (70.4 percent) for 2,066 yards and 25 touchdowns without an interception for the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide.

Enos is the first assistant for Alabama Coach Nick Saban who coaches the quarterbacks exclusively. Previously, Saban had one assistant who served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but that changed when Brian Daboll left Alabama after last season to return to the NFL as the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator.

Saban promoted Mike Locksley to offensive coordinator, and with the 10th assistant coach allowed under a new NCAA rule, Enos was hired to coach Alabama's quarterbacks.

"It's been a lot better because we have someone specified toward just our position," Tagovailoa told reporters this week when asked about Enos' impact. "He's working with us constantly, not having to worry about calling plays, too.

"So Coach Enos has done a really good job with all of us, and we're grateful to have him."

Enos is among 10 former Arkansas assistants now coaching at other SEC schools.

The group includes two head coaches -- Auburn's Gus Malzahn and LSU's Ed Orgeron -- as well as eight assistants.

Ten is the exact number allowed on a coaching staff, and the former Arkansas assistants are spread around all positions on both sides of the ball, so why not put them together?

Orgeron has led LSU to a 7-1 record and No. 4 national ranking, while Auburn has fallen out of the national polls with a 5-3 start. But Malzahn -- Arkansas' offensive coordinator in 2006 -- led Auburn to the 2013 SEC championship and 2017 West title, so he'll get the nod as head coach of the ex-Razorbacks.

Orgeron, whose first coaching job on the NCAA Division I level was at Arkansas as a weight room graduate assistant in 1986-87, has a background on defense and is known as an elite recruiter. So Orgeron is the ex-Razorbacks defensive coordinator and also in charge of recruiting.

Enos is the staff's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman and Auburn offensive line coach J.B. Grimes each held the same position for Arkansas, so they'll be the O-line coaches for the former Razorbacks.

Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton, Kentucky wide receivers coach Michael Smith, Tennessee defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, and Missouri linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves coached those same positions at Arkansas, so they're natural fits at those spots for the former Razorbacks.

Jim Chaney is Georgia's offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, so he'll coach the ex-Razorbacks tight ends. He was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas and replaced by Enos.

Bradley Dale Peveto, a graduate assistant at Arkansas on the 1995 SEC West champion team, is Texas A&M's special teams coordinator and previously held that job at LSU, Kentucky and Ole Miss, so he'll do the same for the former Razorbacks along with coaching the defensive backs. He coached safeties at Kentucky.

Enos, Pittman, Chaney, Smith and Hargreaves all worked for Bielema at Arkansas. Malzahn worked for Houston Nutt. Orgeron worked for Ken Hatfield. Grimes worked for Hatfield and Jack Crowe. Horton worked for Nutt and Bobby Petrino. Peveto worked for Danny Ford.

Saban actually hired Enos from Michigan, where he was on Coach Jim Harbaugh's staff for about three weeks before returning to the SEC.

Enos and Saban were first together at Michigan State in 1987. Saban was the Spartans' defensive coordinator and Enos was a true freshman who as the scout-team quarterback went against Saban's defense.

After Arkansas gained 473 yards in a 49-30 loss to Alabama -- including 400 passing yards by Austin Allen -- in 2016, Saban decided to hire his former scout-team quarterback when the opportunity presented itself.

"Dan's always been a really bright guy and had a great competitive character," Saban said. "I followed him when he was a head coach at Central Michigan, and having to play against him when he was at Arkansas for the last few years, we were always very challenged by the system and the scheme and the things that they did.

"I thought their offense was always really well coached. I guess I've always had a high opinion of him, but having to play against someone you develop even a greater respect for how they're doing what they do."

Enos was back on the Reynolds Razorback Stadium sideline when Alabama beat Arkansas 65-31 on Oct. 6. He has helped the Tide rank No. 1 nationally in scoring offense (54.1 points), No. 2 in total offense (564.3 yards) and No. 5 in passing offense (347.4).

In addition to Tagovailoa, Alabama's second-team quarterback, Jalen Hurts, also is thriving under Enos. Hurts has completed 39 of 53 passes (73.6 percent) for 589 yards and 5 touchdowns with 2 interceptions.

"I think Dan has done a really good job with our guys," Saban said. "I think the biggest thing is the preparation, that whatever the play is, the quarterbacks have a very clearly defined read of what their expectation is ... and that they don't pre-determine things before the snap, and they develop confidence in going through that read progression so you're getting the ball in the right place at the right time.

"Our guys have done a pretty good job of that, but I think Dan has really helped them understand exactly what the expectation is on every play. And that comes through really good teaching and preparation through the course of the week."

Chaney and Pittman helped the Bulldogs win the SEC championship last season and reach the College Football Playoff title game, where they lost to Alabama.

This season Georgia is 7-1 and ranked No. 6.

"They like talking football, they enjoy coaching football," Georgia Coach Kirby Smart said of Chaney and Smart. "Their players really enjoy being around them."

Chaney is coaching tight ends this season after coaching quarterbacks in 2017 -- Smart wanted to reassign some responsibilities with the addition of a 10th assistant -- but he still calls the plays on offense.

"I think Jim has a great personality, and he's a really good leader for the offensive staff," Smart said. "He makes sure that they have a good, sound plan. I've been very pleased with the job he's done leading that side of the ball."

Pittman and Chaney are working together at their third SEC school after being at Tennessee and Arkansas.

When Pittman first joined Bielema's staff at Arkansas, Saban tried to hire him at Alabama, resulting in Pittman getting a big raise.

"Sam, as we all know, is very beloved by his players and he cares a lot about the guys," Smart said. "He's done a tremendous job recruiting, but I think sometimes people lose sight of the fact he's a really good teacher.

"When you're a good teacher, it makes for a good product on the field, and I think Sam does a great job of that."

Tennessee Coach Jeremy Pruitt hired Rocker, who he had coached with at Georgia when Pruitt was the Bulldogs' defensive coordinator.

Rocker, the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award winner in 1988 as a senior defensive tackle at Auburn, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004 when he was Arkansas' defensive line coach.

"I remember when Tracy played," Pruitt said. "I give him a hard time. I told him I used to go down to Auburn's fan day and sit on his knee when I was a little kid to get my picture made with him."

Pruitt said when he was Georgia's defensive coordinator, Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof contacted him on Rocker's behalf.

"Georgia Tech was our biggest rival, and Ted called me and recommended Tracy," Pruitt said. "I thought that said a lot about him, and we brought him in and interviewed.

"We ended up being neighbors when we worked together at Georgia. My family and his family have spent a lot of time together. He's a friend of mine."

Pruitt said he didn't hire Rocker again at Tennessee because of their friendship.

"I think that Tracy gets players to play hard," Pruitt said. "I think he might be the only D-line coach in the country that won the Outland and the Lombardi as a defensive player, so when you talk about wanting to learn from somebody that's done it at the highest level, he's done that."

Smith and Hargreaves were on opposite sidelines last week when No. 11 Kentucky beat Missouri 15-14 with a touchdown on the game's final play.

On Saturday, Smith will go against two other assistants he worked with at Arkansas when Kentucky plays Georgia, Chaney and Pittman for the SEC East title.

Peveto's Aggies will play Auburn -- and Malzahn, Horton and Grimes -- on Saturday.

Enos and Alabama will go against Orgeron and LSU on Saturday for the SEC West title.

So it's guaranteed the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 1 in Atlanta will involve former Arkansas assistant coaches with each team.

Sports on 10/31/2018