Roussel: UA job a ‘top 15’ position

Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville yells against Texas during their NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal,Stephen Spillman)  LOCAL TV OUT
Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville yells against Texas during their NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal,Stephen Spillman) LOCAL TV OUT

— Tommy Tuberville should be one of the top candidates for the Arkansas head coaching job, Pete Roussel of coachingsearch.com told the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club on Wednesday.

“If the Arkansas job is offered to him, he’s going to take it, there’s no question about it,” Roussel told reporters after his talk to the club. “Tommy Tuberville has been in the SEC, he knows what it’s like to coach against Nick Saban.

“He knows how to win against him, how to win against Les Miles, and I think he’d fit in right here.”

Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long has had six months to evaluate head coaching candidates since hiring John L. Smith on a one-season basis in April, but he has not tipped his hand.

Tuberville, who is 11-10 in his second season at Texas Tech, is a native of Camden and was a finalist for the Arkansas post along with Houston Nutt before the 1998 season. He compiled a record of 110-60 as the head coach at Ole Miss (1995-1998) and Auburn (1999-2008), including a 13-0 season and No. 2 final ranking in 2004 with the Tigers.

Roussel, a former assistant coach at Ole Miss, Memphis and Stanford, described the Arkansas job as a “top 15” position and Long as an “enabler” who doesn’t get in the coaching staff’s way, doesn’t critique schemes and looks for ways to help the football team.

Roussel also discussed TCU’s Gary Patterson, Boise State’s Chris Petersen, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Louisiana Tech’s Sonny Dykes, Western Kentucky’s Willie Taggart and San Jose State’s Mike MacIntyre. He said he believes Patterson and Peterson are long shots for Arkansas, and he questioned whether Gundy and Oklahoma State Athletic Director Mike Holder are getting along.

“Mike Gundy has had a lot of success,” Roussel said. “Has he brought Oklahoma State to as high as it can go? Maybe so. They had a great year two years ago. Does he keep his ears open? I think he probably does. ... If an opportunity like Arkansas comes, I think he’s certainly got to consider it.”

Roussel predicts Long’s interviewing will take place away from campus, but that when the next coach arrives he’ll be impressed.

“When this coach gets here, when he sees these facilities, he’s going to say, ‘I just walked into a great opportunity,’ I can assure you that.”

Sports, Pages 30 on 11/08/2012

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