Former Arkansas QB Lunney named tight ends coach

Arkansas tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. visited Osceola ATH Korliss Marshall to inform him of his offer Wednesday.
Arkansas tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. visited Osceola ATH Korliss Marshall to inform him of his offer Wednesday.

BARRY LUNNEY JR. FILE

Age: 38

Position: Tight Ends Coach, Arkansas

Hometown: Fort Smith (Southside)

College: Arkansas

Previously: Offensive Coordinator, Bentonville High School

Notable: His father, Barry Lunney Sr., is one of the state's most successful high school football coaches with 228 career wins, six state championships and three state runner-up finishes.

— Former Arkansas quarterback Barry Lunney Jr. has been hired as the Razorbacks' tight ends coach by Bret Bielema.

Lunney, 38, has spent the last eight seasons as offensive coordinator at Bentonville High School, about 25 miles north of the University of Arkansas campus. The Tigers were one of the state's winningest programs during his time coaching under his father, Barry Lunney Sr., winning two state championships and finishing state runner-up twice in the state's largest classification since 2008.

Lunney played for the Razorbacks from 1992-95, finishing his career as the school's all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns - records which have since been broken. As a senior, Lunney led Arkansas to its first division championship in its fourth season as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

After playing minor league baseball for one season, Lunney began his football coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Razorbacks in 1998. The Fort Smith native later spent time in assistant coaching stints at Tulsa and San Jose State before returning to his home state in 2005.

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Barry Lunney Jr. was a four-year starting quarterback at Arkansas from 1992-95.

Lunney joins Jim Chaney (coordinator), Sam Pittman (line coach) and Joel Thomas (running backs coach) on Bielema's first offensive staff at Arkansas.

George McDonald, who was hired last month as wide receivers coach for the Razorbacks, resigned Tuesday to accept an offensive coordinator position at an undisclosed university. Reports have linked McDonald to the offensive coordinator position at Syracuse.

Bielema's defensive hires include coordinator Chris Ash, line coach Charlie Partridge, linebackers coach Randy Shannon and cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson, the only holdover from the Razorbacks' coaching staff in 2012.

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