Arkansas Football: 5 Takeaways from 2017 season

1. They brought in the right guy

Chad Morris first took over SMU in 2015. He inherited a 1-11 team from June Jones with a lot more holes on the roster than he would have hopes for. In three seasons with the Mustangs Morris turned the team around, ending 2017 with a 7-5 record and notable wins over North Texas, Arkansas State and Tulane. His team fell to AAC Champion UCF by just 10 points.

Arkansas fans should be excited about the coaching mind of Morris moreso than his 14-22 record at SMU. The Mustangs ranked dead last in total offense scoring just 11.1 points per game in 2014, the year before Morris took charge. His 2017 SMU team finished eighth in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 40.2 points per game.

The Razorbacks have tried to beat their conference foes at their own game and it didn’t work. Fans just want to be competitive, and that’s exactly what Morris will bring to the table. He’s going to be able to score points against the best defenses SEC. With Morris in charge the Razorbacks will be in games in the fourth quarter and a few upsets away from contending for the SEC West title every few years.

Next: Post-Regular season 2018 NFL Mock Draft

The record doesn’t look it, but Morris is one of the best young minds in college football. Arkansas didn’t land their dream target, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, but they might have lucked into someone who could build the Razorbacks into a respectable SEC program fairly quickly.