Fayetteville has become a hot topic once again in college football. The empty head coach seat at Arkansas football is still seeing a wide variety of names being thrown into the ring. But the situation in the program is dire, and Hunter Yuracheck needs to stick it in the landing with his new hire. Paul Finebaum weighs in on 2 names that are currently being floated around as possible HC picks.

Finebaum spoke about Ed Orgeron and Jon Gruden–two former coaches who aren’t in a coaching role at the moment. The analyst weighed in on each of them and what they brought to the table. He took a dig at Orgeron’s rather active presence in college football currently and his departure from LSU. “I’m sure he’s already gone through all his [buyout] money, so he might need the job. I don’t know whether he’s hirable,” he said on The Matt Barrie Show on October 5.

Ed Orgeron is actually popping up as an HC candidate in a lot of places. He sure is a lot more visible now, and has reaffirmed his wish to come back to coaching. Orgeron brings with him National Championship experience. But he also has a fair share of bad records. He ended his Ole Miss career with a 3-9 season. At LSU, Ed Orgeron slipped downwards the day Joe Burrow left camp. From leading a squad through 15 unbeaten games, he dropped to an embarrassing 5-5 record in 2020. And there’s also his off-the-field conduct and controversies that have also added to his reputation. All of that will come with Ed Orgeron if Arkansas makes him an offer.

On Jon Gruden, Paul Finebaum couldn’t quite arrive at a final decision, calling him an “enigma.” “There’s so many things out there about John Gruden. Can you parachute him into a college football program he’s never coached? I’m not trying to compare him to [Bill] Belichick, […] Is Gruden going to be better?” Finebaum added. The Bill Belichick parallel automatically comes into the picture, considering that Gruden has spent 33 years away from college football And, he’s never been the head coach of a college football program. Belichick is already proving to be bust in college football, despite being the best in the NFL. Jon Gruden will have to keep this fact in mind if he does take up the offer.

Both Orgeron and Gruden bring their sets of pros and cons. Babcock has to make a careful choice for the Hogs’ next HC, analyzing how the candidates impact the program. It’s still a pretty wide-open race, but the two have to beat out interim HC Bobby Petrino first.

Bobby Petrino gets word on his future at Arkansas

Arkansas needs an experienced man to steer the wheel of the ship now. And they already have Petrino, who’s been here before. Sure, he’s even been through an unceremonious exit from Fayetteville. But Petrino’s success as an OC, his experience as Arkansas’ former HC make him a candidate too good to put down. In fact, he’d already been making calls to be named head coach when Sam Pittman’s firing seemed imminent. Now, it looks like Arkansas football isn’t taking a risk in changing what has already worked for the Hogs in the past.

“Petrino considered a long shot,” Arkansas insider Mike Irwin shared on X. He’s already acting like he has the keys to the office, firing the defensive staff in one go. It was a huge problem area after all, and Petrino didn’t shy away from taking the harsh action. He knows this program like the back of his hand. He’s brought some untoward attention to Arkansas football because of his actions in the past. But that’s something that might be dwarfed by Arkansas’ need to have someone steady enough to take control of the unsteady of program.

There are plenty others still in the run for the job at Fayetteville. Arkansas and Bobby Petrino will face their first test together against Tennessee next week. But the Hogs top brass will still be searching for the best candidate to replace Sam Pittman. Orgeron and Gruden both come in with their pros and cons, but they sure have a chance to generate instant impact at Arkansas.