No Longer Spitting, Drew Morgan Still Doesn’t Hold Back

Drew Morgan

-Tommy Foltz

What do you remember the most about Drew Morgan?  Yeah, me too: The “spitting incident.” 

The former Razorback wide receiver recently went down a 30-minute deep dive of an interview with GASN Sports to chat about his future in coaching and his days as a player. Morgan is smart, funny and refreshing, but make no mistake, he’s a mixed bag…..

CAREER:

Before we get into Drew Morgan’s thoughts, let’s look at his stats.  He didn’t really do much his freshman year, but broke out a little in his sophomore year and had whopping junior and senior years in 2015-16.

In 3 years he caught:

—138 receptions for 1,763 yards

—12.77 yards per catch

—14 TDs

He scored a touchdown every 10 times he caught the ball.  He was named 2nd team ALL-SEC his junior year when he scored every 6.3 times he caught the ball.  He dished as well as he caught, too. The media liked him because he would say what he thought, rather than stick to talking points.

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MAN ON THE MOVE:

After a shot at the pros, Morgan has gone into high school coaching, like Ryan Mallet, Ty Storey, De’Anthony Curtis, Joe Adams and Broderick Green. The 2020 season will be Morgan’s fourth as a high school coach.  He coached for a year at his alma mater of Greenwood, AR., and then two years at Fayetteville High. He just became the offensive coordinator position at a high school in Oklahoma.

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HE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS — OR DOES HE?

Throughout the odcast, he correctly praised and criticized Hog Fans as the best and worst in America.  

—“They love you when you’re winning and treat you like a God, but when you’re losing?  Not so much.”

He even pointed out that fans became critical of Bobby Petrino when we were in the Top 5.  That’s hard to deny.    

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Razorback Decanter Set Decanter and Rock Glass Set (1 left)

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MIXED BAG?

The Greenwood native continually alluded to how important family is to him and that’s what ultimately got him to Fayetteville instead of Arkansas State where he could go hunting and fishing all the time when he wasn’t practicing.  He also talked about how close he and Johnny Manziel became during their NFL developmental years hardly seem like what a family would be proud of. 

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that spitting in the face of an opponent and hanging out with Johnny Manziel aren’t necessarily hallmarks of family values?

THE FUTURE:

He made several remarks about what it takes to get ahead in the coaching profession, the most critical of which is to stay in contact with former coaches and stay in the network.  And, that’s where the rub comes in.

HERE’S THE DEAL:

Morgan is honest about certain things.  Upon further review, however, it’s hard not to notice the connection between the “staying in the network” mentality and the kind words he had for:

—Gus Malzahn:  “He’s still one of my best friends.”

—Sam Pittman: “I’d follow that guy anywhere.”

For all I know these statements are true.  An alternative look at it is that he’s not about to veer off script if it might cost him a future job.  

But, the worst is his hypocrisy in saying he doesn’t like the way coaching deals are structured these days, but then defends Bret Bielema for suing the Razorback Foundation.  What he’s missing is that, generally speaking, there are two basic expectations that accompany a buy-out contract.

—The coach’s expectation is to be made whole in his new job as if he were still in his old job.

—The expectation of the entity providing the buy-out is that the coach will earnestly seek a job that’s in the same salary ballpark, or at least in the parking lot of the ballpark, of his old job.

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Watch the whole interview here:

YouTube video

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THESE ARE THE FACTS:

—Bret Bielema took an assistant coaching job at well below market value — $150,000 — because who wouldn’t hire a former SEC head coach for the same amount the driver of a water truck  could’ve made during the heyday of the Eagle Ford Shale development in South Texas?

—Bielema’s teams combined to go 29-32 — below .500 by anyone’s math, which makes him the poster boy for ridiculous buyouts.

—Morgan doesn’t like this system, but he supports Bielema’s decision to sue.  

I guess what Morgan is missing is that there are essentially two expectations in this scenario:

So, you have to ask yourself the question:  “Does he really feel this way about Bielema and Malzahn, or is he trying to make sure he doesn’t fall too far from their respective coaching trees? 

Frankly, I’d rather stand in that swamp just west of Humnoke (Lonoke County, AR) up to my knees in the middle of July fending off water moccasins and mosquitoes than be associated with Bielema or Malzahn (both of whom took Arkansas on separate rides), or Manziel, who is a train wreck of a person. 

YouTube video

There are times when “you gotta do what you gotta do.”  Now is not that time when it comes to Bielema or Malzahn — that is, if he’s interested in ever coaching at the University Arkansas.  Fans may agree, or disagree, on how much to criticize, but we all agree that we don’t like being taken for fools.

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YouTube video

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For a more detailed look at Morgan’s life after football, go here:

https://www.bestofarkansassports.com/ex-hogs-star-drew-morgan-seeks-help-in-coach-for-hire-plea

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