1) My first time to NW Arkansas. Beautiful place. I didn't see the rolling hills on the way in because it was dark, but on our way out yesterday, I found myself wanting to come back and do some sort of family trip. Will probably try to talk my wife into taking our kids to Silver Dollar City and go through there for a few nights.
2) Arkansas facilities are great. Campus is nice. I see the appeal for a lot of out-of-state kids and understand why they've also seen an enrollment jump.
3) Presentation at the game was fine. Not great or where Ole Miss currently is, tbh. Their traditions are a little cheesy, but whose isn't? I could see how that place could get rowdy in a close game though. It was obviously tame. I was impressed by how their fans (minus students) stuck around through halftime. Ole Miss fans were great.
4) People around town were awesome. Maybe it's because they weren't expecting to win or they foresee our commitment larger than theirs, but I had no issues with any of their fans. Most were really kind and welcoming.
5) I'm just going to be real. This doesn't apply to me because I have a pass at Ole Miss, but Arkansas offered a free shuttle on Razorback Road to the stadium that didn't take long at all. I know we have sold out season tickets and whatnot, but you do at some point have to start thinking about the long-term relationship of the customer. Even our in-town shuttles cost over $80 to park at this weekend. Arkansas made it really easy to get onto campus and back. I know it's a bigger town and they're more spread out, but I found it nice not to have to pay to park.
6) Objectively, I left there thinking there's no reason in the NIL era that the Arkansas program should be bottom half of the league. Yurachek is given one of, if not the biggest donor advantages in the country with the Waltons, Stephens, Hunts, and Tysons.
There's no reason that dude should be at a Touchdown Club asking regular Joe Smith from Conway for $100/mo. Frankly, it's a fireable offense if he can't convince a group collectively worth 12 figures to give .0001% of that to field a top 5-10 team. With their facilities and donor dollars, I really left kind of baffled as to why they can't at least make it work to be a consistent 8-9 win team.
2) Arkansas facilities are great. Campus is nice. I see the appeal for a lot of out-of-state kids and understand why they've also seen an enrollment jump.
3) Presentation at the game was fine. Not great or where Ole Miss currently is, tbh. Their traditions are a little cheesy, but whose isn't? I could see how that place could get rowdy in a close game though. It was obviously tame. I was impressed by how their fans (minus students) stuck around through halftime. Ole Miss fans were great.
4) People around town were awesome. Maybe it's because they weren't expecting to win or they foresee our commitment larger than theirs, but I had no issues with any of their fans. Most were really kind and welcoming.
5) I'm just going to be real. This doesn't apply to me because I have a pass at Ole Miss, but Arkansas offered a free shuttle on Razorback Road to the stadium that didn't take long at all. I know we have sold out season tickets and whatnot, but you do at some point have to start thinking about the long-term relationship of the customer. Even our in-town shuttles cost over $80 to park at this weekend. Arkansas made it really easy to get onto campus and back. I know it's a bigger town and they're more spread out, but I found it nice not to have to pay to park.
6) Objectively, I left there thinking there's no reason in the NIL era that the Arkansas program should be bottom half of the league. Yurachek is given one of, if not the biggest donor advantages in the country with the Waltons, Stephens, Hunts, and Tysons.
There's no reason that dude should be at a Touchdown Club asking regular Joe Smith from Conway for $100/mo. Frankly, it's a fireable offense if he can't convince a group collectively worth 12 figures to give .0001% of that to field a top 5-10 team. With their facilities and donor dollars, I really left kind of baffled as to why they can't at least make it work to be a consistent 8-9 win team.
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