New WR coach Guiton excited by stocked room, talks recruiting style, more

New Arkansas wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton, now on the Hill with a finalized contract, sat down with the Razorback Daily podcast for his first interview this week.

The former Colorado State coach described how he became one of the first to know the Hogs had an opening, thanks to his long-standing relationship with offensive coordinator Kendal Briles.

"I didn’t have a past relationship with Coach Pittman but I had one with Coach Briles," Guiton said. "I worked with Coach Briles at the University of Houston back in 2018. We had an awesome year together and from there it kind of took off. We just clicked together.

"When he knew the spot was opening up, we got in contact and I got a chance to meet Coach Pittman and he’s an awesome guy. You can hear it (exude) through the phone, his enthusiasm and everything. I knew this would be a perfect fit and I knew I was the man for the job so I went hard for it and it all worked out.”

As a former backup quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Guiton is a disciple of the likes of Urban Meyer, Tom Herman, Briles and others. According to those who were around Guiton as a player, everyone could tell the QB was destined for coaching success.

From his time as a grad assistant to quality control coach to full-on position coach, Guiton has used his quarterback background to get his receivers ready to play.

"The main thing being a QB, you always know where guys have to be, how they should be lined up," Guiton said. "Those small intricate details are something that I’m big on. I think that’s what takes players from good to great.”

The Houston, Texas native is coming into a program with a very strong wide receivers room. On top of returning every contributor from the 2020 squad, including one of the top returning receivers in the country Treylon Burks, Guiton also has five new faces to incorporate for 2021–Jaquayln Crawford, KeTron Jackson, Jaeden Wilson, Bryce Stephens and Raheim Sanders.

"It’s an awesome group of guys," Guiton said. "You have to give credit to coach Stepp, he’s recruited well. He’s recruited some great, not just on the field, guys, but off the field. I can’t wait to get to actually coach these guys and build relationships with them off the field like they’ve had here in the past.

"Hopefully we’ll take these guys to another level. I know we have the ability to do that. Seeing the success they had last year gave them a taste of it all and now it’s time to dive all the way in and make something happen in the best conference in college football.”

At just 29 years old, you'd be hard pressed to find many assistants in the SEC younger than Coach Guiton. He's excited by the heightened pressure and accountability he'll need to cope with now that he's entered what he calls the best conference in college football.

“It’s a dream come true at 29, I turn 30 this summer, to get a chance to coach in the best conference in college football," Guiton said. "I look forward to week-in, week-out having to bring it. You take ownership of it and you bring it. There’s no half-steppin,’ you have to come out and be at your best.”

Without a doubt, Razorback fans will expect good results from his coaching but they're also eager to see how the youthful assistant can do on the recruiting trail.

"The 2021 class was finished up when I got here and it’s a great class. Awesome athletes and awesome guys off the field. From here on out, I look forward to only bringing in the best players," Guiton said. "I have relatability. I was in these guys’ shoes eight years ago. So, I think I can relate to these guys and I use it in my coaching style and recruiting style. I think it’s been working out pretty fine but I know I have to take it to another level now.”

Before wrapping up his first interview, Guiton shared a final message for Hog fans:

“You will get my all. This is an awesome place to be. My family gets here soon and they’re so excited. I’ve got two little boys and they’ll be decked out as Hogs. They can’t wait to run around the field and have fun.”

Stay locked on HawgBeat for more coverage of the 2021 Razorbacks.