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There has been a youth movement on Arkansas’ coaching staff this offseason.
Head coach Sam Pittman has reportedly made three assistant coach moves since the end of his first season as the Razorbacks’ head coach and each of his hires finished playing college football within the past decade.
Including defensive backs coach Sam Carter, who was with the team last season, Arkansas will have four assistants aged 32 or younger on its 10-man staff during the 2021 season.
The latest addition is Southern Miss offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Cody Kennedy as tight ends coach, according to multiple reports. At 31 years old, he is actually the oldest of the bunch and will turn 32 this summer.
After beginning his career at Division II Mississippi College, the Alabama native transferred to FCS Southeastern Louisiana and graduated in 2012. His quick ascent through the coaching ranks included stops at West Alabama, West Georgia, UNC-Pembroke, Georgia (where he was a GA under Pittman) and Tulane before taking a job at Southern Miss last month.
Kennedy’s predecessor wasn’t old, by any means, but Jon Cooper - whom parted ways with Arkansas on Friday - is three years older than him.
The news about Cooper broke the same day the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Pittman was promoting defensive quality control coach Michael Scherer to his on-field staff, replacing 45-year-old linebackers coach Rion Rhoades.
Scherer will be the Razorbacks’ youngest assistant at 27 years old, having graduated high school in 2012 and finished his playing career at Missouri in 2016. Before following Barry Odom to Arkansas, the former linebacker broke into the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2019.
He took the youngest title from Kenny Guiton, who was officially announced as Arkansas’ wide receivers coach just three weeks ago. After playing his final season at Ohio State in 2013, Guiton had off-field roles at Houston and Texas before becoming a full-time assistant at Houston, Louisiana Tech and Colorado State.
Similar to the Cooper-to-Kennedy move, Arkansas replaced a young coach with an even younger one. At 37, Justin Stepp - who returned home to take the same position at South Carolina - is eight years older than Guiton.
Pittman is likely hoping the three young coaches make a similar impact as Carter, who - as a 30-year-old in his first year as an on-field assistant - has already drawn praise in the industry just six years removed from a standout career at TCU.
