Yurachek explains his approach to social media
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Athletics Director Hunter Yurachek's name has been a hot topic across social media this week, but he said he's not paying much attention to that.
Following the release of an old video with head men's basketball coach Eric Musselman that Yurachek had the Arkansas Communications team provide edits to, Yurachek made a podcast appearance on the 1 Star Recruits Podcast — based out of Los Angeles — on Wednesday to clear up the air with the viral "Muss Bus" video.
"That video was nothing more than an athletic director trying to have a little bit of fun with some fanbases and naysayers that say, 'Hey, Coach Musselman is leaving,'" Yurachek said. "He may be leaving, but right now he's still here, he's still our basketball coach, and he's still driving the bus."
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Since the initial clip of that quote was posted, Musselman has since been reported to take an interview for the USC head coach opening Wednesday, and national reports have him as the primary candidate for the Trojans.
While Yurachek had his fun with that video, he did say that he is only active on social media from a standpoint of pushing content out.
"I try to block out the noise," Yurachek said. "I'm not active on social media from receiving things. I push out information about our student athletes and their success and their upcoming games and events and things of that nature.
"I have been really strict as far as not reading social media. My wife has never been on social media. I don't read local newspaper. I don't partake of local radio or TV, so I think that's kind of helped me manage those expectations that our fans have about me and my role."
The reality of college athletics, especially in the Southeastern Conference, is that football and men's basketball run athletic departments. The same goes for Arkansas, which has a head men's basketball coach reportedly with a foot out the door and a head football coach coming off a 4-8 season in 2023.
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"Am I naive enough to think that no one cares about our football and men's basketball program? I am not," Yurachek said. "I care more than anybody because our football and our men's basketball program collectively generate 90% of the revenue that provides the fuel that's needed to put in the engine for the success of our other programs.
"I talk very freely with our coaches and with our student athlete leadership group that I will make decisions that are in the best interest of our football and basketball program because they need to be successful here at the University of Arkansas for us to have that broad base success that we need."
While he may not be seeing it, Yurachek has taken a lot of heat not only for posting the bus video without Musselman's approval, but also for the comments he made on the 1 Star Recruits Podcast.
"There's scrutiny that comes with the job," Yurachek said. "As I've grown as an athletic director at Coastal Carolina University — my first AD job — to University of Houston, to here, the microscope is much brighter here for a number of reasons.
"One, you're in the Southeastern Conference. But two, you're the only Power Five team in this state. There's no other professional teams in this state. And we have an incredibly passionate fanbase for the Razorbacks."
For now, it seems like Yurachek is okay with taking the heat, because it shows that the fans care.
"I'd rather have a passionate fanbase that's throwing daggers a few times, than an apathetic fanbase that really doesn't care," Yurachek said.