Arkansas adding two analysts to defensive coaching staff

Arkansas football is expected to add two defensive analysts to its 2022 staff, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Former Marshall graduate assistant Nick Matthews and former Illinois defensive back Terry Hawthorne will join in different roles on head coach Sam Pittman’s staff.

Matthews, who played collegiately at Marshall, will follow new defensive backs coach Dominique Bowman from his alma mater to the SEC as a defensive backs analyst, as he announced on social media.

In addition, Hawthorne will join the Arkansas staff as a quality control analyst on defense, per the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The 32-year old coach previously served as the director of high school personnel and Illini relations at Illinois under former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema.

Nick Matthews and Terry Hawthorne both bring a combination of different playing experience and perspective from various areas of the football program to assist defensive coordinator Barry Odom and head coach Sam Pittman with a new Arkansas unit as analysts.

Arkansas extends assistant coaches

Arkansas has agreed to contract extensions with six of its assistant football coaches, per Whole Hog Sports. That includes both offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and defensive coordinator Barry Odom.

Briles received a series of pay raises that will increase his salary from $1 million to $1.2 million, while Odom goes from $1.75 million to $1.85 million. That number makes him the highest paid Razorbacks coordinator ever. It is also his third pay raise since being hired in 2019.

Third-year Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said keeping both coordinators on his staff was a huge priority this offseason, especially after it was rumored Briles could leave for Miami.

“I think it was very publicized that Kendal had the opportunity to leave and Barry does every single year,” Pittman said Thursday. “To maintain those guys I think is a big, big deal that talks about they can’t leave something.”

In the two-year period since Odom took over the Razorbacks defense, Arkansas went from last to seventh in the SEC. Similarly, the offense went from 13th to sixth in two years under Briles. The Razorbacks went from 3-7 in Pittman’s inaugural season to 9-4 and an Outback Bowl victory the next year.

The future in Fayetteville is bright, and a lot of is has to do with the Arkansas assistant football coaches.

That isn’t limited to Odom and Briles, as several other coaches also received extensions Thursday. They are: special teams coordinator Scott Fountain, receivers coach Kenny Guiton, linebackers coach Michael Scherer and running backs coach Jimmy Smith.