Hunter Yurachek reveals Arkansas will keep Eric Musselman in obscure video
Arkansas did not meet expectations this season, bringing questions about the future of head coach Eric Musselman. He was likely not going to be fired due to his prior postseason success with the Razorbacks. But could a different job peak his interest after multiple programs began to come after him?
We now have our answer and Musselman will be staying put for the 2024-2025 season. On Thursday, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek posted a video of him getting on a bus, which Musselman is sitting in the driver’s seat. In the video, Musselman instructs Yurachek to “buckle up!”
You can see the video posted below. It comes after Musselman saw his name appear on hot boards for both Louisville and SMU.
Results have been a mixed bag for Arkansas under Musselman, at least during the regular season. This was the third time in five years they finished under .500 against the SEC. Musselman has made up for it by having success in the NCAA Tournament, though.
Three appearances in the big dance have resulted in advancing to the second weekend each time. Two Elite Eights and a Sweet Sixteen injected life into the program. However, not getting an at-large bid this season was seen as a regression.
Musselman’s return now gives him an opportunity to rebuild the roster heading into next year. A big task is in front of him, needing to produce consistent results through the regular season and any kind of postseason event.
And with job speculation finally out of the way, Musselman can finally get the ball rolling.
Eric Musselman hoping for better 2024-2025 season
Arkansas is going to have to overhaul the roster heading into next season, with some spots needing to be filled. If you follow On3’s Joe Tipton or Jamie Shaw, you know that Musselman has no problem going through the NCAA transfer portal to do so. If a guy is attracting interest from high-major programs, Arkansas has likely reached out.
Five different players have already announced their intentions to leave Arkansas, with Devo Davis likely being the biggest name.
Looking at players already coming into the program, Musselman was able to sign two players in the 2024 recruiting class. There will be plenty of room for Arkansas to work the transfer portal and hopefully, the results are better than what was produced this go-round.
Musselman will also be dealing with the addition of a couple of regional rivals to the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma. Arkansas wants to not just compete but beat both of those schools annually, no matter what sport.