It’s Time to Take That from Nebraska, Pittman
Better implementation of Matt Rhule’s idea at Arkansas would help the Razorbacks in basketball and football.
Arkansas’s FAYETTEVILLE Nebraska hasn’t been a place where people go to get ideas for football since the option days.
However, after four 3-point losses and one overtime match away from a 10-2, new Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule started to change the culture in his first year. Only Arkansas Razorbacks supporters can genuinely appreciate how hard they had to work to turn a 5-7 season into a playoff team.
Rhule has a track record of accomplishment at the collegiate level and seems to be making progress at his most recent location. Arkansas ought to take his most recent action into consideration.
He sent out several of his football players to compete in a halftime dunk competition during Nebraska’s basketball victory over Minnesota last night. It went viral on social media and was well received. In summary, it was a very effective concept that would work well in Arkansas.
Right now, Razorback football needs all the positive publicity it can get. Additionally, it is imperative that players be perceived by fans as young men rather than just as video game avatars, and as more than just a number and a helmet.
Putting them in front of a sizable crowd without any football gear and allowing them to showcase their personalities and athleticism is one of the greatest ways to accomplish that. The Vanderbilt game is obviously too close to the date, but the LSU game at Bud Walton on March 6 would be ideal.
If you don’t have a calendar with you, that’s the evening before spring practices start, so it would resemble the former Midnight Madness events but with football instead of basketball. It’s a wonderful way to create a sense of expectation and goodwill.
It also provides support to the basketball team. Eric Musselman’s team has contributed significantly to the football team’s recruiting efforts for many years. Prospective Razorbacks are becoming much more excited about attending the university in Fayetteville and being involved in the athletics department as a result of Sam Pittman showing up with recruits to a sold-out Bud Walton for a premiere game and atmosphere.
If you haven’t noticed, which I imagine is a lot of you given the way things’ve been going lately, Arkansas basketball games have remarkably empty stands. The team is performing much better, but this isn’t due to enthusiastic fan support.
Securing an NIT bid and maintaining momentum to steal an NCAA berth in the SEC Tournament could both be dependent on winning against LSU. Enticing fans with a dunk competition centered around football during halftime will increase attendance and keep them motivated to start the second half.
The video will be viewed a lot, so think of it as an audition for possible NIL deals. In terms of shirts to be worn during the competition, players can try to recruit sponsors; additionally, the name and face recognition they will receive afterwards will increase their marketability.
For a young man who wouldn’t typically receive this kind of attention, instant money could be at stake if a large lineman managed to execute a spectacular dunk. He would also gain a ton of fans as a result.
Some people will object because Nebraska was the first to do it. But given that Arkansas is a nationally regarded basketball program, there must be a way for the Hogs to improve.
Furthermore, the Razorbacks can’t pass up a good idea because of a troll who might try to ruin it on social media. The resulting video will be watched by far too many people for those naysayers to be audible.
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