Paul Rhoads Looks To Be the New Defensive Coordinator

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:08 p.m. ET

Fansided, Chris Jackson/FanSided via Razorbackers

A tweet sent out on Monday night by Arkansas media member Trey Schaap says that Paul Rhoads looks to be the new defensive coordinator.

Trey Schaap, who works at 103.7 The Buzz in Arkansas tweeted out that it looks like Paul Rhoads will be the new defensive coordinator. This is by no means a confirmation but I will say I wouldn’t at all be surprised.

I honestly assumed it would be Rhoads from the start. Arkansas started their coaching search late and Rhoads has the experience. The position came open after Robb Smith took a job at Minnesota. Smith led one of the worst defenses in the history of the program. The worst not just one but actually two years in a row.

Rhoads was hired to be the defensive backs coach at Arkansas in 2016. He was fired from the head coaching job at Iowa State. He had been the head coach there from 2009 until his termination at the end of the 2015 season.

Before his time at Iowa State, he was the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh from 2000-2007. During Rhoads’ first season, he was credited to have improved Pitt’s best defense since 1980. Rhoads then left Pitt for the same job at Auburn for the 2008 season. His defense ranked 27th in Division I FBS and finished 10th in yards per play as well as 15th in scoring.

Like I said, the move in no way shocks me. Media members had talked about the possibility of it being a co-dc kind of situation but that looks like it won’t be the case. As more information becomes available, we will keep you posted. For now, though, it looks like the search could be over. Woo pig!