Sports Talk With Bo Mattingly's Podcast

Dave Van Horn wants to win a national championship for his alma mater. In this episode, we go inside the mind of the Razorbacks head coach. We talk about building a winning culture (5:00), how he runs practice (18:44) and his relationship with umpires (23:38). DVH tells us about the role of analytics in his program (28:59) and how he game plans for an SEC series (30:44). Finally, we get into how he's changed in his time at Arkansas and his desire to bring home a national title (38:43).

Barry Odom is regarded as one of the best defensive minds in college football. So we sit down with him to tell his story, starting with how he found himself being the new defensive coordinator at Arkansas (2:13). We talk about what makes a good defense in today’s game (11:11), and about how he got into coaching and what his time at Missouri was like (17:00). Finally, he tells us what his vision is for building a defense at Arkansas (25:55).

Jimmy Whitt Jr. is not your typical college basketball player. We sit down with him to talk about everything from his play on the court to his journey off it, starting with how he ended up at Arkansas and what led to him transferring (2:13). He tells us how he ended up transferring back to the Razorbacks (7:55), and about his unique play on the court (15:00). We talk about what it’s like to play for Eric Musselman (19:14) and how he thinks his teammates would describe him (26:30). Finally, we get some thoughts from him on this year’s squad (28:05).

Sidney Moncrief is a Basketball Hall of Famer and a member of the legendary “Triplets” who led Arkansas to the 1978 Final Four. We start our conversation with the five-time NBA All-Star about what he’s most proud of in his career (3:25), what growing up in Arkansas was like and how he started playing basketball. We talk about how he ended up at Arkansas with Eddie Sutton (16:06), and how Sutton helped unlock the Triplets’ potential (23:40). Moncrief tells us what made him a great defensive player (37:35) and even shares a hilarious Michael Jordan story (40:16). Finally, we talk about what it was like to get the call that he was heading to the Hall of Fame (46:50).

Matt Zimmerman is all-Razorback, no matter what. We sit down with the current radio color analyst for men’s basketball games to talk about his life and career, starting with growing up in Arkansas and the difficulty of transitioning to his new role (5:56). We talk about how he became a student manager with the Razorback basketball team (20:09) and his role in the “Strollin’ with Nolan” game (28:34). He tells us about his time in the Army and becoming a high school coach, and how he ended up on Mike Anderson’s staff at UAB, Missouri and Arkansas (35:35). We get into his transition into his new role as radio analyst (47:38), and finally, he shares a must-listen story about finding a lucky penny (56:14).

Isaiah Joe is one of the best shooters in college basketball, and we sat down with him to help Hog fans get to know one of the Razorbacks’ stars. We begin our conversation with him always wanting to be a Razorback (2:04) and putting the work in to continually get better (7:30). He talks about what it’s like to play for Eric Musselman (11:52), and why he wants to be known as more than just a shooter (14:21). We get to know Isaiah a little better, talking about everything from favorite TV shows and movies to who he thinks is the best basketball player of all time (19:45). Finally, we get his thoughts on where he sees his future in basketball (26:53).  

Mike Neighbors’ dream has always been to be the head coach of Arkansas’ women’s basketball team. We start our conversation with how getting cut from the Razorback baseball team spurred him on to try coaching (2:49). We talk about why he’s eliminated “goals” from the program (7:50) and how he started his coaching career at the high school level (13:54). Neighbors tells us about how having his first heart attack changed everything for him (16:45), and how that journey led to him getting his first head coaching job at Washington (26:11). Finally, we get into how playing guitar helps him decompress (42:00), and how he’d describe himself as a coach (43:29).

Sam Pittman was recently introduced as Arkansas’ new football coach, and we sat down with the Head Hog to tell his story. We start with how he fell in love with the Razorbacks as a teenager (4:00), and how getting offered the head coaching job is one of the highlights of his life (9:10). We talk about what he looks like as a head coach (21:31), and how he plans to recruit at Arkansas (27:36). Finally, we get into how he wants to build a staff (36:07) and how he plans on making this his final coaching stop (39:29).

Few have been better ambassadors for college football in Arkansas than former Razorback linebacker David Bazzel. We sat down with “the Baz” to hear his story, starting with how he ended up at Arkansas coming out of Florida (3:16). We talk about what it was like to go through a coaching change (9:03), and his memories of playing for the Razorbacks (18:25). He tells us how he got into media (25:25), and how the Broyles Award was founded (36:32). We talk about the creation of the Golden Boot trophy (39:06), and finally, what he wants his legacy to be (47:00).

Corey Williams has coached under Eddie Sutton, been a college head coach and won a world championship with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. We get to know the Razorback basketball assistant, starting with what he likes about Eric Musselman (4:00) and his relationship with Eddie Sutton (10:45). He tells the story of how he was selected in both the NFL and NBA Drafts (12:55), and we chat about his experience playing with Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls (19:06). Finally, we get into the lessons he learned from playing in a championship environment (28:15).

Clay Moser has more than a decade of experience in the NBA, coached LeBron James last season, and is at the forefront of analytics. We sat down with him to tell his story, starting with working with LeBron and the Lakers (4:28), and how he got into coaching at NC State with Jim Valvano (9:08). He tells us an incredible and funny Valvano story (12:53), and how he sees analytics in basketball (21:00). Finally, we get into how he plans on leading the analytics charge at Arkansas (30:00).

Brandon Allen is a lot of things, including an Arkansas school record holder, a two-time bowl winner and an NFL quarterback. But perhaps more than anything, he’s as cool a customer as they come. We sit down with the former Hog to talk about getting his first NFL start and win, and what that experience has been like (3:43). We talk about how he started playing football and became a quarterback (15:35), and how he always wanted to play for the Hogs (20:43). Later, we get into the crazy early parts of his Razorback career (23:42), battling through injuries and criticism (30:20). Finally, we discuss how his career has gone so far and how he remembers his time at Arkansas (36:39).

Arkansas women’s basketball standout Chelsea Dungee is already a school record holder and is on the Wooden Award watch list. We sat down with her as she told us her powerful and emotional story, starting with what she feels her purpose is and her goal of being a first-round WNBA Draft pick (5:07). Chelsea talks about how her mom inspires her and how she learned from her when their home burned down in high school (9:27). We talk about what kind of teammate she is (19:19), and how she says she doesn’t need to get away from the game and recharge (23:23). Finally, we get into why she’s a bad loser (28:40) and not letting her emotions get the best of her on the court (30:40).

We sit down with former Razorback Chris Gragg and go behind the scenes of what it was like to be a player during the Bobby Petrino era. We start with Chris getting recruited by Houston Nutt and being a part of one of the best signing classes in program history (2:45). He tells us about growing up in Warren, Ark., (10:17) and then the successes with the Razorbacks and getting to the Sugar Bowl (16:00). We talk about what it was like to play for Bobby Petrino and the impact of the motorcycle wreck on the team (20:25). Chris tells us about playing for John L. Smith, and why things just weren’t the same (26:26). Finally, we get into how Chris overcame injuries to make it in the NFL, and what the draft process was like (33:29).

For this episode of the podcast, we go inside the mind of first-year men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman. We start by talking about the culture he wants to build at Arkansas (6:52), and how knowledge can help the team and program get better every day (9:47). We discuss what he thinks helps players and leads to success (16:27), and what game and practice prep looks like for he and his staff (28:14). Finally, we get into how he wants to attack recruiting top players to Arkansas (41:13).

In many ways, Jim Lindsey defines what it means to be a Razorback. Using archived audio from Jim and conversations with his sons, Lyndy and John David—as well as his grandson, Jack—we tell his story. We start at the beginning, with Jim’s early life and how he developed his passion for the Razorbacks (2:43). You’ll hear the story of how he rallied the Hogs vs. Texas in 1965 despite having broken ribs and his success with Arkansas (9:43). We get into the start of his professional career (16:19), his unsuccessful run for governor (24:56), and how his impact on the University of Arkansas continued after his playing days (31:28). Finally, we talk to his grandson, Jack, a third-generation Razorback (39:25), and discuss Jim’s legacy (43:09).

Ever wonder what it takes for a college football team to go on the road? We take you behind the scenes with the help of Jake Rosch, the director of football equipment operations at the University of Arkansas. We start with gear distribution, and how it’s decided who gets what and what the team wears (4:00). Then, we talk about packing up all the equipment for road games, and everything that goes into it (13:57), as well as player and coach superstitions (24:31). We get the inside scoop on what visiting locker rooms are like (31:06), and finally, we get Jake’s take on why he and his crew like doing what they do (36:13).

Colby Hale has done things with the soccer program at Arkansas that no other coach could, so we sat down with him to learn how he’s done it. We start with how selling security systems prepared him to become a soccer coach, and how problem solving is a big part of who he is (4:45). We talk about how personal and team growth only comes from being outside your comfort zone, and the impact it has on his program (8:43). Colby tells us about how a family move to England got him into soccer, and having a fighter pilot dad (19:03). We get into the growing popularity of soccer in the U.S. (23:48), and finally, how he’s gotten total ownership and buy-in from his players (30:15).

We sit down with former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt for a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, starting with what it’s like for him to be out of coaching (5:00). Nutt talks about his life growing up and getting recruited by Bear Bryant and Frank Broyles (13:10). We get into his playing career at Arkansas and why he transferred to Oklahoma State (19:00), as well how he got his break in coaching (25:08). He tells us how he got the Arkansas job (30:46) and what made that 1998 season so special (37:53). We get his side of the story on his famous postgame interview after upsetting No. 1 LSU in 2007 (47:07), and into the distractions of the 2006-07 seasons and what happened at the end (53:33).

In a span of just 48 hours in 2017, Arkansas athletics made a couple of big hires. For the first time, we give you an inside look at how it all went down with the help of then-interim AD Julie Cromer. We get into her becoming the interim AD (6:00) and how the decision to find a new football coach was made (14:05). She tells us why she thinks Arkansas is a great job (20:20). Then, we discuss what the Razorbacks were looking for in a new coach and how the 48-hour stretch that saw a new AD and coach introduced began (27:40). Finally, we talk about how Hunter Yurachek and Chad Morris met and getting negotiations done (34:00).