FAYETTEVILLE — Sources indicate that Baylor offensive line coach Eric Mateos will take the same job at Arkansas to replace Cody Kennedy. Mateos was a grad assistant to Sam Pittman at Arkansas from 2013-2015. He filled in well for Pittman in the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas State, but Bret Bielema opted not to hire him.
Mateos coached the tight ends at LSU in 2016. He then moved to offensive line coach at Texas State in 2017 and 2018. He was then at BYU in 2019. BYU posted an 11-1 record in 2020, including an impressive 49-23 victory over UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Cougars reached as high as No. 8 in the AP poll during the season. BYU tied for the national lead in yards per play at 7.84, and led all of FBS in plays of 30 or more yards with 45. Overall, the program scored 40 or more points nine times in 12 games.
Mateos spent the past three seasons at Baylor. In his first season leading the Bears O-Line, his crew paved the way for the Big 12’s best rushing attack, which averaged 219.3 yards per game for the 10th-best mark nationally. The group also allowed the second-fewest sacks in the conference with just 1.29 per game, helping the unit finish as a Joe Moore Award Semifinalist as one of the best offensive lines in the country.
Source: KNWA FOX24
