By Lady Williamson
October 22, 2023
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman has relieved offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Enos of his duties and he is no longer a member of the Razorbacks’ program effective immediately. Wide receivers coach and former Ohio State quarterback Kenny Guiton will take over play calling duties for the Hogs for the remainder of the season.
The Razorbacks are on a bye this week and return to action on Nov. 4 at Florida before finishing with three straight games at home beginning Nov. 11 against Auburn.
Media reports had Coach Pittman saying why he dumped Enos in the middle of the season.
“First thing I want to say is, Dan worked extremely hard. He was in the building all the time and put a lot of hours into it,” Pittman said. “It just wasn’t working. So, yesterday (Sunday) morning we decided to go ahead and let Dan go.”
Pittman also said the players may have lacked excitement and motivation to play hard for Enos.
“A lot of coaching has to do with enthusiasm, spirit and wanting to run through a wall for people,” said Pittman. “We just really never had that on the offensive side of the ball. If you look at it defensively, there’s a lot of that there.”
THE KENNY GUITON FILE
Kenny Guiton is in his third season as the Razorbacks’ wide receivers coach for Head Coach Sam Pittman.
Guiton took an unproven group in 2022 and turned them into a productive unit for an offense that topped 6,000 total yards for just the third time in school history. The Hogs relied on a pair of transfers to lead the way with Jadon Haselwood hauling in the most passes and Matt Landers putting up the most yards and touchdowns. Haselwood was steady over 12 games, catching 59 passes for 702 yards and three scores. His 59 receptions put him eighth on the school’s single-season top 10 list. Landers evolved into the team’s deep threat throughout the season, snagging 47 passes for 901 yards and eight TDs to go along with four 100-yard games. Landers’ 901 yards ranks eighth for a single season in school history while his eight scores are tied for sixth and his four 100-yard receiving games equal the fourth-most in a single season by a Hog. In the win at BYU, he matched the school record with three touchdown catches.
Guiton’s work on the recruiting trail has also paid off with the additions of coveted transfer wideouts Andrew Armstrong, Tyrone Broden and Isaac TeSlaa joining the squad this season.
Guiton’s first season with the Hogs was a memorable one with the team winning nine games, including the Outback Bowl. His wide receivers were a major contributor in an Arkansas offense that was explosive, gaining 441.7 yards per game including 213.9 yards per game passing. Wide receiver Treylon Burks took another step forward in 2021 under Guiton’s supervision, earning First-Team All-SEC from both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press while also being named to PFF’s All-America second team. Burks produced one of the greatest seasons ever by an Arkansas wideout, catching 66 passes – second-most in a single season by a Razorback – for 1,104 yards – third-most in a single season – and 11 touchdowns – second-most in a single season. Burks set the school record for 100-yard games in a single season with six and ranks second all-time with 10. Guiton’s efforts to develop other threats in the passing game paid off with senior Tyson Morris and transfer Warren Thompson. Morris set career bests with 24 receptions, 337 yards and two touchdowns while Thompson became a complimentary deep threat to Burks, catching 19 passes for 304 yards and a pair of scores.
Guiton, a former Ohio State quarterback, spent the 2020 season at Colorado State as part of head coach Steve Addazio’s coaching staff. Despite the Rams playing only four games due to COVID-19, wide receiver Dante Wright finished second in the Mountain West in receiving yards per game (105).
Guiton guided the wide receivers at Louisiana Tech in 2019, helping the Bulldogs to a 10-3 record and a win over Miami (Fla.) in the Walk On’s Independence Bowl. He tutored one of the best receiving corps in Conference USA as the team had the fourth-best passing offense in the league. He developed Adrian Hardy and Malik Stanley into All-Conference USA honorable-mention performers, led by Hardy’s 42 catches for 534 yards and Stanley’s 40 receptions for a team-high 649 yards.
He spent 2017-18 as the wide receiver coach at Houston, working with Arkansas offensive coordinator Kendal Briles while he was the Cougars’ offensive coordinator in 2018. The Cougars ranked fifth nationally in scoring (43.9 ppg), seventh in total offense (512.5 ypg) and 16th in passing offense (295.5 ypg). Houston scored 30+ points in all 12 regular season games and 40+ in 10 of those games.
Under Guiton’s tutelage, Marquez Stevenson earned All-American Athletic Conference honors, catching 75 passes for 1,019 yards. Steven Dunbar earned the same honor in 2017 after catching 76 passes for 1,070 yards and three touchdowns.
Guiton spent four months at Texas as a quality control coach before returning to Houston to lead the team’s wide receivers for head coach Major Applewhite. He began his career in coaching as a graduate assistant at Houston from 2015-16, working under head coach Tom Herman, his former offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Guiton was part of Cougars teams that went 13-1 and 9-4 as a graduate assistant, which included the 2015 Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl victory over No. 9 Florida State. Over his four total years at Houston, he saw the program reach four straight bowl games and helped produce a 1,000-yard receiver in all four seasons.
Guiton played quarterback at Ohio State from 2009-13, appearing in 22 games while throwing for 893 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a senior, he started two games and played in eight total, completing 69% of his passes and tossing 14 touchdowns for the 12-2 Buckeyes. In his second career start, he set a program-record with six first-half touchdown passes against Florida A&M.
As a professional, Guiton participated in mini-camp for the Buffalo Bills in 2014 before joining the Arena Football League’s LA KISS.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State in family resource management in 2013.
He and his wife, Rachell, have two sons: Jordan and Jaxson.
COURTESY ARKANSAS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTS
