Loggains learned personal value at Arkansas

FAYETTVILLE, Ark. — For most of his life around football, former Arkansas assistant coach Dowell Loggains has known his value was seen as much less than others.

While playing for the Razorbacks, Arkansas trainer Dean Weber, with whom he shared a special relationship, once told him to get out of the training room because he wasn't a good enough player to be in there, but should he walk past quarterback Matt Jones on his way out, he should take a second to send the star quarterback in.

Eventually, Loggains made his way to the NFL where he helped coach quarterback Jay Cutler. At the time, Cutler was one of the highest paid quarterbacks at $20 million per year, yet he was supposed to get him to listen despite likely making less all year than his signal caller brought home in a month.

Once he made his way into the college ranks, the dynamics didn't change. He worked his way up into a high paying offensive coordinator position at South Carolina, but Loggains told "The Chuck and Bo Show" Tuesday morning that thanks to NIL, he was in a highly familiar position.

"Last year at this time I was coaching LaNorris Sellers who made about double what I made — about $2.3 million," Loggains said. "I feel like I am back coaching Jay Cutler who is making $20 million. LaNorris Sellers' whole thing is about my budget in NIL for 85 scholarship athletes [as new head coach at Appalachian State].

Even now, as a newly minted head coach, he's still battling the value stigma. Despite taking on all the duties of a head coach, his contract at App State is almost identical to what he made as offensive coordinator at South Carolina at an expected $1 million.

It's something he's learned to take in stride. However, over the years, especially during the final part of his time at Arkansas, he got to see up close that not everyone else handles those situations as well.

Just before Loggains left for South Carolina, cracks in the culture at Arkansas began to form, much of which surrounded NIL and how players were handling it. By the time he lured Razorbacks tight end Trey Knox to the Gamecocks as one of his first recruits, word had already begun to trickle out to the local media that financial jealousy might be a problem in the coming year, which ultimately became a factor.

"People want to compare themselves and they find their value in NIL numbers," Loggains said. "It's really hard to build a team in this day and age. Not impossible, but challenging. We believe in just being transparent. You've got to assume when you give someone a contract and when you do someone's deal that the locker room is going to know in about five minutes. Building the right type people, bringing in the right type people is probably more important than it's ever been."

He knows he doesn't have the financial advantages or a Texas or even an Arkansas. His overall NIL value is far less.

However, he possesses 17 years of experience as an NFL coach, so he puts it to use when approaching recruiting visits with today's players in an NIL environment.

"You want to find people that come from winning programs," Loggains said. "You want to find people that have overcome something really hard in their life. One of the first questions I'm asking guys when they're in my office, 'Tell me time of your life when you've overcome something really hard.'"

Loggains said he approaches each meeting the same as he would at the NFL combine.

"We're not rubbing your shoulders and telling you how good you are and all that," Loggains said. "I want to get to who you are, and in that first 5-10 minutes, when money comes up, then you're in trouble and [as a coach] you gotta really pay attention."

Players locking in on money right away is a huge red flag. It stands to disrupt the cultural balance he's wanting to establish on his team.

"Are they trying to get life changing money or are they looking for life changing experience?" Loggains asked. " You need about 85% of them that are looking for life changing experience, life changing, long, lasting relationships. Because, look, you're not going to get away from the money. You can't be naive about them. There's going to be people that are you're competing against [financially.]"

Loggains just wants guys who reflect their coach. He's a small town Arkansas guy who overcame the odds to do so much he shouldn't have been able to do coming out of Newport.

He's learned to appreciate whatever value he has in the moment and not get worked up about the value those around him have earned. That's because he's learned to see the even greater value in the things he's gotten to experience, including shared memories with Jones, former coach Houston Nutt and talks with former Arkansas Heisman winner Darren McFadden.

Sure, he makes almost half what Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino currently makes despite being a head coach. However, it's the experience he is getting to soak in while in leadership at App State that one day may allow him to feel fully valued as the head coach at the University of Arkansas.

Until then, he will keep his attitude in the positive space its in, no matter how many players on the field earn more than him financially when he coaches against big name teams on Saturdays.

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