Why Arkansas’ AD can’t participate in CFP ranking discussions about USC Gamecocks

Arkansas vice chancellor and athletic director Hunter Yurachek is about to embark on his first season as a College Football Playoff Selection Committee member.

He won’t be allowed in the room for any ranking discussions about the Razorbacks, of course. But he’ll also have to excuse himself when South Carolina comes up.

Why is that?

The College Football Playoff’s recusal policy states that “if a committee member or an immediate family member, e.g., spouse, sibling or child, (a) is compensated by a school, (b) provides professional services for a school, or (c) is on the coaching staff or administrative staff at a school or is a football student-athlete at a school, that member will be recused.”

“...A recused member shall not participate in any votes involving the team from which the individual is recused,” and said member “shall not be present during any deliberations regarding that team’s selection or ranking.”

Yurachek’s son, Ryan Yurachek , is South Carolina’s assistant tight ends coach.

Ryan is from Myrtle Beach and starting his second season with the Gamecocks. He served as an offensive analyst in 2023 after one season as the tight ends coach at Austin Peay. Before that, Ryan worked as a grad assistant for Arkansas, where he mainly worked with the offensive line.

He was a three-year starter and captain at Marshall University. As a tight end, Ryan earned four All-CUSA honors and holds the team record for consecutive games with a catch (42). He played briefly with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, then-Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

Ryan graduated from Marshall in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree and from Arkansas in 2021 with a master’s in adult education. His brother Jake played linebacker for the Razorbacks from 2019-22 after spending the 2018 season at Colorado. He’s now the assistant athletic director at SMU.