Remy Cofield still adjusting to new role as Arkansas general manager

FAYETTEVILLE — In the ever-changing world of college athletics, the general manager position is, for the most part, a pretty new one.

Each school has handled the role differently, with some opting to go full NFL front office with a full staff that includes analytics, assistant GMs and more. Others have one manager that tries to handle everything themselves. No two situations are identical.

At Arkansas, it seems like how it's going to work for new general manager Remy Cofield is still being fleshed out.

Cofield met with the media for an introductory press conference on Thursday and despite being hired roughly two months ago, it seems like he's still a one-man show headed into July.

"I don’t have a staff in place, and I think we’ll go over that when the time is right," Cofield said. "I do think we’ve gone back and forth about a few positions that will help us in the long run. But I’ve talked to a few people, I’ll be honest about that. We talked to a few people about different things, and I think it’s about getting the right people in to help us out and be a part of this, because it’s important we get it right the first time."

A native of Philadelphia, Cofield has spent the last 13 years in the front office of the Boston Celtics. Most recently, he worked as the director of scouting, which actually means he had a big hand in former Razorback Jordan Walsh hearing his name called two years ago.

Working for the Celtics means he's worked with a championship organization, and he said working under guys like Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge have prepared him for this new step.

"I’m very collaborative," Cofield said. "I work with a lot of different people. I’m able to kind of be a chameleon in some ways. I also think that this position, this role, leans more so into strategy. I think being able to kind of look at a cap, not just in the present year but two years, three years from now, giving my opinions to coaching staffs of how they could go about going around the cap and figuring out ways to get players that they want in, I think that’s important."

Revenue share has been a hot topic of conversation in college athletics with the passing of the House settlement, which allows schools to directly pay players. In the SEC, up to $20.5 million will be made available to various programs. How that money will be divided at Arkansas, however, isn't set in stone yet.

"I will say that we're going to put forth a good effort to be competitive in all of our sports from a revenue sharing standpoint," Cofield said. "Those numbers that are getting tossed out there, we're happy to accept them and see them from our standpoint, we're just not going to do that from the University of Arkansas."

The position is new at Arkansas, but the pressure to succeed — and do so at a high level — will be as strong for Cofield as it's been for everyone in the athletic department for decades.