Turn Off the Jukebox; Pittman Fired as Head Hog

The Sam Pittman era has ended in Fayetteville.

The Hogs’ 34th head coach, who took over in 2019, has been dismissed by Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek, the university’s athletic department announced via press release on Sept. 28.

Former Hogs skipper and second-year Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino has been appointed as the Hogs’ interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Petrino served as Arkansas’ head coach from 2008-2011.

“The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship,” Yurachek said in a statement. “As we move forward in the process of finding our next head coach, I am certain we will be able to provide the necessary resources to our staff and team to reach our goals.

“We will begin a national search for our next head coach immediately and that search will include Coach Petrino, who has expressed his desire to be a candidate for the full-time job.”

Pittman, who went 32-34 overall, inherited a program in total disarray and was celebrated for leading the team to 9-4 overall and a spot inside the final AP Top 25 poll to conclude the 2021 season. The team won three bowl games in his five complete seasons and was invited to a fourth bowl but did not participate due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Pittman also struck a note with fans as a down-to-earth, straight-talking man of the people, a guy who is on record as being a fan of Popeye’s chicken and cold beer.

However, he’d come under increasing criticism for a program that appeared to have stalled in the years since. The Razorbacks were 7-19 overall in single-possession games during his time at the helm and finished with a record of .500 or better in SEC play only once in six seasons.

This season alone, the Hogs found ways to lose in heartbreaking and demoralizing fashion. The team was driving to beat favored Ole Miss on Sept. 20 only to fumble, allowing the Rebels to seal the win. On Sept. 27, Arkansas blew an 18-point lead to lose a road tilt to Memphis. Saturday’s blowout 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame, where the visiting Fighting Irish hung 42 points and 420 yards of offense before halftime, was seen by many as the final nail in the coffin.

“I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach,” Yurachek said in his statement. “From Day 1, you could tell how much this opportunity meant to him. At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful.”

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders weighed in on the developement on Sunday through an official statement.

“Sam Pittman helped turn around the Arkansas football program from one of its all-time lows and brought energy and excitement back to the Hogs that was desperately needed,” she said. “I’ve always appreciated how much Sam loved Arkansas and wasn’t looking to use it as a steppingstone but a place to call home. Sam is a man of high integrity and character. [First Gentleman] Bryan and I have loved getting to know him and [Pittman’s wife] Jamie and we are proud to call them friends.

“Bobby Petrino has demonstrated a track record of winning at Arkansas and we hope he can bring the team together and lead them to finish the season strong. We will be cheering Bobby and the Razorbacks on! Forever and always – Woo Pig!”

Per CBS Sports, Pittman signed a new contract with Arkansas in June 2022 which extended through the 2026 season automatically and added another year to 2027 when he won seven games in 2022. The deal also increased Pittman’s annual salary to $5 million and adjusted his buyout structure. If Pittman held a .500 record or above since 2021 at the time of his firing, his buyout would be around $9.8 million; if he was below .500, that figure would fall to $6.9 million. As of today’s announcement, Pittman was 29-26 since 2021.

In his last postgame press conference, Pittman was asked about the growing discontent with his leadership, underscored by the student section chanting “Fire Sam Pittman,” and the mass walkout of fans from Reynolds Razorback Stadium at halftime of the debacle against the Irish.

“I mean, A., I understand. I get it. If I was a fan, I’d be mad at me, too,” Pittman told reporters. “I’d be frustrated as hell with me. But, here’s what I’ll say, as long as I’m the head coach at Arkansas, I’m going to fight my butt off to get the guys out there and how long that is … it is partly up to me because of what we put on the field. But, that’s not my call. And if I’m worried about that all the time, I won’t be able to do as good of a job as I possibly can.

“But I will say this: if I was the fans I’d be mad at me, too. Hell, I’m mad at me, to be perfectly honest.”

Following the bye week, the Razorbacks face Tennessee in Knoxville on Oct. 11.