Dave Van Horn has no apparent plans to retire, at least for another five years.
The University of Arkansas announced Monday afternoon that the dean of current college baseball coaches has signed a new five-year deal to keep him in Fayetteville through 2031 with an annual salary of $2.1 million.
The new deal replaces Van Horn’s 10-year agreement signed in 2021 and includes bonuses for winning a Men’s College World Series championship and for fulfilling the length of the contract.
“Over the past 24 seasons, Coach Van Horn has built and sustained one of the premier baseball programs in the country,” said Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek in a statement. “He embodies Razorback Baseball, and this new contract is a well-deserved recognition of his extraordinary leadership and success. Thanks to the support of our donors and stakeholders, we have made a nearly seven-figure investment of resources in Coach Van Horn and his staff over the past year, reinforcing our commitment to competing for championships and sustaining excellence in Razorback Baseball for years to come.”
Van Horn will embark on his 39th season as a collegiate head coach and 25th in Fayetteville when the 2027 season kicks off in February. Van Horn, a former Razorback player and graduate assistant, has guided an already top-20 program into one of the nation’s elite. The Hogs are the winningest team in college baseball over the past decade. Under Van Horn, the Hogs have made eight College World Series appearances with a runner-up finish and five top-five finishes, have played in 22 NCAA Tournaments, won three SEC regular-season titles, eight SEC Western Division championships, one SEC Tournament title while notching 974 wins overall and 390 in the league-of-its-own SEC. Van Horn is one of 12 NCAA coaches (five in the SEC) to lead multiple teams to the CWS.
“I want to thank the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, Chancellor [Charles] Robinson and our athletic department administration for their belief in and support of our baseball program,” Van Horn said. “All I ever wanted to do was coach at Arkansas, and I’m thankful to continue leading my alma mater for many more years to come. I’m extremely proud of what our coaching staff and players have accomplished up to this point, and I’m excited for our program’s future as we work hard to bring a national championship to the most loyal fans in the country.”
Van Horn’s 24-year tenure in Fayetteville has produced three Golden Spikes Award winners, two Dick Howser Trophy winners, 43 All-Americans, 59 All-SEC selections and 167 MLB draft picks, including a program-record 12 selections in 2026. The head Hog is a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, and he will be inducted into the 2027 class of the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
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