Sam Pittman to remain at Arkansas: AD confirms Razorbacks coach will be back in 2024 season

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek advised gamers and team of workers Saturday evening that Sam Pittman will remain as Razorbacks coach. Pittman’s long run with this system got here into query because the Razorbacks limped to a 2-6 (0-5 SEC) get started. Yurachek launched a commentary on Sunday confirming that Pittman will go back to lead this system in the 2024 season.

“Our team was extremely excited last night after the game when I informed them that Coach Pittman is our head coach and will be moving forward into 2024 season,” he said. “This has not been the season any of us anticipated. We have work to do. I am confident that together, we can meet the goals and expectations of our program. I want to thank the many Razorbacks fans who have supported our team this season. I look forward to honoring our seniors and cheering this team on Friday as we take on Missouri.”

Entering Friday’s season finale towards Missouri, Arkansas is 4-7 (1-6) after beating FIU in Week 12. The Razorbacks are assured to pass over the postseason after back-to-back bowl wins the former two seasons. Maintaining a successful trajectory in 2023 proved difficult following the departure of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles for TCU and defensive coordinator Barry Odom for the UNLV process. 

A 39-36 win at Florida on Nov. 4 saved Arkansas’ bowl probabilities on lifestyles strengthen, however the ones hopes pale rapid with a 48-10 house loss to Auburn on Nov. 11. Despite Pittman’s popularity as an offensive line guru, the Razorbacks have struggled to open holes in the run recreation this season. They additionally failed to offer protection to veteran quarterback Ok.J. Jefferson, who has been pressured to play hero ball with a moderately unproven team of receivers.

Still, the 61-year-old Pittman has executed various excellent for Arkansas right through his 4 seasons as coach and will have an opportunity to reclaim a successful trajectory. The previously well-traveled offensive line coach marked an outside-the-box rent for the Razorbacks in December of 2019. He arrived from his assistant training place at Georgia and not using a revel in as a Division I head coach or coordinator.

Pittman inherited a program coming off consecutive 2-10 (0-8 SEC) seasons underneath Chad Morris. The Razorbacks have been 1-23 in SEC play right through the 3 seasons prior to Pittman’s arrival and in an instant confronted the problem of a 10-game SEC-only season in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though the Razorbacks completed 3-7 in 2020, the season integrated wins over Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee, in addition to losses towards Auburn, LSU and Missouri that got here via a blended seven issues. The marketing campaign marked a right away and noticeable uptick in competitiveness for Arkansas. That momentum carried over into 2021 when the Razorbacks completed 9-4 (4-4 SEC) with an Outback Bowl victory towards Penn State.

Arkansas struggled in shut video games in 2022, struggling losses towards Texas A&M, Liberty, LSU and Missouri via a blended 9 issues. Still, the Hogs completed 7-6 with an exciting Liberty Bowl win over Kansas. However, the 2023 season introduced extra of the similar struggles to win shut video games. The Razorbacks misplaced one-possession contests towards BYU, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama and Mississippi State right through a six-game shedding streak in September and October.