Arkansas has fired coach Sam Pittman after a blowout home loss to Notre Dame.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has been named interim coach. This will be Petrino's second stint as Arkansas' head coach, having previously served in the role from 2008-11.
"I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach," athletic director Hunter Yurachek said in a 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. The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship. 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, 63, was among a small group of Power 4 coaches who entered the 2024 season on the hot seat but removed themselves. Arkansas recorded a signature win against Tennessee and navigated a tough schedule to go 7-6, which triggered a one-year rollover for Pittman's contract.
He used that contract as a foundation to build optimism for 2025, telling reporters in July at SEC Media Days in Atlanta that "we know who we're playing, they know who they're playing, too. We're proud of our football team." And that team opened a convincing 2-0, albeit with ho-hum wins over Alabama A&M and Arkansas State, before the schedule truly kicked in.
But a three-game losing streak, culminating in Saturday's 56-13 loss to Notre Dame at home, proved too tough for Pittman to overcome. The coach who entered this season with a mediocre 30-31 mark at Arkansas, including a 14-28 record in SEC play, didn't do enough to improve those percentages, and the Razorbacks (2-3) fell below the .500 mark before October even began.
It got progressively uglier along the way. Notre Dame, in fact, ran up 431 yards of total offense against Pittman's defense, as Razorback Stadium began to empty out at halftime.
As the season approached this summer, buzz began to build that he might need to match or exceed his 2024 output to secure his spot next season. And though he is well liked around campus, and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek hired him, the school also has higher aspirations in the ultra-competitive SEC. Pittman deserves credit for reviving Arkansas from the depths of Chad Morris' era. And now, because of that, among other factors, the school likely has a very strong candidate pool to consider.
The move to fire Pittman triggers a 30-day window for players to leave the program via the transfer portal.
