Arkansas football head coach Sam Pittman has seen his not come up in hot seat rumors. . Even despite the head coach leading an upset over No. 7 Tennessee.
Those rumors would seemingly get louder after Arkansas suffered a 63-31 drubbing to Ole Miss. However, the fifth-year head coach with a 28-29 record now has a “cooled” seat, per CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. He added that Pittman has support from a prominent figure on the Arkansas campus.
“Sam Pittman’s seat has cooled considerably after entering the season on the front burner of the SEC stove. The win against then-No. 4 Tennessee led to a field storming, and athletics director Hunter Yurachek loudly proclaimed his support for Pittman’s job performance in an interview with CBS Sports,” Marcello wrote.
Still, Pittman is dealing with a restless Razorbacks fanbase. Arkansas got blasted in its last two home games against Ole Miss and LSU. Marcello still believes Pittman has Arkansas in a position to clinch a bowl game. He mentioned how Arkansas still has 3-5 Louisiana Tech remaining on the schedule along with Texas and Missouri.
“Wins against Tech and Missouri would push him to seven wins and give the Razorbacks momentum with a returning quarterback (Taylen Green) and several young pieces to build around as they attack the portal in December,” Marcello said.
He adds Arkansas is improving in another integral area in today’s college landscape.
“The NIL situation at Arkansas, we’re told, is also improving, which helps Pittman’s cause,” Marcello said. “The Hogs are trending the right direction with Pittman as CEO and Bobby Petrino and Travis Williams as play-callers.”
Examining Sam Pittman’s Arkansas Tenure
Pittman arrived to Fayetteville via Georgia with a strong recruiting acumen in tow. Pittman got called “one of the best recruiters and offensive line coaches in the SEC,” by ESPN’s Chris Low at the time of his hire. He later spilled his signature on a five-year deal worth up to $3 million.
Pittman’s hire lured him back to Arkansas as well. He served as assistant head coach/offensive line coach for the Razorbacks from 2013 to 2015. The 62-year-old, however, has witnessed mixed production with the Hogs since taking over.
Arkansas finished 3-7 during the truncated 2020 campaign due to COVID-19. Pittman’s second Razorbacks team showed more promise in season two together, going 9-4 overall. They snatched the 2021 Outback Bowl to cap off that season.
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Pittman fielded another bowl contender in 2022. But that Arkansas football team settled for 7-6. They took the Liberty Bowl but also a fifth-place finish in the SEC West.
His coaching seat cranked in temperature after the 2023 campaign. Arkansas fell to 4-8 and a dismal 1-7 in SEC games. They tied for the bottom of their division.
Fortunately for Pittman, the Tennessee win raised his chances of returning for a sixth season. That Oct. 5 stunner at home became his first head coaching win against a top five opponent — plus became Arkansas’ first victory over a top-five foe since 2007. Both he and the Razorbacks also claimed big SEC wins over Auburn and Mississippi State on the road.
The Longhorns represent the lone top five opponent left on his and Arkansas’ schedule. Per Marcello’s intel, Pittman just needs to finish the regular season at 6-6 or 7-5 to solidify his return. But overall, his hot seat is losing its heat index underneath.