Bobby Petrino's second tenure as Arkansas HC has been 'difficult'

There's an old saying that the past is a place of reference, not a residence. 

Unfortunately for Arkansas interim head coach Bobby Petrino, that phrase has rung true during the 2025 college football season. 

Petrino, who was the head coach at UA from 2008 to 2011 and the offensive coordinator at the school since November 2023, was pressed into the role of interim head coach following the firing of head coach Sam Pittman on Sept. 28. 

During his first tenure as the head coach at Arkansas, Petrino presided over consecutive 10-win seasons in 2010 and 2011 before an off-field scandal brought his time at the school to a close in 2012. 

After a 2-3 start to 2025, Razorback fans were cautiously optimistic that Petrino could find some semblance of success for the program in his second stint as Head Hog. But that has been far from the case, as Arkansas is 0-6 under Petrino's leadership this season and enters Saturday's Battle Line rivalry game against Missouri in danger of a winless campaign in SEC play. 

"It's been difficult," Petrino said on Monday. "I can't say it hasn't been difficult. There's a staff that was already in place, there's guys in the building that you didn't hire. You're trying to make it so everybody has a good experience, trying to go out and compete on the field, find ways to win." 

Over the last six games, Arkansas has lost four by one possession and all six by 15 points or less. Those one-score losses included near misses against the likes of No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 20 Tennessee and LSU in Death Valley. 

"We haven't been able to do that," Petrino said. "We've gotten very close a number of times and then just didn't follow through with it. It hasn't been like the funnest thing I've ever done in my life, I can tell you that. But we just tried to make it about the players and encouraging them to do well." 

Will Bobby Petrino be tapped as next Arkansas head coach?

As Arkansas continues its search for a permanent head coach, Petrino's name is still technically in play for the full-time gig, and the 64-year-old is interested in the role. But it appears that UA has narrowed its search, which is reportedly coming to an end soon, to four candidates: South Florida head coach Alex Golesh, Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield, North Texas head coach Eric Morris and Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. 

"I haven't thought about it," Petrino said when asked about the coaching search. "I'm just trying to work on making sure we finish this thing right for the players and the assistant coaches." 

Arkansas will conclude its 2025 season against Missouri at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Fayetteville.