Is It Sam Pittman, Is it Arkansas, Or Will it Be John Calipari?

A Rapid Ascent and Alarming Fall

Pittman inherited a spread-passing-oriented offense and quickly moved to change it. That made for a painful but understandable transition and a 3-7 record in his rookie season. However, in Year 2, Pittman led Arkansas to a 9-4 record and an Outback Bowl win. That was followed up with a disappointing 7-6 season, salvaged with a Liberty Bowl victory. However, in 2023, Pittman’s program declined to 4-8, including a revealing 1-7 mark in the SEC.

Arkansas fans who fell in love with the underdog Pittman began to turn. Pittman’s fall was reminiscent of Bret Bielema’s brief rise and rapid fall. Pittman is not the first Arkansas coach to face the wrath and doubts of fans and donors.

Pittman’s plight is the latest evidence that Arkansas is a program in over its head in the SEC. 

Southwest Conference Contenders, SEC Also Rans 

Once upon a time, the Arkansas Razorbacks were a national power in the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Frank Broyles led the Razorbacks to eight Top 10 AP final rankings from 1959 through 1969 and the 1964 national championship. After Broyles retired, Lou Holtz and Ken Hatfield kept the program humming. Holtz produced three Top 10 campaigns from 1977 through 1983, while Hatfield had four teams finish in the Top 15 from 1984 through 1989.

As members of the SWC, Broyles produced seven championships, Holtz one and Hatfield two. The SWC was a logical home for the Razorbacks. Arkansas bordered the fertile recruiting footprint of Texas, which was vital to its success. It was the only SWC school outside the state of Texas, and that proximity was a key to its recruiting success.

However, in the 1980s the SWC was exposed for being the most corrupt league in major college football. When SMU got the death penalty from the NCAA, the problem was exemplified. Arkansas sensed the impending implosion of the SWC, which died in 1996. In 1992, the administration defected to the more stable Southeastern Conference and its more lucrative membership.

While the SEC was a better league with more revenue, it has proven to be a disadvantage for Arkansas from a competitive perspective. Arkansas has never won the SEC championship. Arkansas has only three double-digit win seasons as a conference member. Since 2012 the Razorbacks have only one winning record vs. SEC teams. Overall, Arkansas has produced only seven SEC winning records since joining.

Since changing leagues, only one man has threatened to bring Arkansas back to glory. In 2010 and 2011, Bobby Petrino led Arkansas to double-digit win seasons and final rankings of 12^th and 5^th, respectively. Arkansas was seen as a legitimate threat to contend for the 2012 SEC championship.

But in the spring of 2012, Petrino took a fateful motorcycle ride with a young blonde that ended in a ditch. He lied about the incident and about the inappropriate relationship he had with her. Petrino wrongfully put her on the payroll as a paid assistant. For all this, Petrino was fired. Arkansas dreams were shattered. And Arkansas football has never been the same since.

Ironically, Petrino has returned to Arkansas as offensive coordinator for Pittman’s last stand in 2024. 

Rich Donors - Poor In-State Talent Pool

It surprises many fans to know that Arkansas has one of the richest donor bases in college football. Tyson Chicken and Walmart are both major financial boosters. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones played on that 1964 national championship team and is a generous friend of the program. Indeed, it was Tyson, Walmart, and Jones who played roles in luring John Calipari from Kentucky to take over the Arkansas basketball program. Coach Cal was promised a blank check for NIL and facilities, something he lacked at Kentucky.

However, these donor advantages are offset by Arkansas’ small population and relatively isolated location in the more geographically spread out SEC. The in-state recruiting footprint is not enough to sustain a championship-level program.

Yet Pittman said last fall that Arkansas was behind other SEC programs in NIL. The money is there, now it's just a matter of will. And with Calipari getting assurances that he will have a full war chest, Pittman can insist on his,

To know Arkansas is to love Arkansas. Those who visit find it an appealing place to live. No school has more passionate fans. But while the school has these advantages, it has not been enough to make for a consistent SEC-contending program. 

Pittman and Petrino Confront 2024 Pressure Cooker 

Three-year QB KJ Jefferson is gone, having transferred to UCF. Thus, Arkansas has a spring football battle going between Boise State redshirt junior transfer Taylen Green, redshirt senior transfer Jacolby Criswell, and redshirt freshman Malachi Singleton. Although Green is the favorite to win the starting job, Pittman maintains the competition is open.

Green is a multi-threat QB who totaled career marks of 3,794 yards passing with a 25/15 TD/INT ratio at Boise State. Also, he rushed for 1,026 yards and 19 TDs.

Pittman has kept a positive demeanor as he faces the heat. He said that the season is not about him but about winning for the state of Arkansas. Pittman said bringing in Petrino was all about giving the program its best chance to win. Certainly, Petrino is an upgrade from Dan Enos, who was fired during the 2023 campaign.

While Pittman is on the hot seat, he still has the hearts of Arkansas fans. However, the historical headwinds and gravitational limits of Arkansas do not make Pittman a sure thing to survive. 

Will Pittman and Coach Cal Clash?

John Calipari and his Kentucky basketball program were never the same after COVID. As time wore on, Coach Cal began to seethe over investment priority given to the football program led by Mark Stoops. Finally, in the summer of 2022, the issue blew wide open. Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhardt rejected Calipari’s demands for facility improvements. Calipari said that Kentucky was a “basketball school.” That comment understandably irked Stoops. And when Barnhardt took Stoops’ side, it was the beginning of a messy divorce.

Calipari’s arrival will raise Arkansas's expectations for football and basketball. If Pittman can’t jumpstart the football program this year, there will be another cash call to donors for a big-name football coach.

Arkansas has a good basketball history and has recently earned two Elite Eights (2021 & 2022) and a Sweet 16 (2023). But at its heart, it remains a football school.

John Calipari’s arrival doesn’t give cover to Sam Pittman. Instead, it turns up the heat to a raging broil.