Pittman 'Real Comfortable' Being Razorbacks' Coach

Arkansas coach getting more accustomed to job as he brings Hogs to SEC Media Days before his fifth season

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman during the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. / Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

This is the seventh and final article in a series of stories about Arkansas football and head coach Sam Pittman, who recently sat for a lengthy interview with veteran columnist Bob Stephens, who covered the Razorbacks for 23 years.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Quarterback Taylen Smith, wide receiver Andrew Armstrong and defensive end Landon Jackson will accompany Arkansas coach Sam Pittman to SEC Media Days in Dallas on Thursday. The Hogs are one of four teams that will share the spotlight on the fourth and final day of the event when media of all types descend on a fancy hotel to pepper coaches and players with questions that range from thoughtful to ignorant.

This will be Pittman's fifth appearance at SEC Media Days since taking over the Razorbacks prior to the 2020 season. His leadership helped pull Arkansas football out of the worst situation in its history and led to a nine-win season in Year 2, but slippage the last two years has brought intense scrutiny.

 "You've got to be who you are," Pittman said. "I'm real comfortable being a head coach."

One of the biggest benefits of being on the job for nearly half a decade is the valuable lessons he's learned along the way. Perhaps none have been bigger than to trust himself.

"To go with my gut on a Saturday afternoon," Pittman said. "I went into analytics and all that. I really didn't use any analytics (in 2021) when we were as high as eighth in the country and won nine games and had all the trophies (for beating Texas A&M, LSU, Missouri). Then I thought analytics would help me. Analytics work when they work, and they don't when they don't. So I think you just go with your feeling and gut and figure out how the defense is playing and how the offense is playing. A punt is never a bad thing; that's something I've always thought."

That's not to say he and the coaching staff will ignore analytics. They just won't let it dominate their decisions.

"Each week's different," Pittman said. "I think a lot of coaches go in and just think if it's this down and distance, then I'm going to go for it. For me, it's all about feel and how the game's going. How's our offense playing? How's their defense playing? That's probably the biggest lesson I've learned."

Arkansas has planned quarterback runs in the playbook, much like Petrino devised when he coached Lamar Jackson during his Heisman Trophy season at Louisville. Don't expect the Hogs to throw it 32 times a game for nearly 300 yards like they did when Ryan Mallett was Petrino's QB at Arkansas.

Petrino will take advantage of Green's dual-threat skills to keep defenses off balance and, in perfect coach-speak, take what the defense gives 'em. Trusting Petrino with the offense means Pittman can devote a bit more time to his career specialty, tutoring offensive linemen.

It's needed, as the O-line surrendered a startling 47 sacks last year while not exactly being road-graders. The running game managed just 3.5 yards per carry.

Avoiding another season plagued by locker-room problems and dissension is key but Pittman acknowledges improved player leadership, especially by Green and Jackson, will help avoid problems. Jackson, a 6-foot-7, 282-pound defensive end, is the Hogs' best player on either side of the ball.

"I feel like I've always been able to handle problems," Pittman claimed. "A problem is only a problem as long as you allow it to be, and then you fix it and it's not a problem anymore. I feel we've always addressed problems fast."

His "problem" is not always being free to speak his mind, especially when it comes to answering what a player, or former player, might say on social media or to the press.

"You can't always say what you'd like to say," Pittman said. "In other words, there's no rebuttal. Someone can say whatever they want about how they left the program or what happened over here and really there's not a voice to go, 'Nah, that didn't happen.' You can't talk about religion; I think that's not good. There's a difference in beating it down somebody's throat and being able to share your experiences. There's a lot of things a head coach can't talk about."

There are also many fans the coach will never win over or convince he's the right guy for the job.

"You're going to have people that hate what you say regardless of what you say," Pittman said. "It doesn't matter and so once you figure that out, well, just say what you want to say. But you can't in some instances. You don't want to rebut an 18-year-old kid or a 21-year-old. You can't be petty. You just take it, but in this profession as a head coach, you take a lot of that."

He follows social media more than he used to after trying to give it up a few years ago. Still, it's often his wife Jamie who lets him know what's happening in that regard.

"Jamie used to, but when I got off of all that, I felt I lost touch a little bit," Pittman admitted. "It was more about recruiting than what people were saying that I cared about, so that was concerning. I do try to find out what's going on with recruiting and try to stay away from anything else."

He said overall team speed is likely the Hogs' best asset. He also sees improvement in the offensive line and predicted it'll be an asset despite forecasts to the contrary.

"Well, we haven't gone out there and proven it yet, but I would've said the offensive line will be a real strength," Pittman said. "I'll say our secondary's been together for quite a while and we've added a piece or two to that, so I feel they're a strong suit for us."

The big guys up front displayed an edginess and made a highly publicized statement during spring practice when a skill position player absorbed a big hit by the defense. Twin offensive tackles Fernando Carmona on the left side and Keyshawn Blackstock on the right, both 6-foot-5 and 325 pound juniors who are the cornerstones up front, were among those taking exception to the hit and a fight broke out.

Unlike most football skirmishes, this one turned into a lengthy major brawl that involved more and more players joining in. Pittman loves that big guy bravado and has his opinion on how you bring it out.

It's not by grabbing a guy's face mask to get his attention, either. He fancies himself a teacher with a positive approach. He gets more production with praise than paddling.

"You've got to be who you are, and I learned a long time ago if you touch a kid, he never hears what you're saying," Pittman said. "He's wondering what you're going to do with that facemask, what you're going to do with that arm. Our job is to teach. If we've recruited someone who doesn't want to give effort, shame on us. We've recruited the wrong guy.

"We should be the loudest at practice when they've done something right. When they've done something wrong, you should teach them how to do it right. If you're m-f'in the kid, then you don't know how to teach and I've hired the wrong coach. I learned as a player that anytime someone grabbed my facemask, I blanked them out and didn't hear anything they said. So you're using a teachable moment and you're not teaching. At least in my case, I didn't listen."

Pittman doesn't know how this season will play out, but he's professed confidence in his kids and expects to win more often than not. That's not what most folks think as the Hogs rank No. 73 in the country and are projected to win only four games, meaning one SEC encounter.

Still, like SEC Media Days, that's just a lot of talk. The work begins with Arkansas' first practice on July 30, followed 30 days later by the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Circle September 7 because that's when it gets serious with the first test at Oklahoma State.

Pittman remains confident as season five of his tenure approaches. His goal will be to stay focused on the task at hand during what many call a make-or-break season. Hiring former Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach was a bold decision with that in mind.

 How he teams with Green, the speedy runner and improving thrower from Boise State, will help determine the Hogs' success. Fewer sacks and an improved ground game could help turn last year's disappointment that led to five one-possession losses into a surprisingly successful season that ends in a bowl game.

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs fill board on Day 2 of Major League Baseball draft

• Calipari pulling out all stops to gain commitment from Boozer

• Sankey leaves wiggle room if needed in regard to future conference expansion

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow allHOGS on X and Facebook