Razorbacks' Pittman Staying Cool Despite Presumed Hot Seat

Veteran soach knows the pressures of big-time college football, chooses to focus on success with 'good team' this year

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman during a game with LSU on Sept. 23, 2023, in Baton Rouge, La. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

This is the second in a series of stories about Arkansas football and head coach Sam Pittman, who recently sat with writer Bob Stephens for a lengthy interview. Visit us daily this week to read a new article.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Sam Pittman shifted in his big leather chair and seemed rather comfortable despite the seriousness of the question. He cast a bemused look across the big wooden desk, but didn't hesitate to answer.

And the response seemed genuine, just like the man himself. Nope, he doesn't feel like he's on the hot seat this season.

No, he's not overly concerned with how many games folks figure he has to win to sit in the same chair a year from now. He's simply focused on winning one at a time, like every coach always says, and every coach always means, no matter how far fans look ahead on the schedule.

"But Sam, is the chair you're sitting in hotter than it used to be?"

"Uh, probably not," he said simply. "It might be for the general public."

That's the fan base that craves another nine-win season like Pittman delivered in his second season as head Hog when his team whipped Penn State, 24-10, in the New Year's Day Outback Bowl.

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When Pittman arrived as Arkansas' head coach, the Razorbacks were 1-23 in their previous three seasons against Southeastern Conference rivals, and 8-28 overall. That included SEC donuts in 2018 and 2019 when they were 4-20 in all games.

There likely was never a lower point in Arkansas football history. Pittman went 3-7 that first year, all against SEC teams in the Covid-shortened 2020 season.

Then came 9-4 and a 4-4 league mark, followed by a 7-6 year capped by a double-overtime, 55-53, win against Kansas in the Liberty Bowl. That 3-5 SEC mark in 2022 preceded last year's 1-7 disappointment, along with a 4-8 overall record.

That's when the naysayers surfaced and the boo birds were heard loud and clear. What matters most, though, is not what folks say on talk radio and social media.

It's whether people fill the seats on game day and there were plenty of folks who stayed home instead of tailgating and cheering on the Hogs a year ago. Sam has heard the rumors about his job being in jeopardy.

So has his wife, Jamie. They know how football works at the highest level having coached at lots of stops including Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Georgia. At those last three jobs, Pittman was also assistant head coach along with his offensive line duties.

That kind of respect shown by Tennessee and Georgia, as well as Arkansas, is how he got the top job on The Hill. The 62-year-old has experienced success in Fayetteville and he's comfortable in his own skin.

He also knows this gig could end at any time, although he doesn't anticipate that. He feels good about having won at Arkansas when many never thought he'd have a good season, and like his supporters, figures that's worth some equity with the powers that be.

"Listen, there's two things," Pittman said. "If you've never had success and then you get a head coaching job and didn't have success there, that'd be a hard pill to swallow if you got let go. But we have. And we will have success. We've got a good football team.

"But worrying about if you're going to get fired or job security is just wasted energy. And to be honest with you, me getting fired, for me and what would happen to me, has never been a thought for me. It's always been about the state, what can we do best to make the people of Arkansas proud, the kids, and the rest of the (people in this) building. And I mean that with all my heart."

Pittman signed a new contract through 2026 following that heady second season, and it had an automatic one-year extension since Arkansas won at least seven games in 2022. He'll earn $6.2 million this year.

Speaking about past experiences, he noted that most assistants work on one-year deals.

"I've been on staffs where head coaches have been fired," Pittman said. "Well, the head coach has got a contract. The other coaches in the building may or may not. This job has never been about me, never. It's been about the kids, the state, and the people in the building. It's never been about me."

He's the one all the fans will talk about, though, whether the Hogs somehow win nine games again, or finish below .500 and fail again to qualify for a bowl game.

HOGS FEED:

• Yurachek's gonna need a bigger building

• EA Sports simulation offers Arkansas fans hope for Oklahoma State game

• Watch: Dinner with John Calipari

• Pittman gives thoughts on his expectations for Hogs' QB Taylen Green

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