Pittman May Get Another Chance to Pick Up Players

With Michigan losing Jim Harbaugh to LA Chargers, more players available to Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When it was finally announced Jim Harbaugh was leaving Michigan for the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, it probably a good bet Arkansas coach Sam Pittman was on the phone. Not checking about anything with the Wolverines, but seeing who they might be interested in getting if they hit the transfer portal.

It's the way things go these days. Much like Razorbacks athletics director Hunter Yurachek always has to have a list of available coaches, the evaluations are fairly constant and a lot of playing "what-if" juggling the roster. There seems to be a lot of creative math getting to scholarship limits.

Michigan won the national championship and most of us assumed if that happened, the embattled Harbaugh would be going back to the NFL. He pretty much accomplished everything he could think of and probably figured the time was right. Whether or not all the drama around possible NCAA penalties played into that are really automatically assumed.

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The same thing has gone on at other schools for 100 years. When you're probably going to be caught holding the bag, get out of town. He does leave behind a roster with a lot of good players and years of highly-ranked recruits.

I'm not necessarily talking about starters. Remember, Drew Sanders didn't start every game he played at Alabama, came to the Razorbacks for a year and was the best linebacker on the team when he walked onto the practice field for the first time.

Every player on that roster can now transfer and be immediately eligible. That means a second or even third-teamer at certain positions may be better than what's on the roster right now. Again, this messy business college sports has become is also a two-way street. Schools can essentially run off players not able to keep off. Scholarships are not a four-year commitment from either players or schools.

The Hogs haven't landed anybody from Nick Saban leaving Alabama. It probably wasn't from a lack of trying on the few available. Now Pittman gets his staff evaluating the Wolverine's roster or finding out who knows about who in case they become available. You didn't think this roster was going to be settled this early did you?

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