Entering the 2025 season, Arkansas football and head coach Sam Pittman were looking for a breakthrough year. The Razorbacks started strong with two straight wins, but tensions reached a boiling point following an embarrassing 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame -- the team’s third consecutive defeat.
For Pittman, the pressure continued mounting as calls for his job grow louder. In Fayetteville, the boos were loud and unrelenting all afternoon. And on Sunday, the Razorbacks officially decided to part ways with their head coach, announcing that OC Bobby Petrino will take over as head coach.
Here’s what to know about Pittman’s tenure at Arkansas and why the team chose to go in a different direction.
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Why did Arkansas fire Sam Pittman?
Pittman’s job security became one of the biggest question marks in the SEC, largely due to a downturn in the program’s performance after a high point a few seasons ago.
After leading the Razorbacks to a 9-4 finish in 2021, Pittman’s record has steadily declined. Arkansas sits at 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the SEC after five games in 2025, including frustrating losses to Ole Miss, Memphis, and Notre Dame. His overall record since 2021 was dangerously close to falling below .500.
The Razorbacks have struggled to compete consistently in the SEC, with media reports highlighting difficulties in close games and an inability to secure a Top 10 recruiting class in recent cycles. With a brutal schedule that includes matchups against No. 15 Tennessee, No. 9 Texas A&M, and No. 4 LSU ahead, the pressure was mounting for Pittman to find a spark quickly.
Arkansas then announced Sunday that Pittman had been dismissed, with Petrino taking over as the interim head coach.
“I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach,” Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “From Day 1, you could tell how much this opportunity meant to him. At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful.
The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship. As we move forward in the process of finding our next head coach, I am certain we will be able to provide the necessary resources to our staff and team to reach our goals. We will begin a national search for our next head coach immediately and that search will include Coach Petrino, who has expressed his desire to be a candidate for the full-time job.”
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Sam Pittman buyout
Pittman has had one of the most unusual contracts in college football.
If his record since 2021 remained above .500, Arkansas would owe him a $9.8 million buyout. If it fell below .500, the buyout dropped to $6.9 million. That clause has added pressure on the administration to potentially wait for the cheaper option, making each loss carry financial consequences for the university.
After the Notre Dame defeat, Pittman’s record at Arkansas stood at 29-27, meaning the team went with the more expensive option.
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How much did Sam Pittman make?
Pittman has been set to make approximately $6.55 million in the 2025 season.
Under his 2022 contract extension, his base salary was $5 million annually. He also received $500,000, the maximum allowed for a state employee, plus $4.5 million from the Razorback Foundation. The remainder comes from built-in raises, retention bonuses, and other earned incentives.
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Sam Pittman coaching career
A graduate of Pittsburg State, Pittman spent more than three decades working his way up the coaching ranks, often serving as a key recruiter and position coach at numerous major programs. His reputation was built on his ability to mold powerful, dominant offensive lines, and he has coached seven offensive linemen who were eventually selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
His path as an assistant coach included critical stops at several SEC and Power Five schools. He coached offensive lines at Oklahoma, Missouri, and Tennessee before beginning his first stint at Arkansas from 2013 to 2015, where his unit paved the way for two 1,000-yard rushers in 2014. From there, he joined Kirby Smart's staff at Georgia as Associate Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach from 2016 to 2019. During his time in Athens, he was credited with helping the Bulldogs produce top-10 recruiting classes and contributing to the team that won the SEC Championship and played in the College Football Playoff in 2017.
In 2019, Pittman accepted his first head coaching job at Arkansas. In just his second season in 2021, he guided the Razorbacks to a 9-4 record and a bowl victory, their first nine-win season in a decade.
However, the program has since struggled with consistency. As he faced pressure in the 2025 season, his overall head coaching record now stands at 32-34, and 29-27 since his new contract began.
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Arkansas remaining schedule
| Date | Game | Time |
| 10/11 | at No. 15 Tennessee | TBD |
| 10/18 | vs No. 9 Texas A&M | TBD |
| 10/25 | vs Auburn | TBD |
| 11/1 | vs Mississippi State | TBD |
| 11/15 | at No. 4 LSU | TBD |
| 11/22 | at No. 10 Texas | TBD |
| 11/29 | vs No. 20 Missouri | TBD |
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