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6 hours ago
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Arkansas Razorbacks football coach Sam Pittman has had institutional support, not in the form of massive NIL spend compared to the top programs in the SEC, but in the form of public backing from up top.
The program suffered the blowback of the Nico Iamaleava saga on Rocky Top, with his younger brother, Madden, de-committing from the Hogs. Three blue-chip players left via the transfer portal as well.
That patience may wear thin.
It was an up-and-down offseason. Unfortunately, the SEC chews up and spits out “up-and-down.”
Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek tried to rally financial support for Pittman back in September, but that hasn’t resulted in an overly competitive recruiting run for the Razorbacks. Arkansas had the No. 16-ranked transfer portal haul this past cycle.
Pittman is not hauling in winning talent for the Hogs, so donors are sitting on their hands – perhaps waiting on a major change.
CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli strongly hinted that change may come sooner rather than later.
“If we were to ask our voters to rank coaches on the likelihood we wouldn't be ranking them at all next year, Pittman could very well finish at the top. He entered the 2024 season on the hot seat and finished 7-6, but the 3-5 mark in SEC play didn't turn the dial down much. Pittman's Arkansas teams have never finished a season with a winning record in conference play, and unless there's a jump forward in 2025, they could look to start over in Fayetteville,” Fornelli wrote.
Pittman will almost certainly not survive a fourth straight season of backward momentum. The narrative is reflecting that a little over three months away from Week 1.
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