Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman is set to return in 2025 for his sixth season leading the Razorbacks after going 7-6 with a Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech in 2024.
It's fair to say that Pittman entered the 2024 season on the hot seat, as he even addressed it at SEC Media Days in July. Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in April 2024 that it wasn't a "make or break" year for Pittman, but improvement needed to be evident after a 4-8 record in 2023.
“I don’t know that this is a make or break year, but this is a year, definitively," Yurachek said. "We’ve got to show some improvement heading back in the direction away from four and eight, and towards seven and five, eight and four.”
While the Hogs ended up going 6-6 in the regular season, Yurachek saw enough to not make a move. Three of the team's losses were by one score (Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Missouri), plus first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino fielded a top-10 total offense in the nation.
The rest of college football has also remained fairly quiet regarding head coaching changes, aside from Bill Belichick being hired by North Carolina.
Given the lack of movement, the 2025 coaching carousel is expected to be more active. On Monday, ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg released a tier list for way-too-early college football coaching hot seats.
The tier "Don't do that again" features names like Florida State's Mike Norvell and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. Next was the "We want this to work" tier with Oklahoma's Brent Venables, Auburn's Hugh Freeze and more.
Eventually you get down to the "Can't backslide" tier, which is where Pittman is listed alongside names such as Florida's Billy Napier and Virginia Tech's Brent Pry.
"Pittman was among a small group of Power 4 coaches who entered the 2024 season on the hot seat but removed themselves," Rittenberg wrote. "Arkansas recorded a signature win against Tennessee and navigated a tough schedule to go 7-6, which triggered a one-year rollover for Pittman's contract.
"Pittman is just 30-31 and 14-28 in SEC play, and might need to match or exceed his 2024 output to secure his spot for 2025. He's well liked and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek hired him, but the school also has higher aspirations and would have a very strong candidate pool if its job came open."
It's worth noting that Pittman did NOT trigger a one-year rollover on his contract. He did, however, earn a $250,000 raise that will total $750,000 for the three remaining years on his contract. Other than that, Rittenberg didn't really say anything that Arkansas fans don't already understand.
The Razorbacks have lost 25 scholarship players to the transfer portal since the start of the 2024 season. They've replaced those losses with what is currently ranked on Rivals as the 8th best transfer class nationally, plus they are bringing in 24 commitments via their high school class that ranks 27th nationally on Rivals.
It's fair to say that Pittman entered the 2024 season on the hot seat, as he even addressed it at SEC Media Days in July. Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in April 2024 that it wasn't a "make or break" year for Pittman, but improvement needed to be evident after a 4-8 record in 2023.
“I don’t know that this is a make or break year, but this is a year, definitively," Yurachek said. "We’ve got to show some improvement heading back in the direction away from four and eight, and towards seven and five, eight and four.”
While the Hogs ended up going 6-6 in the regular season, Yurachek saw enough to not make a move. Three of the team's losses were by one score (Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Missouri), plus first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino fielded a top-10 total offense in the nation.
The rest of college football has also remained fairly quiet regarding head coaching changes, aside from Bill Belichick being hired by North Carolina.
Given the lack of movement, the 2025 coaching carousel is expected to be more active. On Monday, ESPN senior writer Adam Rittenberg released a tier list for way-too-early college football coaching hot seats.
The tier "Don't do that again" features names like Florida State's Mike Norvell and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. Next was the "We want this to work" tier with Oklahoma's Brent Venables, Auburn's Hugh Freeze and more.
Eventually you get down to the "Can't backslide" tier, which is where Pittman is listed alongside names such as Florida's Billy Napier and Virginia Tech's Brent Pry.
"Pittman was among a small group of Power 4 coaches who entered the 2024 season on the hot seat but removed themselves," Rittenberg wrote. "Arkansas recorded a signature win against Tennessee and navigated a tough schedule to go 7-6, which triggered a one-year rollover for Pittman's contract.
"Pittman is just 30-31 and 14-28 in SEC play, and might need to match or exceed his 2024 output to secure his spot for 2025. He's well liked and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek hired him, but the school also has higher aspirations and would have a very strong candidate pool if its job came open."
It's worth noting that Pittman did NOT trigger a one-year rollover on his contract. He did, however, earn a $250,000 raise that will total $750,000 for the three remaining years on his contract. Other than that, Rittenberg didn't really say anything that Arkansas fans don't already understand.
The Razorbacks have lost 25 scholarship players to the transfer portal since the start of the 2024 season. They've replaced those losses with what is currently ranked on Rivals as the 8th best transfer class nationally, plus they are bringing in 24 commitments via their high school class that ranks 27th nationally on Rivals.
