When Sam Pittman was hired as the 34th head coach for the Razorbacks, some people had concerns. He was a career offensive line coach who only held a higher position once as a high school head coach. Not much of a resume for an SEC head coaching gig.
Sam Pittman knew that. That’s why he brought in Barry Odom—a former SEC head coach—as his defensive coordinator and a bright, young offensive coordinator in Kendal Briles.
The greatest leaders surround themselves with great staff. It allowed him to grow into the head coach he needed to be without sacrificing the product on the field. And let’s face it, before Pittman there wasn’t much of a product to save so there was very little risk.
But now his career at Arkansas has come to a turning point. New staff, culture swings, and players leaving in mass are all new obstacles Coach Sam Pittman had to navigate this offseason. Will the program progress or regress? If it regresses, does that mean Pittman’s on the hot seat after this season?
THE TRAINING WHEELS ARE OFF
The honeymoon period for Sam Pittman is over. Yes, we all love the cold beer-lovin’, good ol’ boy from Grove, Oklahoma, but college football is a business. If you’re failing on the field, it matters not how loved you are. Pittman is here for one reason only, and that is to win football games.
Arkansas’s regression from the 21-22 season to the 22-23 isn’t helping that fact. Having a season that falls short of expectations isn’t necessarily the end of the world, but it certainly sobers up the fan base.
Add in the fact that Barry Odom’s gone, there’s not much for Sam Pittman to fall back on. He can’t go to the office next door and get the opinion of a former SEC head coach. He’s all alone now, and it’s time to sink or swim.
THINGS THAT CONCERN ME
New Staff
The elephant in the room is the loss of both Coordinators. Odom left for greener pastures as the new head coach of UNLV while Briles abruptly left for a shinier OC job with the national champion runner-up, TCU.
Don’t be mistaken, Travis Williams and Dan Enos are great coordinators. Williams will bring electricity to the defense that we haven’t seen under Pittman.
Enos is a retread, but he’s a QB whisperer. His work with former hog and current backup QB for Cincinnati, Brandon Allen, and current QB for Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts speaks for itself. KJ Jefferson might see the greatest year-to-year jump in performance yet. Not to mention Enos’ pro-style offense will help Jefferson’s draft stock immensely.
None of that matters when the entire team needs to learn new schemes, philosophies, and vocabularies. There will be growing pains. How much of that will seep into the regular season?
Mass Exodus
Arkansas had 27 scholarship players transfer from the program… 27. That’s not counting medically retired players, players out of eligibility, or NFL Draft enrollees. Nearly a third of the team decided that they didn’t want to be a Razorback anymore.
It might be addition by subtraction, per se, but key players from last year or players primed to take the starting spot are now gone. Players like Trey Knox (South Carolina), Ketron Jackson (Baylor), Myles Slusher (Colorado), and Isaiah Nichols (Perdue) were all significant contributors. Other than at QB and RB, fans will see almost a completely different team.
Even amid the wild west era of the transfer portal, 27 transfers is a significant number. Whatever the problem is, Sam Pittman will need to fix it before the end of this season. If a third of the team transfers this year, that makes it a trend and bad trends lead to hot seats.
Culture Turned Sour
Before last season, one of the greatest compliments given to Pittman from national media members and coaches alike was how great of a culture Sam had created. So, what happened last season?
Part of it was out of his control. Injuries after injuries began to pile up and that obviously takes a toll on players’ morale.
Some were certainly in his control. Rumors of toxic coaches and players turning the culture upside-down should have been nipped in the bud long before it reached the levels it did.
Some issues were a little harder to navigate. When Myles Slusher and Anthony Brown were arrested on Dickson St early in the morning of November 7th, just hours after the Hogs lost to Liberty, the pair were subsequently suspended from playing in the LSU game.
When Fayetteville PD release the footage of the incident, fans and Slusher’s attorney argued the arrest was an overreaction. Pittman reverse the suspension but the damage was done. Slusher would play against Ole Miss but left the team before Mizzou. Brown, who didn’t play much this season, entered the transfer portal.
THINGS THAT GIVE ME HOPE
Rebuilt the Culture
The culture collapse was monumental. Without the transfer portal, it most likely would have been a death sentence for Pittman’s career at Arkansas. Instead, Arkansas was able to clean house in a few months and start over. The players and coaches rumored to be “toxic” are gone.
He also brought in positive culture by hiring Marcus Woodson and Travis Williams. That isn’t to say Barry Odom was one of the problem coaches, but no one can deny the infectious energy that Woodson and Williams bring to the team.
Defensive lineman Taurean Carter and corner Dwight McGlothern discussed their feelings about the new coaching additions. Carter said that he is “all bought in,” and McGlothern said that Williams “brings energy…whatever he gives us, we put on the field.”
McGlothern continued his praise of Williams and Woodson later in the interview:
I really appreciate all of them…because they are trying to make me like them as a person, and I do, and that’s the best thing about it because we come in his building every day, putting our bodies on the line…just do what we love, you know? And then making it fun for us to have fun on the field and off the field and learn at the same time. It’s a blessing.
Returning Key Players
With the emergence of the transfer portal, teams now need to recruit high school prospects, players in the transfer portal, and players on their own team. Pittman did an excellent job of keeping key players in a Razorback uniform.
Arkansas, indeed, lost a lot in the portal, but it was able to maintain some of the most important players from last year. The most obvious example is KJ Jefferson. Jefferson has been integral to Arkansas’s success the last two seasons. His leadership in the midst of an offensive coordinator change, including a completely new offense is something invaluable to this year’s team.
The running back room has been Arkansas’s bread and butter for the past few years. The depth at the position is far and away the best on the team. AJ Green and Rashod Dubinion are both good enough to start for most teams in the country, but Sam Pittman and staff were able to keep them at Arkansas. In this “the grass is always greener” age, it is mighty impressive.
The most underrated player is undoubtedly Dwight McGlothern. The transfer from LSU was a constant bright spot on an otherwise poor secondary performance last year. He was second on the team in tackles, hauled in 4 interceptions, and forced two fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, McGlorthern played 344 snaps without giving up a touchdown before Treon Sibley of Liberty ended his streak.
Sneaky Good Transfer Class
So, Arkansas has the 14th-ranked transfer class according to 247 Sports. One would think, “that isn’t sneaky at all”, but it’s even better than it looks.
It’s not enough just to add huge talents. To make the transfer portal work, teams have to strategically find talent to fill the whole in its roster. For example, Arkansas could have signed some high-quality running backs out of the portal, but Arkansas already has the depth and talent. Those scholarships would’ve gone to waste.
Arkansas brought in guys for positions it desperately needed like DBs, WRs, and QB. Lorando “Snax” Johnson and Alfahiym Walcott were both transfer 4-stars and starters for Baylor. It also added Jaheim Singletary, a former 5-star and Georgia Bulldog. At QB Arkansas signed Jacolby Criswell from North Carolina. The Morrilton, Ark. native adds much-needed experience and talent as the backup.
At wide receiver, Arkansas went a different route. It brought in some rising stars from non-Power Five conference teams. At first glance they don’t look like sexy pick-ups: Tyrone Broden from Bowling Green (group of 5), Andrew Armstrong from Texas A&M Commerce (FCS), and Isaac Teslaa from Hillsdale College (DII). However, they are 6’7, 6’4, and 6’4, respectively, with loads of talent. Just take a look at this catch from Teslaa.
What Sam Pittman Needs to Do to Stay Off the Hot Seat Next Season
- Finish higher than .500 in the regular season.
To reiterate, Sam Pittman is here to win football games. He needs to show progression after a disappointing 2022 season.
- Nip any other culture problems in the bud, early.
Pittman, and Arkansas, cannot afford another collapse in culture. If problems are dealt with swiftly and justly, he should be able to maintain the culture he has now.
- For Pete’s sake, beat Mizzou.
This is random, I know. This point, in and of itself, won’t land Pittman on the hot seat. But the fact that it is the last regular season game carries weight into the offseason. Add in the fact that every Arkansas fan in the state thinks of Mizzou as inferior, losing to them every other year has to end.
There’s a ton of uncertainty going into this season. For the first time, Sam Pittman is by himself as head coach and he has a brand new team, essentially. But if he can accomplish at least two of the points above, he will avoid being on the hot seat next season.
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