Turns out that Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman is living on borrowed time. Their 2023 season’s 4-8 overall record was their worst since the 2020 season, when they finished 3-7. Then how did Pittman manage to save his head coaching seat? His luck favored when the Razorbacks were able to achieve a 7-6 record in 2024. It came with a victory in the Liberty Bowl against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

However, that was not enough for Pittman to melt Paul Finebaum’s heart. The ESPN analyst came up with a list of coaches on the hot seat moving into the 2025 season back in January this year. And obviously, Pittman found himself on Finebaum’s list. He said, “I forgot he was in trouble. That guy has been living on the hot seat the last three years.” Six months later, Pittman turns out to be in the same place. More concerning because this time it’s not Finebaum’s analysis. 

On the July 26th episode of That SEC Podcast, Cousin Shane had the chance to have a talk with Trey Wallace of Outkick. The host dived straight into business and had a question for his guest of the evening. Cousin Shane asked, “If you were to give me your top three hot seats, like most likely, who would they be right now?” “Probably Pittman, [Billy] Napier, and then [Mark] Stoops,” answered Wallace. Turns out that Pittman’s been driving a wagon on wobbly wheels since 2023. During that season, their former OC and QBs coach, Dan Enos‘s putrid scheme dropped their run by nearly 100 yards from earlier seasons. Cut to 2024, Pittman’s offense ranked 10th in the nation, averaging 459.4 total yards per game. Not just this. 

They ranked at No.99 when it came to their interceptions, 28th in passing yards per game with 274.6, and 62nd in rushing yards per game with 184.8. Then came the most important question. The host asked, “And following that up, do you think any of them actually get canned this season?” Wallace replied,  “I think Arkansas is going to have to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out what they want to be in college football. Because you saw Hunter Yurachek come out the other day on social media. I forgot what day it was. Maybe it was yesterday, the day before on Sunday. And talking about NIL and whatnot. Arkansas’s got to get back going. I mean, you can’t just you can’t just focus on basketball, per se.” 

Recently, Donald Trump’s “Saving College Sports” order banning “pay-for-play” NIL deals went viral. On that note, Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek and Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari sounded confident about its impact. At such a time, Pittman refused to be in the limelight with Calipari being the face of the program. While Pittman struggled with his boys to keep their heads afloat, the basketball team wrapped up the 2024-2025 season with a 22-14 overall record. So, more than Pittman’s SEC rival head coaches, Calipari is increasing the heat on the football head coach’s seat. Right now, his job is hanging by a thin thread. 

As Wallace noted, “I think Arkansas is a decent team this year. I’m just saying I think we’re going to go down that road again where you have to get a vote of confidence and pretty much on your checks like, ‘Yeah we’re going to bring back Sam Pitman just for the h— of it and by the way we don’t want to pay the buyout right now.’” Yes, Pittman’s buyout situation is kind of complex. 

A slippery slope for Sam Pittman

Turns out that Yurachek now stands at the crossroads when it comes to getting rid of Pittman. Back in 2021, after an Outback Bowl victory and first appearance in the final AP Poll in a decade, Pittman and Arkansas signed a new five-year deal that took him through the 2026 season with a base salary of $5 million. The next season, Pittman unlocked an automatic one-year extension and $250,000 raise after gifting Razorbacks fans seven games. This hiked his annual pay to $5.25 million. Now, it’s time to bring our calculators out.

If Arkansas’ record beginning in the 2021 season was below .500, Pittman would be owed just 50% of his remaining contract, had Arkansas decided to pull the brakes on him.  If they won at least half of their games, it’d be 75%. Before the Missouri face-off, Pittman’s overall record at the Razorbacks squad was 29-30. But there is a catch. This record is inclusive of a 3-7 mark in the pandemic-altered 2020 season. Omitting that, Pittman’s record sat at 26-23. Right now, Arkansas will owe $19.9 million to Pittman over the final three years of his contract.

If they let him go in the offseason, the buyout will be no less than $12.1 million. Now, can Pittman keep his boat afloat? An anonymous SEC coach is not quite hopeful about the head coach. In an interview with Athlon Sports, the unnamed coach did not mince his words and said, “Last year, they did just enough to keep [Sam] Pittman off the hot seat, but it will be just as difficult this season. Sam has a ton of respect, but this roster isn’t going to separate them.” Why though? Well, Sam Pittman can no longer count on SEC-level defense after they lost 39 total players to the transfer portal. 

Even RJ Young is also quite skeptical about the Razorbacks’ run. He shared, “He’s one of my favorite coaches ever. But I also recognize that if you’re Arkansas – you don’t want to be stuck in six, seven, eight-win purgatory, and every now and again, when you jump up and get nine get nine wins, you feel good about that. But in this league, given what it is from top to bottom, it’s just hard man, and this year Arkansas’s got Notre Dame on the schedule.” So, that’s how the clock’s ticking for Pittman.