In something that felt unthinkable more than a decade ago, Bobby Petrino is once again calling the shots in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks fired Sam Pittman on Sunday, and in the shuffle that followed, Petrino was elevated from offensive coordinator to interim head coach. He once went 34-17 leading Arkansas from 2008 to 2011 before scandal cut the tenure short. But now, in a twist of fate, he’s back with the whistle and is thankful for it. Although it is still temporary, and he has some outside competition.

Arkansas has nine weeks left to figure out where the program heads next, and Petrino has exactly that much time to prove he deserves to stay in the big chair. For Petrino, this was not a job he politicked for but one he felt compelled to take. Meeting with reporters, he said, “I was asked if I would want to come back and serve as the interim head coach… I felt like it was my duty to do that.” Duty may have put him in the position, but what happens from here is about performance.

He stressed that his approach would blend enjoyment for the players with urgency for the staff, adding, “We have nine weeks ahead of us and how we handle those nine weeks and how we improve and show the quality of the play on the field help determine all of our coaches’ futures, that’s how we are approaching.” Of course, interim tags always come with competition lurking outside the building, and Arkansas is no different.

Longtime Arkansas insider Mike Irwin reported that UNLV head coach Dan Mullen is “lobbying hard” for the job. Mullen, once the face of Florida football, has returned from his hiatus and quietly built momentum in Las Vegas. His Rebels are 4-0, and though his current deal runs for five years at $3.5 million per year, he would still be owed $14 million after 2025 should he walk away. Mullen might walk away from that money if the job is good enough.

There’s also support behind Mullen that goes beyond his own résumé. Irwin shared that a booster told him how Mullen “admires the Arkansas fanbase” and insists the coach “really wants the job and believes it’s perfect for him.” That same booster, though, figures he will be overlooked. Petrino, meanwhile, has his own financial friends. Mega-donor Frank Fletcher helped push for Pittman to bring Petrino back to campus as OC two years ago and has defended him against whispers that he undermined Pittman behind the scenes. For Petrino, these connections could matter just as much as his play-calling over the next two months.

Bobby Petrino swings the axe, reshapes defensive leadership

Feeling like he’s already the permanent boss, Petrino wasted no time Monday morning making sweeping changes. He fired defensive coordinator Travis Williams, secondaries coach Caleb Wooten, and defensive line coach Deke Adams after three straight defensive meltdowns. 41-35 at Ole Miss, 32-31 at Memphis, and a 56-13 thumping by Notre Dame at home. “You know, whenever you make a decision, you base it off of, No. 1, what’s best for the team. No. 2, what’s best for the individual players,” Petrino explained.

Petrino elevated Chris Wilson to DC, a job Wilson has previously held at Mississippi State, Colorado, and even with the Houston Roughnecks and Gamblers. He also coached the defensive line for Super Bowl winners Philadelphia Eagles. Some Razorback defenders weren’t thrilled and voiced it on social media, but Petrino trusts they’ll adjust soon enough. “I think initially there are feelings and emotions and reactions, which always happens in life. That’s part of life.”

Arkansas enters its bye week at 2-3 and 0-1 in SEC play. Their next test is a road trip to No. 15 Tennessee on October 11, and it will mark the beginning of a proving ground for Petrino and his staff.