After going 7-6 last season, the firing rants already began for Sam Pittman, but now, just five games into the season, he’s out of the program. That’s right, after a disastrous loss of 56-13 against Notre Dame last week, the Razorbacks’ record fell to 2-3, and that’s when they decided to part ways with Pittman. The worst part is that despite going 2-0 in the season, he couldn’t hold on to it for much longer. Now, former Fayetteville HC and Arkansas OC Bobby Petrino took over the position, and he’s making sure to turn things around since the start…

Look, defense has been an issue for Arkansas since the start of the season, as they have allowed 425 yards, which is the worst in the SEC, and also 30 points per game through 5 weeks. That’s what pushed Bobby Petrino to fire defensive coordinator Travis Williams, DL coach Deke Adams, and co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson despite a promotion. It’s not like all were on board with this decision, as Petrino addressed while talking to the media about how his players are upset with the firing of Williams, who’s also a two-time All-SEC LB at Auburn.

But the numbers show how bad their defense is right now. That’s exactly why Petrino hired Jay Haynes to hold up his team’s bickering condition. And ESPN’s Chris Low confirms this news on his X handle: “Bobby Petrino is adding veteran NFL assistant Jay Hayes as Arkansas’ DL coach, sources tell On3. Hayes was with the Bengals the longest and has coached some top DL, including Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. Hayes also coached in college at Notre Dame and Wisconsin.”

Well, there’s a reason why Bobby Petrino made this massive move: it’s because Jay Haynes’s record speaks volumes of his success. From 1999 to 2018, he coached for several NFL teams, which included the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Green Bay Packers, and his longest tenure was with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he spent 13 seasons coaching stars like Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. Impressive, huh?

But he didn’t just stop at that; after a successful NFL career, Haynes kept sharpening his defensive skills and even served as defensive coordinator for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020 and led The Spring League’s Team Jousters in 2021. With that, he also coached CFB teams like Notre Dame and Wisconsin, adding to his impressive 20 years of experience.

The urge makes sense now, as Bobby Petrino was grinding back and forth to get Haynes into the team. As he said before the hiring, “I’m working hard on it. We’ve been working on it for a couple days. I think I got the guy I want, but I haven’t got the stamp (of approval) yet, but I’m working hard on it.” Now, with Haynes, Petrino has made three notable changes in other positions too. As defensive line coach, Chris Wilson is now DC, and Che Hendrix is safeties coach. With them, Petrino also revealed that graduate assistants are helping out LBs for now.

Now, Bobby Petrino is sure making big moves in Arkansas, but what about his history of scandals?

Bobby Petrino’s scandal with Arkansas

Petrino’s taking over the reins at Arkansas feels like a big step for a program that was once facing massive fallout because of him. Back on 1st April 2012, he crashed his motorcycle in the southeast of Fayetteville, but later he said that it was because of the wind. Even the university supported him and said that no one else was involved in it. But things got ugly when the police report made a shocking revelation. As it stated, Arkansas player development coordinator Jessica Dorrell was also with him.

Now comes the turning point of that entire scenario. After this, AD Jeff Long made it out that Petrino and Dorell were in a relationship, and he even gave her $20,000. This violated their hiring protocols, as the job wasn’t posted properly within the required period of time. “He made the decision, a conscious decision, to mislead the public on Tuesday, and in doing so negatively and adversely affected the reputation of the University of Arkansas and our football program,” Long said. “In short, Coach Petrino engaged in a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior designed to deceive me and members of the athletic staff, both before and after the motorcycle accident.”

That’s what caused his firing on April 10, 2012, and he even lost his $18 million buyout. After the entire mess, Petrino realized his mistake and said, “The simplest response I have is: I’m sorry. These two words seem very inadequate. But that is my heart.” Now, decades later, he’s back on the same field to make an impact where he once failed, and it will be interesting to see how this turns out for him.