Bad news coming on the job front. Another name has been added to the growing list of coaches who have been fired due to poor performances, with Arkansas’s Sam Pittman being the latest name added to the list. Following a 2-2 record this season, Pittman was facing the heat. However, the saga capped off on Saturday, when the Irish crushed the Razorbacks 56-13 as cries of his firing loomed large at Fayetteville.

After facing biting losses to Ole Miss, Memphis, and Notre Dame, his future seemed almost certain. On Saturday, when Arkansas lost to the Fighting Irish, 13-56, Pittman had sensed the heated atmosphere rolling off about. Naturally, the Razorbacks emerged from the turf as the underdogs, but the halftime led into the third quarter, and the slate was wiped clean. “I understand. I get it. If I was a fan. I’d be mad at me, too, you know? I’d be frustrated as hell at me,” he had said post-game. The Irish steamrolled over the Razorbacks after halftime, 14-0 in the second half. Trey Wallace of OutKick wrote, “It’s been fun covering Sam Pittman, but Arkansas looks lost, and apathy is going to set in for those fans,” he wrote on X. “This is Ugly.” And the verdict came sooner than expected.

On Sunday afternoon, the program relieved him from his duties. “I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach,” athletic director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. According to the contract he signed in 2021, his buyout amount remains at $9.3 million. As per the nitty-gritties of the legal document (obtained by USA Today), if his record is below .500 since 2021, he will receive $5.7 million. But if it is above that measuring yardstick, it will total to $9.3 million. The head coach went 29-27 during that time frame and will be given the whole amount.

“Arkansas fires football head coach Sam Pittman. Per contract, he will be due a buyout of about $9.3 million, subject to a duty to mitigate, with the school entitled to offset from future income,” USA TODAY’s Steve Berkowitz wrote on X.

He is the fourth college football head coach to be fired this season. “I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach,” Yurachek added. Pittman was hired after the 2019 season to mitigate the Razorbacks’ woes. But the optimism was short-lived.

The lone satisfactory season came in 2021, a 9-4 slate wiping off the disappointment of the 2020 campaign’s 3-7 performance. But since then, the program struggled to tread on that uphill track, and it’s been a downhill trajectory. In 2022, the roster tallied a 7-6 record, followed by a disappointing 4-8 season. Last season went with a 7-6 record. The 2025 season’s 2-3 record capped it all up.

Meanwhile, the program has named the interim head coach.

Arkansas names the interim head coach to replace Sam Pittman

While the Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek scouts to rope in another head coach. Bobby Petrino is named as the interim head coach. Petrino has been part of the program for nearly two decades. He had been the former head coach from 2008 to 2011, leading the program to a 34-17 record over his four years.

But he was fired after an investigation. In 2023, he was back in the role of the offensive coordinator. “The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship,” he added.

But the hunt for the next head coach has begun. Meanwhile, Petrino has expressed his interest in the position. “We will begin a national search for our next head coach immediately, and that search will include Coach Petrino, who has expressed his desire to be a candidate for the full-time job,” the AD said. SMU’s Rhett Lashlee, a former Arkansas quarterback, is another name popping up on the feed.