When Bobby Petrino returned to Sam Pittman‘s Arkansas in 2024, he wanted to be on the field. Although the year before at Texas A&M, he stayed in the booth while Jimbo Fisher kept a hand on the offense. But with the Razorbacks and QB Taylen Green, Petrino believed the sideline was the right place. Now, heading into 2025, Arkansas is shaking up its sideline operations once again. And here, Pittman revealed Petrino’s sideline role for 2025.

On August 27, TorresOnArkansas tweeted that Bobby Petrino will move to the booth this season to call plays, and Sam Pittman confirmed during the SEC’s weekly teleconference. “That’s how we’re going to start,” stated Pittman. “Bobby actually approached me and felt like he could see the field better, be a better offensive coordinator up there.” But he won’t be alone, TEs coach Morgan Turner will join him in the booth, while the rest of the coaching staff remains on the field. Although, back in August 2024, Bobby Petrino explained why he preferred being on the sideline.

“I’m going to be on the sideline. You’ve got the clicker now where you can talk to the quarterback in the earpiece and can’t do that from upstairs,” he said. “I liked it last year upstairs, calling the game and being away from all the elements, but I didn’t like not being able to see the quarterback’s eyes and how they were reacting. I think it’s the right decision to be down.” But now, several factors likely led to Petrino’s move to the booth.

Last season, being a first-year coordinator meant he needed to coach more from the sideline. Now, the quieter pressbox lets him call plays with an all-22 view and get into a personal rhythm. Basically, fewer distractions mean he can analyze, adapt, and delegate sideline duties to assistants. On top of that, communication with QBs also improves; while hand signals remain, Green can better process play calls and pre-snap reads. Although last season, much of his learning came on the fly once SEC competition began, and the new offense created plenty of unknowns. But after posting over 3,700 yards of total offense, Petrino’s move to the booth came at the perfect time ahead of the Alabama A&M game.

“Obviously, in your first year you don’t quite know your quarterback as well as you do after you’ve worked with him,” stated Pittman. “I felt like Bobby wanted to be there with him a year ago. However, I think he felt like he could do a better job upstairs with [tight end coach] Morgan [Turner], so that’s what we’ve been working on in our scrimmages and that’s what we’re going to do.” Following that, Taylen Green is constantly learning.

Last season, he struggled with progressions and often leaned too heavily on SEC leader Andrew Armstrong. But now, Petrino moving to the booth gives him a better view of gaps and defensive mismatches, helping Green become more dynamic this season. “I’ve got a responsibility, I touch the ball every single play and I have to make the right play every single down, every single play,” said Green on Tuesday. “That’s what Coach Petrino holds me to and that standard. And that’s what he tells [me], like, don’t shy away from. Always keep that in mind, those situations and know down and distance.” And now, Petrino’s trust in his senior QB and the offense’s veteran leadership likely drove the move, following that Arkansas looks explosive this season.

“All the firepower and all the playmakers that we have, not just the skill positions, but the offensive line, the tight ends, the receivers, the running backs, everybody,” remarked Green. “Just how much work we’ve put in and like Coach Petrino said, on Saturday it’s game time, it’s prime time, so just letting it fly and having the mentality to take the ball and score every single time we touch it.” Now, while Petrino’s offense shines, Missouri’s Pittman faces the heat.

Sam Pittman opens up about the hot seat

After a 4-8 season in 2023, Sam Pittman had critics lining up. And back-to-back losing seasons put Arkansas on edge. Then 2024 happened. Seven wins. Noise quieted. But the hot seat chatter is back for 2025. And Pittman? Unfazed. “No, it really doesn’t. I’m not on social media or anything like that. Really all that matters is how our team plays… I can’t control what people think about me or what they write about me, so I really am not really concerned about it,” said Pittman. Here, Pittman knows the stakes.

His record sits at 30-31 overall, 14-28 in the SEC, so results are definitely needed. Still, Pittman isn’t without backing. Confidence is high, the roster is stacked, and the 2026 recruiting cycle is already showing promise, according to On3’s Adam Gorney.

“The best recruiting class we’ve had since I’ve been here was last year,” stated Pittman. “We have some really, really good freshmen on our team. If you don’t want to rank us, that’s fine. Roll them out there and let’s see what happens. We surprised a lot of people. We have a really, really good football team. We’re excited to play.” Now, despite being on the hot seat, all eyes are on how Pittman will perform this season with a talented freshman roster.