Arkansas football has quite the dilemma on their hands if they continue to descend in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). If they keep nosediving to the bottom of the conference, Arkansas football head coach Sam Pittman could be out the door. However, firing Pittman isn’t as easy as it appears.
He has one of the most bizarre buyout situations in the SEC, according to ESPN. The Razorbacks owe Pittman $8.1 million if his combined record is below .500 and $12.15 million if it’s at or above .500.
When Pittman first arrived to Fayetteville, he thrived. In 2021, in his first full season, the Razorbacks went 9-4 and ended up No. 8 in the AP Poll. . They defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 24-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl (then Outback Bowl) and finished the season as the No. 21 ranked team in the country. Unfortunately, that was the highest level of success the Razorbacks have had under Pittman.
The last two seasons were disappointing, when comparing to 2021. That next campaign, Arkansas still made the Liberty Bowl and ended up winning 55-53 against the Kansas Jayhawks. But after two bowl victories, the 2023 season was the beginning of the slippery slope. They finished the year 4-8, pushing Pittman closer to that .500 record and the potential $8.1 or $12.5 million he could get from a buyout.
What will be Sam Pittman’s Arkansas football fate?
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman looking stern, in the foreground.
Arkansas is definitely in a limbo situation. On one hand, they want to be at the top of an even better SEC with Texas and Oklahoma entering the mix. On the other hand, they don’t want to be too mediocre to where the fans start to get sour. The Razorbacks do have it easier though, as they have three non-conference matchups. Also, they have the luxury of not having to play either Georgia or Alabama in 2024.
Pittman also made his job a little easier, bringing in fan-favorite Bobby Petrino as the offensive coordinator. Despite the fan-friendly move, it doesn’t eliminate the concern of another mediocre season in the SEC. If the trend of sub .500 or exactly .500 persists, the Razorbacks will have one of the tougher financial decisions to make in their conference.
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