Anonymous opposing coach believes Sam Pittman could be fired by Halloween

The 2024 season could be a make-or-break season for the Arkansas Razorbacks under head coach Sam Pittman, with one anonymous opposing coach even believing that Pittman could be fired by Halloween.

In total, Lindy’s Sports Magazine spoke to three anonymous opposing coaches about Arkansas for the upcoming season, with all of those coaches sharing some amount of concern about how the season might go for the Razorbacks.

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“It’s a make-or-break year for Sam Pittman,” the first coach said. “He’s got (OC) Bobby Petrino there. Everybody is betting on the past. We’ll see if the past works. They might be doing Halloween without the (current) Razorbacks staff.”

Sam Pittman took over at Arkansas in 2020, immediately trying to rebuild the program amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. For a couple of seasons, it looked like Arkansas was finding its footing under Pittman, finishing with two straight winning records and a top-25 finish in 2021. However, with a 4-8 record in 2023 and quarterback KJ Jefferson transferring out of the program, there are concerns about the team going into 2024.

“They’ve got to play better defense,” the second coach said. “I didn’t think the (KJ) Jefferson kid was a very good quarterback. The offensive line was horrible, and that’s Sam’s bread and butter. The offensive line needs to play better.”

The third coach drew on the John Calipari hiring at Arkansas, arguing that it shows where the school’s priorities are as far as sports are concerned.

“Everybody says they brought in John Calipari because they didn’t want the basketball program to be subpar, just like I don’t think they want the football team to be subpar either. There’s lots of money in Arkansas; some of the most powerful people in the world,” the third coach said. “And they want to win. I like Sam but I thought he’d have a better program by now.”

John Calipari rejoices over time with Sam Pittman, worries about Arkansas football schedule

New Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari recently praised Sam Pittman after spending time with him. However, he did point to concerns with Arkansas’ 2024 football schedule.

“Great guy, love him, love him,” Calipari said.

“We had more fun together last night … Sam’s a good guy. They have a really tough schedule. I said, ‘They didn’t do you any favors.’ The schedule they have is ridiculous.”

Arkansas will begin its season with Arkansas-Pine Bluff. After that, the Razorbacks play one of the most difficult schedules in the country, highlighted by games against LSU, Texas, Ole Miss, and Missouri among other talented teams.