Sam Pittman dishes on process of bringing Bobby Petrino back to Arkansas

One of the most fascinating storylines in the SEC this offseason was Bobby Petrino‘s return to the Arkansas Razorbacks. Returning to Fayetteville as the team’s offensive coordinator following a coarse departure from the program in 2012 following four seasons as the program’s head coach.

At SEC Media Days on Thursday, current Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was asked about Petrino’s hiring process. Pulling back the curtain on bringing back Petrino to the Razorbacks program ahead of his fifth season at the helm.

“Obviously, we needed some help offensively,” Pittman admitted. “Now, we needed to add some players to that as well, but we needed some X and O help.”

“Bobby, I didn’t know he was available. I mean, I knew he was available but I didn’t know he’d have interest in coming back to Arkansas. I got a text from his agent saying that he would,” Pittman said. “So I immediately called him, talked to him.”

Following Petrino’s exit from Arkansas he spent nine seasons as a head coach between tenures with Western Kentucky, Louisville, and Missouri State. Spending last season as the offensive coordinator at quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M.

Last season was Arkansas’ worst year offensively since Pittman’s first season with the Razorbacks, averaging just 26.6 points per game and ranking second to last in the SEC with 326.5 yards per game. And bringing in one of the greatest offensive minds in college football to help get the offense back on track was an easy decision for Pittman.

“I talked to several different guys, but the reason that Bobby wanted to come back and the passion that he had for coming back, along with he’s a brilliant offensive mind, that all played a factor in everything and then it became just a no brainer,” Pittman said. “If we can get him let’s go get him and I went to the athletic director and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to hire Bobby, what do you think?’ And he made it happen.”

Two of Arkansas’ biggest offensive playmakers from last season departed from the program though the transfer portal, with quarterback KJ Jefferson leaving for UCF and running back Rocket Sanders taking his talents to South Carolina.

But the addition of former Boise State dual-threat quarterback Taylen Green paired with Petrino could lead to an improved season offensively for the Razorbacks in what’s seemingly a make or break year for Pittman.