Paul Finebaum rips Sam Pittman, believes Bobby Petrino is there to take over for him

Sam Pittman is on one of the hotter seats in all of college football coming into this season. It’s just the way it is at the moment at Arkansas with how Paul Finebaum views what has happened in his tenure and over this offseason.

Finebaum spoke about Pittman’s job security with the Razorbacks during an appearance on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ on Monday. He does think it’s an unfortunate spot for the head coach of the ‘Hogs to find himself in. Still, it’s also now the case for him because of the last two seasons in Fayetteville.

“Well you do feel badly. But, again, here’s a guy that got a great opportunity and he had one good year. It has been a mess ever since,” said Finebaum.

To him, it also doesn’t help Pittman that many respect him as much, if not more so, as a person than as a coach. That has to shift in some sense this year or it won’t be enough to justify him anymore in Fayetteville.

“For Sam Pittman to be taken seriously, you have to start a sentence with something other than ‘I like Sam Pittman but…,'” said Finebaum. “That’s when you know you’re going off the cliff.”

Through four years at Arkansas, Pittman has an overall record of 23-25 (.479). The Razorbacks did go 9-4 (.692) in 2021 but are just 14-21 (.400) in the other three. That includes a 4-8 mark last year in 2023 that was their worst since his debut in 2020. That’s enough to make his fifth season a crucial one for his potential future there.

It’s also an interesting dynamic because of what Pittman did for this year by hiring Bobby Petrino, a former head coach himself, including four successful seasons at Arkansas, as offensive coordinator. However, as several others have noted, Finebaum thinks he may have also just hired his own successor.

“The decision to bring Petrino in was fascinating,” said Finebaum. “The fact that it made everybody so excited is a bad look for Pittman. There’s nothing Pittman has done in the last three years that has really excited anybody. If you bring in the disgraced former head coach as your coordinator and that energizes your fanbase? That’s telling me that he’s there for a reason and the reason is to take over for Sam Pittman.”

2024 is going to determine whether Pittman, Petrino, or another name is going to be Arkansas’ head coach in 2025. All that’s left to do is embrace that before kickoff and see how this fall possibly sets up the next one for the Razorbacks.