Sam Pittman explains Arkansas' offseason staffing overhaul, adding Bobby Petrino

Following a disappointing 2023 season, Sam Pittman knew things had to be different in 2024. Although his late-season staff shuffling would indicate he was well aware before the offseason began.

In 2023, Arkansas went 4-8, Pittman fired then-offensive coordinator Dan Enos midstream and things generally went awry. And since he couldn’t stop the slide in-season, it’s critical to reverse course for the program with new staff.

Arkansas added a number of new coaches, some of them old faces. The biggest name is offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who was previously the head coach for the Razorbacks. But the likes of Ronnie Fouch and Eric Mateos coaching wide receivers and offensive line, respectively, are key to what Pittman hopes is a successful 2024 campaign.

“Well Paul, when things start heading south on you, it’s very, very hard to stop it,” Pittman said on The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday. “And I had a hard time of getting it turned around last year and then of course we made a change and things of that nature. You know, hiring Bobby Petrino, Ronnie Fouch, Eric Mateos as our O line coach, I think we’ve really done a nice job there.”

But making changes isn’t without risk, and Pittman admitted he was anxious about the possibility that he might not find greener grass.

“So those things, you’re always very, very nervous about who you hire,” Pittman said. “And as I’ve been in my past when I lost coordinators, that petrified me. I was nervous about it, especially when things were going well.”

The new Arkansas staff isn’t a complete overhaul, though. Pittman retained defensive coordinator Travis Williams. And even in the new, there’s plenty of the familiar.

Petrino, by virtue of having been a head coach — at Arkansas, specifically — shares a perspective into Pittman’s role. It’s similar, Pittman said, to how he and Barry Odom worked when the latter was on staff in Fayetteville.

“But I love the fact that we have Bobby because he’s got that love for the Razorbacks and obviously I think he’s a very, very brilliant offensive coordinator and started spring well,” Pittman said. “And he’s helping me out, too, Paul. A little bit like what Barry did for me when he was here, because he was a former head coach. Obviously Bobby’s doing it with me now and even better because he coached specifically as a head coach here. So he understands the region and he understands everything about the state of Arkansas.”