Sam Pittman shares pride in Bumper Pool breaking school record for tackles

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was over the moon for senior linebacker Bumper Pool on Saturday after he broke Tony Bua’s career tackles record. Although the Razorbacks ultimately lost to Mississippi State, Pool notched 14 tackles, putting him at 409 total in his five years at Arkansas.

“I’m so sad I didn’t know that when I addressed the team,” Pittman said after the game. “I wish we would have won, if we had, what a great celebration it would have been for him. I’m so proud of him. Guys, he plays.. he’s hurt all the time. You never hear it but he is. ‘Oh, he missed that tackle,’ yeah, you would too if you were Bumper Pool… He’s tough. Wonderful family, wonderful kid.

“His whole reasoning to come back this year was to help the football team and set the tackle record. He did it. I think that’s pretty cool. I just wish we could have won the game for him, to be honest with you.”

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While Tony Bua achieved his tackling total in four years, Pool took five seasons (four as a starter). He exercised his COVID-19 blanket waiver to stay in Fayetteville for the 2022 season. Coming into the year, he had 349. Pittman revealed last month that the record was one piece of the puzzle to get the Texas native back for another year.

“I think that was to be, perfectly honest with you, I think that was a big part of how we could get him to come back,” Pittman said. “I told him there’s only one guy in the world can say that they have the most tackles ever in the history of Arkansas football, and there’s not many of those things in life.”

Pool putting it all on the field in final season

As for Arkansas’s single-season tackles record, that will be a bit harder to claim. It has stood in the Razorbacks record books since 1960, when Wayne Harris compiled 174 tackles (62 unassisted, 112 assisted). Even if Pool continues his 10 tackle-per-game average, he’ll only sit around 120 tackles at the end of the regular season.

If the Razorbacks earn a bowl berth as expected and Pool is sitting at around 120 tackles on the year, he could finish in Arkansas’ top-15 all-time, or even top-10. The No. 15 slot, which belongs to Tony Bua in 2003, lists 126 tackles. The numbers after that are so close that every slot up to No. 8 is between 126 and 136 total tackles.

This season, Bumper Pool is 12th in all of college football with 60 tackles. Just one tackle behind the Razorbacks captain is former Alabama linebacker Drew Sanders with 59.

Up next for the Razorbacks is a bout on the road versus BYU on the road. Kickoff for the game is at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday with the broadcast on ESPN.