Sam Pittman to coach Arkansas from coaches box vs. Missouri

As the snow continues to fall ahead of Arkansas at Missouri, Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman will reportedly be making calls from inside the coaches box, rather than on the sidelines.

Trey Schaap of 103.7 The Buzz reported the news on Saturday afternoon: “Sam Pittman will not be coaching from the field today,” he posted on X. “He will be in the Arkansas coaches box.”

The reason for the decision may not be simply weather related. Pittman is slated to undergo hip replacement surgery after the regular season, and perhaps he’s not willing to take any chances on some uneven terrain.

Pittman found out just before the start of the 2024 season that he needed to get his hip replaced, but he didn’t have time to do. He chose to wait until after the regular season is over instead, and this weekend’s clash with the Tigers represents that.

“Well, my hip, I found out about my hip … about 135-40 days ago. And it just went out,” Pittman said, earlier this season. “So I found out I need to get a new hip. And it was at a point in time where it was so close to the season starting that I just didn’t feel like I could do it. 

“And as it’s gone on it’s gotten sorer and sorer. … I’ve got a chip. I’ve got a broken hip, which it is what it is – sore. But as soon as we get through with the Missouri game, between that and the postseason, I’m going to get a new hip.”

While surgery is joke, Pittman doesn’t expect the procedure to hinder his responsibilities as the head coach, and he’ll be back on his feet in no time.

“I think that I’ll be able to walk out of the surgery and then I should be, you know that first week after the Missouri game is kind of a dead week for us, because the kids are in finals. … And I wanted to have it where I could move around pretty good by the time that the portal opened,” Pittman added. 

“Because that’s very, very busy. You can sit down and do it, but it’s easier to stand up and move around a little bit. But that’s really the only time. I just didn’t feel like I could get it done before the season and be effective.”

Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks will be hoping to end the regular season and send their coach under the knife on a high note. Arkansas and Missouri will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday, with the game broadcasting live on SEC Network.