Sam Pittman explains Eli Stein's absence from Arkansas roster

There was a curious absence from Arkansas’ roster, Eli Stein, and head coach Sam Pittman explained where he was Monday.

Previously, Pittman deflected questions about Stein. But following Week 1’s win, Pittman noted the long snapper was no longer on the team.

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Still, it was a curious case considering Stein was a starter but that was no longer the case.

“The depth chart came out and he had lost half of his starting role,” Pittman said. “One was long snapper and the other one was short snapper and I just don’t feel like he probably wanted to just be one or the other. And so he decided to leave the team.”

Last week, Pittman also said Stein wasn’t on the team, but didn’t reveal why.

“Well that’s between Eli and myself, but he’s no longer on the team, you’re correct about that,” Pittman said. “I’ll go into that in a little bit more detail next week.”

Stein has been the team’s primary long snapper for the last two seasons. He started 11 games in 2022 as a freshman before a finger injury scrapped his final two games.

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Then Stein started all 12 games during the 2023 season as a sophomore.

Eli Stein off roster, Arkansas preps for Week 2

Pittman also confirmed Ashton Ngo would serve as the team’s primary long snapper now with Stein off the team. Ngo was placed on scholarship last weekend, Pittman said, using the team’s final scholarship available.

Stein was the long snapper so it was headline making news, but certainly intriguing amongst the Razorbacks players. In any event, the show goes on.

Arkansas absolutely dominated in its opening game, so it was a nice debut for offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Well, it was a return to Arkansas for the OC.

“Bobby, I’m sure he feels pretty good tonight,” Pittman said postgame “Ten tries and 10 touchdowns, that’s that’s hard to do. I don’t care who you play. So, I’m really happy for him and told the team, I think it’s the first time in history that that’s happened, and it happened when Bobby came back. The legend is going to continue to grow. Good for him, he deserves it.”