Arkansas Razorbacks Football Offseason Preview

Two years ago, Arkansas was 2-10 under previous head coach Chad Morris. The program was in complete disarray, lost and at sea. When Sam Pittman, a position coach – not a coordinator – was hired as Morris’s replacement, most pundits and commentators wondered who he was. There was a lot of confusion and perplexity in response to that hire, simply because Pittman was so comparatively obscure. Usually, either head coaches or coordinators are hired as new head coaches. It’s very rare that an offensive line coach is hired as a head coach, especially when his new head coaching job is at an SEC school and not a smaller college such as a Sun Belt Conference or Mid-American Conference school. Arkansas has a proud football tradition, and there was considerable justified doubt about whether Sam Pittman was up to the task.

No one is doubting him now.

Pittman markedly improved Arkansas in his first season on the job in 2020, but he didn’t have the wins to show for it. Everyone could see the progress. Everyone noticed how much more physical and organized Arkansas was. The Razorbacks simply didn’t finish some close games against good teams, but there was a belief entering 2021 that the team could turn the corner.

How does nine wins and a bowl victory sound? Yes, Arkansas went 9-4 and took that next step. Pittman has completely turned around a program in two years. Now he will try to keep things rolling.

Key Personnel Lost

Oklahoma transfer receiver Jadon Haselwood will help replace Treylon Burks, a top-20 NFL draft pick.

Defensive tackle John Ridgeway got drafted, as did cornerback Montaric Brown and tight end Nick Muse. Pittman and his staff developed quality players, which is great news … but now comes the task of building back and maintaining a program’s high standards.

Important Incoming Freshmen

E’Marion Harris is a defensive lineman who will try to give the Hogs heft up front. Arkansas’s defense was solid for most of last season, but it buckled at times, particularly against Ole Miss. There is still room for improvement, and Harris can help provide it.

Isaiah Sategna is a wide receiver who will try to boost the Arkansas passing game. Pittman loves to run the ball, but having a potent passing attack will help the running game by taking defenders out of the tackle box. Sategna can draw the defense’s attention on the edges, setting up the run up the middle.

Key Position Battles

There are needs for Arkansas at various positions, but when the Hogs went up against Georgia, they were thoroughly overwhelmed up front. For Arkansas to continue to grow and get stronger in the cutthroat SEC, the Razorbacks need to find even better performers in the trenches and get an even higher caliber of line play. Pittman has developed line play a lot in two years, but he saw at several points in the 2021 season that he still has a way to go to reach this program’s ceiling. Giving up over 50 points to Ole Miss was another indication last year that Arkansas, for all its improvements, can still evolve up front.

Biggest Offseason Goal(s)

Pittman has done so much good work. He can’t let this program, which has taken so many forward strides, lose the gains it has made the past two years. Maintaining the standard of line play is central to his task in Fayetteville.