Anonymous SEC coach claims Arkansas' roster will have Sam Pittman on hot seat

Sam Pittman will return for his sixth season in Fayetteville this fall. After compiling a 30-31 record during his first five years with the program, 2025 could prove to be a make-or-break season for the Arkansas head coach.

Following a four-win season in 2023, Arkansas finished 2024 with an improved 7-6 record. The Razorbacks finished having won the Liberty Bowl. One anonymous SEC coach doesn’t expect to see Arkansas improving much past that in 2025.

“Last year, they did just enough to keep [Sam] Pittman off the hot seat, but it will be just as difficult this season. Sam has a ton of respect, but this roster isn’t going to separate them,” the anonymous coach told Athlon Sports.

Specifically, they cited the need for better offensive line play, saying, “they don’t have SEC-level talent up front on defense.” They praised the wide receiving corps Pittman has put together, and that quarterback Taylen Green is “solid” under center. How the offensive line protects him could make-or-break a potential bowl game appearance for the Razorbacks in 2025.

Green played in all 12 games for the Razorbacks in 2024. He finished the year having thrown for 2,813 yards and 13 touchdowns with nine interceptions and rushing for 521 more yards and seven more touchdowns.

Still, Arkansas is facing a reality where they’re two losses away from missing out on the postseason in each of the last four seasons. In both 2022 and 2024, the Razorbacks finished the regular season with four victories — the benchmark for bowl contention in college football.

“I don’t think they’re competing at a top level in NIL right now,” the anonymous coach continued. “You look at the portal exits, and it’s really hard for a mid to low-tier program in this league to sustain bowl eligibility with this many extra holes to fill.”

Arkansas has lost 39 total players to the NCAA transfer portal since its season ended, and has only brought in 28 more. As it stands, the Razorbacks have the No. 57 overall recruiting class and the No. 28 overall high school class coming into the program.

Whether these players will move the needle enough for Pittman to be around after 2025 will depend on their play on the field. Even if they did, there was speculation that the 63-year-old might have been considering retirement after the end of last year. Given his coaching career began in the mid-80s, he has certainly earned his stripes.