Arkansas coaching search: Hunter Yurachek confirms Bobby Petrino as candidate for full-time job

Arkansas is set to begin a coaching search the next few weeks following this weekend’s firing of Sam Pittman. We already know one of the possible candidates, though, with him having a chance to audition over the next two months.

AD Hunter Yurachek sat next to Bobby Petrino, the interim head coach of the ‘Hogs now, in a press conference on Monday following Pittman’s firing yesterday. He noted that Petrino will have a chance to earn the job himself during the end of their season with his new role for the Razorbacks.

“Coach Petrino, as we met yesterday? I mean, he accepted this opportunity with the understanding that he also wanted an opportunity to formally be a candidate for our head coaching position, and he will have that opportunity,” Yurachek noted. “But we’ll also subsequently run a search for our next head coach at that same time. And I’ve got a little bit longer runway to do that and do my due diligence and do some really good research.”

Again, Petrino is just an option. Yurachek will have two months, with Arkansas’ regular season ending exactly two months from today, to consider multiple potential candidates, with a group that will currently include Petrino – with HawgBeat and On3’s Pete Nakos having already posted hot boards with candidates for the Razorbacks.

“You learn something from every coaching search. They all take on a life of their own,” said Yurachek. “We’ve got a little bit longer runway on this coaching search, and have a chance to get out ahead of that a little bit.”

Pittman was fired on Sunday after a 56-13 loss to No. 22 Notre Dame on Saturday in Fayetteville, with the Razorbacks having lost three straight to fall to 2-3 and his overall record now finishing at 32-34 (.485). The defensive side of their staff has also since been changed, with the dismissals of DC Travis Williams, Co-DC Marcus Woodson, and DLC Deke Adams.

With that, Petrino was announced as Arkansas’ interim at that point, as he’s in his second season back with the program as their offensive coordinator. He also, most notably, was their head coach for four years from 2008 to 2011 with a record of 34-17 (.667), including two of their best records in program history, before his own well-documented dismissal in April of 2012.

We’ll have a better idea over these next nine weeks of who the next head coach of the ‘Hogs may be. However, Petrino will get to make his case first over the final seven games this season for Arkansas.

“We’ll find a really good candidate, whether that’s Coach Petrino or someone else,” said Yurachek.