Arkansas Football: Sam Pittman reportedly fires defensive assistant

Sam Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks are reportedly moving on from first-year defensive line coach Jermial Ashley, according to Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Ashley coached one season for the Razorbacks after joining the staff from the University of Tulsa.

The Razorbacks went 9-4 this season with a win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl. Pittman has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround but will now replace defensive line coach Jermial Ashley for the 2022 season. The former Georgia offensive line coach managed to hold on to both of his coordinators yet again despite Kendal Briles getting offered the same role at Miami.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Jermial Ashley attended Keller Fossil Ridge High School and played two seasons at Tyler Junior College. He then enrolled at Kansas, where he was a two-year starting defensive end for the Jayhawks and earned All-Big 12 honors in 2004 and 2005.

Following his playing career, Ashley signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns.

Ashley began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State before a stint at Trinity Valley C.C. He got his first on-field position in D-I at Tulsa.

The former Arkansas DL coach was on a one-year contract with the Hogs, worth $300,000.

Arkansas lands 4-star TE Luke Hasz

Sam Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks are off to a great start in 2023. Don’t look now, but the Razorbacks already have seven commitments with the latest coming from four-star tight end Luke Hasz.

The 6-foot-2, 211-pound junior out of Bixby, Okl. is the No. 94 prospect in the On3 Consensus and the top prospect in Oklahoma.

Hasz wants to be a part of what Pittman is building in Fayetteville.

“The love from coach Pittman, coach Loggains, and the Arkansas coaches is insane,” Hasz told On3. “I was at Arkansas last weekend and I knew it. After seeing coach Pittman again, talking with him and the coaches there, I knew it was Arkansas.

“The culture at Arkansas is right for me. Coach Pittman and coach Loggains care about their players. The players want to play for coach Pittman.

“Who coach Pittman is, what he is doing at Arkansas, and how the staff has recruited me led me to Arkansas.”

On3’s Chad Simmons contributed to this report.