Report: Arkansas assistant Chris Wilson struck player in the face during October, caused bleeding

Arkansas interim defensive coordinator Chris Wilson struck a player in the face and caused him to bleed in October, per CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer. Arkansas investigated the incident and reportedly concluded Wilson and the player were “joking around.”

Seven sources reported this information to CBS Sports. Wilson’s strike specifically caused a bloodied lip, per Hummer. The event reportedly occurred in the locker room. CBS Sports said it spoke to the affected player, but is keeping his name anonymous.

“The incident allegedly began when the 56-year-old Wilson called the player an expletive in the locker room,” Hummer wrote. “After the player asked to whom Wilson was speaking, Wilson allegedly doubled down. The two sides then squared up, seemingly as a joke.

“Multiple sources say Wilson swung at least once — one source says Wilson swung twice, another source said the player may have swung first — connecting with the player’s face with enough force to cause bleeding. Wilson left in a huff. The player sought Wilson out elsewhere in the football facility, a source said, to gain an understanding of what happened. Wilson told the player that he had just been messing around.”

Wilson began the season as Arkansas’ defensive line coach, but was promoted to interim defensive coordinator after the school fired head coach Sam Pittman. Before coaching at Arkansas, Wilson was the defensive coordinator for the Houston Roughnecks from 2024-25.

Chris Wilson has also coached at Georgia, USC, Oklahoma and other collegiate programs. CBS Sports reported that it sent multiple requests for comment to Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek. After being asked eight questions about the incident, the school reportedly responded with the following statement.

“Our athletic department quickly looked into the matter, conducting independent interviews with the interim head coach, as well as the coach and player allegedly involved,” the statement read. “Those conversations revealed the same recounting of the situation, in which both the coach and player said they were joking around. With everyone on the same page concerning the situation, the athletic department considers the matter closed with no further action necessary.” 

Arkansas is 2-9 this season and 0-7 in conference play. The team hasn’t won a game since firing Sam Pittman despite several competitive outings. Most recently, the Razorbacks fell 52-37 to Texas.

On Saturday, Arkansas will square off against Missouri in its regular-season finale at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will air live on the SEC Network.