Sam Pittman hints at coaching personnel changes for Arkansas after Notre Dame loss

It’s clear something needs to change for Arkansas after its performance Saturday against Notre Dame. The Razorbacks weren’t competitive in the slightest on their way to a 56-13 loss that dropped their record to 2-3 on the season.

That left Arkansas coach Sam Pittman with a lot of tough questions to answer in his postgame press conference. The coach was asked whether a bye next week would allow him to make any potential changes, whether it be in personnel on the field or coaching schemes in terms of the playcalling.

“Possibly,” Pittman said. “I’ve got some time to think about some things. Possibly.”

Pittman is in his sixth season at the helm in Fayetteville and is one of many coaches considered to be in hot seat territory. His overall record with the team is 32-34, though he does have a 3-0 record in bowl games.

However, Saturday’s loss to the Fighting Irish marks the third straight for the Razorbacks, which also lost against Memphis last week by a score of 32-31. The week before, they lost 41-35 in a close game against Ole Miss.

Against Notre Dame, Arkansas looked completely outmatched in a game that was never close. The Razorbacks were already down 42-13 by halftime as they allowed quarterback CJ Carr to tie a Fighting Irish freshman record with four touchdown passes.

Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green was held without a touchdown as he threw for 207 yards and an interception while completing just 53.1% of his passes. In other moment postgame, Pittman said that he understands the frustration with the results, but is also going to continue to work hard to turn things around if he is provided that opportunity.

“If I was a fan I’d be mad at me too. You know?” Pittman said. “I’d be frustrated as hell with me. But here’s what I’ll say: As long as I’m the head coach at Arkansas I’m going to fight my butt off to get the guys out there and how long that is, that’s not, it is partly up to me because of what we put on the field, but that’s not my call.”

We’ll see how things shape out for Sam Pittman and Arkansas heading after the bye week, but if he is afforded the opportunity it sounds like changes could be coming against Tennessee in Week 7. What exactly that might be and whether it will lead to a different result remains a mystery.