2026 IOL Ari Slocum decommits from Arkansas

Farmerville (La.) Union Parish three-star interior offensive lineman Ari Slocum has decommitted from Arkansas, he announced on Tuesday.

He was pledged to the Razorbacks since Jan. 27, but is now the latest to come back on the board following the firing of head coach Sam Pittman and other staffers in Fayetteville.

Slocum is the No. 1,003 overall prospect and No. 96 IOL in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 28 player in Louisiana.

The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder is one of many that have decommitted from the Hogs after the dismissal of Pittman, who was nearing six seasons with the SEC program. Pittman played a crucial role in his decision at the beginning of the year.

“All I can say is wow,” Slocum told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman reacting to the news that Pittman was fired. “Him being head coach definitely was a big part of why I committed.”

The likes of Houston, Purdue and Missouri have also previously offered the lineman. He’s the third prospect to decommit from Arkansas on Tuesday, following Auburn (Ala.) three-star defensive lineman Carnell Jackson and Lawton (Okla.) MacArthur three-star safety Adam Auston. Arkansas’ class is now down to 18 commits.

Arkansas fires Sam Pittman

Arkansas was Pittman’s first Division I head coaching job after spending a majority of his career as an offensive line coach. He previously worked at Georgia from 2016-19, including his final year as assistant head coach in addition to working with the offensive line. From 2013-15, he held the same roles at Arkansas under Bret Bielema.

Upon Pittman’s arrival in the COVID-impacted 2020 season, Arkansas went 3-7 before an impressive 9-4 record in 2021. The Razorbacks then went 7-6 in 2022 before struggling to a 4-8 mark in 2023, leading to question about Pittman’s future. However, after making staff changes – including bringing Bobby Petrino in as offensive coordinator – Arkansas went 7-6 to take Pittman off the hot seat.

This year, though, it was an up-and-down start with a 2-2 record and back-to-back losses against Ole Miss and Memphis heading into a matchup against Notre Dame. Things didn’t get better, though. Arkansas fell to the Fighting Irish at home and allowed more than 500 total yards of offense in the process in a 56-13 loss. He finishes his time in Fayetteville with a 32-34 overall record, as well as a 14-29 mark in SEC play.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this story.