Arkansas fires Sam Pittman, Petrino to serve as interim

By Matt Moscona

Arkansas has fired head football coach Sam Pittman. The school announced the decision Sunday. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Leadership change announced for Arkansas Football

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— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 28, 2025

“I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach,” Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said. “From Day 1, you could tell how much this opportunity meant to him. At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful. The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship. As we move forward in the process of finding our next head coach, I am certain we will be able to provide the necessary resources to our staff and team to reach our goals. We will begin a national search for our next head coach immediately and that search will include Coach Petrino, who has expressed his desire to be a candidate for the full-time job.”

The Razorbacks lost Saturday at home to Notre Dame, 56-13. That came one week after blowing an 18-point lead in a loss at Memphis.

Pittman, 63, finishes his Arkansas career with a 32-34 overall record and was 14-29 in SEC play.

Petrino was the Razorbacks’ head coach from 2008-2011 but was fired amid a scandal involving his relationship with a female student worker.

Arkansas has an open date this weekend before returning to action at Tennessee Oct. 11.