FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football is reeling as it enters a Week 5 showdown against No. 21 Notre Dame.
The Razorbacks (2-2) are coming off back-to-back painful losses to Ole Miss and Memphis, and there’s increasing commotion around the country about head coach Sam Pittman’s warming hot seat. There aren’t any cupcakes remaining on a grueling schedule that features six ranked opponents and eight teams with a combined record of 25-5.
On Monday, Sept. 22, Pittman was asked during his weekly press conference if he’s feeling any added pressure given the recent results. The sixth-year head coach said that no external noise can match the pressure from inside his own locker room.
“It’d be kind of hard to have more pressure. I mean, I think the pressure you put on yourself is obviously a lot because you want to do well for a lot of reasons,” Pittman said. “But I’ve kind of had this same type of pressure for, I don’t know, three years now. It seems like 40, but I think it’s been about three.”
Pittman’s standing first came into question during a disappointing 2023 campaign. With returning starters like KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders, Arkansas struggled offensively on its way to a 4-8 record. Pittman fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos midway through the season and hired Bobby Petrino a couple months later.
Pittman survived the hot seat in 2024 with a 7-6 campaign that included a bowl win against Texas Tech. He exuded confidence entering 2025 with Petrino and defensive coordinator Taylen Green entering their second year working together.
However, the defense has regressed, and a cardinal sin of untimely turnovers spoiled potential game-winning drives against the Rebels and Tigers. Two fumbles separate Arkansas from a 4-0 record.
Still, Pittman believes this year’s team can turn things around. It must start this weekend against a Notre Dame team that played for the most recent national championship.
“We have an opportunity. The only way we can win people (over) that don’t believe in us or win some more positive thoughts about our program is to win ball games, and that’s really the bottom line,” Pittman said. “You can say whatever you want. You can do whatever you want, but what’s the score? That really is what changes people’s perception.”
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
