Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman, who last season guided the Razorbacks to their first Top 25 finish since 2011, has agreed to a new contract through 2026.
The new agreement runs through December 2026, but it will be extended by a year if Arkansas wins seven or more games in any season out of the next five. A bowl victory against a Power 5 opponent or a Top 25 team would count toward the seven wins.
Pittman, 60, will earn $5 million annually and have bonuses based on number of wins and postseason success. After going 3-7 in 2020 while playing an all-SEC schedule, Pittman won nine games in his second season. The team started 4-0, rising to No. 8 nationally in the AP Poll, and beat LSU, Texas A&M and then Penn State in the Outback Bowl to finish No. 21.
Arkansas had failed to win an SEC game in the two years before Pittman’s arrival and had not recorded nine victories in a season since Bobby Petrino won 11 games in 2011.
“There is no doubt Coach Pittman has proven to be the right man to lead our football team,” athletic director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “He has earned this opportunity with the success he and his staff have had on the field and on the recruiting trail. … I believe we’re just getting started.”
Pittman had been a career offensive line coach before surprisingly landing the Arkansas job in 2019. He served as Arkansas’ offensive line coach under Bret Bielema from 2013 to 2015 before leaving for Georgia. The Oklahoma native also coached the offensive line at Tennessee, North Carolina, Oklahoma and other spots.
“Arkansas is where I want to be; this is my dream job,” Pittman said in a statement. “I am so grateful for our university and Hunter for believing in me, our coaches and staff and the program we’re building. We are all excited to continue to build on what we’ve done and continue to make our fans and the whole state of Arkansas proud of our football team.”