The Arkansas Razorbacks reluctantly allowed Sam Pittman to return to his post this season. However, he did so knowing full well that he would be the fall guy should the 2025 season turn sour. At 2-2 on the early campaign heading into a critical matchup against the ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, this is the time for Pittman to prove he's worth the money – and that the roster he's built in his image has a chance to compete in the SEC.
The Irish, while ranked, are a muted test. They are 1-2 on the season facing some serious questions in their own right. Still, a win over a top-25 opponent who started the year with College Football Playoff aspirations can be a building block. In fact, such a victory would go a long way considering Arkansas' biggest victories on the season are against...Alabama A&M and Arkansas State. The Razorbacks have lost back-to-back games against Ole Miss and Memphis.
The chorus signing for Pittman's firing grew louder following the Memphis loss, and deservedly so. Axing the fifth-year head coach will be easier said than done, however, as is the case with any Power-4 school. Pittman has a buyout, and Arkansas would have to pay it.
What is Sam Pittman's buyout, and can Arkansas afford it?
If Pittman finishes this season at .500 or better when taking his total wins and losses since the 2021 season into account – which is looking tough at the moment, given their struggles against Power-4 opponents – they will owe him $9.8 million. If his record since 2021 is under .500, they will owe him just $6.9 million. $3 million may not seem like a lot of money for an SEC school, but every dime Arkansas has to spend on Pittman will limit what they pay his replacement. All of these programs have budgets, and there's only so much they are willing to spend.
The provision which increases Pittman's buyout based on his record since the 2021 season is...unusual. Pittman is 29-26 as of this writing since the 2021 campaign. If Arkansas were to wait to fire their head coach until after the regular season, they could stand to gain about $3 million, and not force an awkward interim head coach situation that is almost bound to fail given this roster isn't going to compete much in the SEC. However, the longer the wait, the more they risk showing some of the standouts on this current roster their financial limitations. In the NIL era, the transfer portal is essentially free agency.
Why it's best for Arkansas to eat the money to fire Sam Pittman
Money doesn't grow on trees. However, Arkansas brought in an estimate $170 million in 2024. They can afford to lose $3 million to fire a head coach who has done little to move the football program forward since the 2021 season.
Pittman was a feel-good story back then. Arkansas went 9-4, and was expected to make a leap in the SEC in the coming years. Since then, they have failed to do so, registering records of 7-6 in 2022, 4-8 in 2023 and 7-6 in 2024. If bowl-eligible is good enough for the Razorbacks, then perhaps Pittman is their man.
Arkansas has $3 million reasons to hang onto Pittman for the rest of the season, banking that his combined record with this roster will fall well below .500. Yet, they could have even more to lose by standing pat in the form of roster construction for the next man in charge.