Arkansas Keeps Blaming the Wrong Man for Football's Historic Collapse

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The blame game has to start somewhere in the articles of Arkansas' football history, and it certainly didn't start with former coach Bobby Petrino following his firing in 2012.

The infamous motorcycle wreck on the side of the Boston Mountains didn't cause this whole program to come crashing down. While everyone wants to place all the blame on that single April Fool's Day, that isn't even the root of the cause.

There's some who say every single job Petrino has ever touched was lit on fire and remains in a mess, but that's certainly not true.

Arkansas Razorbacks interim coach Bobby Petrino on the sidelines in game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Fact: Louisville has recovered

Petrino might’ve left Louisville in a difficult spot upon the hiring of Steve Kragthorpe, but the Cardinals still recovered.

In fact, multiple coaches including Charlie Strong, Scott Satterfield and Jeff Brohm have thrived there.

Fact: NFL Falcons Recovered Instantly

Of course, Petrino inherited a Michael Vick-less Falcons team for the 2007 season, but left in the middle of the night with a 3-10 overall record to accept the Arkansas job in 2008.

However, Atlanta still went to the NFL playoffs six times in 10 seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance during the decade after he left.

It can't be argued that Petrino is a major reason why Arkansas is in shambles but he can't take on the full blame for the Razorbacks still being in the ditch.

Arkansas Razorbacks vice chancellor of athletics Hunter Yurachek reacts to a first half penalty against Georgia Bulldogs. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI Images

Fact: Arkansas Continues To Fall Behind

Every time the UA athletic department could’ve capitalized on its cash cow football team, they took three or four steps backward.

Some of that can be attributed to signing coaches to raises and extensions they truly didn't earn. No one was coming after Bret Bielema after a 6-6 regular season and dominant Texas Bowl victory over the Longhorns.

The 2021 coaching carousel was one of the wildest in college football history as Oregon, USC, LSU, Miami, Florida, Washington, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and other programs across the country were looking to capture lightning in a bottle.

None of those schools had Sam Pittman remotely on their radar after the 2021 season when he led the Razorbacks to an 8-4 regular season and Outback Bowl victory over Penn State.

Most notably in 2021, Arkansas fans would’ve willingly backed the Brinks truck to the program to help the Razorbacks completely turn the corner. But instead, Yurachek and the athletic department continued to avoid embracing Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) in its current state because they believed guardrails would eventually be put in place.

Instead of aggressively embracing the direction college football was headed, Yurachek was publicly warning about where NIL could take college athletics. In a guest editorial, he laid out those concerns himself3once with some national media members mocking his position.

The latest doomsday prediction…they said the same thing about food, stipends, and any other athlete benefits. Of course, we need no “guardrails” for salaries, staff size, facilities or anything else. Only athletes must be limited. Nonsense. https://t.co/MY5OLHstHm
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) August 13, 2023

While college athletes benefiting from their name, image, and likeness has been widely accepted as a net positive for the athletes, what is on the horizon, thanks to California, puts the entire system at risk and threatens the viability of every non-revenue collegiate sport. This means women's and Olympic sports are facing an existential threat, and the athletes competing in these sports might lose the opportunity to compete and pursue their dreams...

As it currently stands, players are able to benefit off their own name, image, and likeness through endorsement deals, sponsorships, and other mechanisms. This has given athletes the power to build personal brands and take advantage of those brands. We've seen athletes use name, image, and likeness to help support family members, raise money for charity, fund graduate programs after their playing days, or make extra money to spend, save, or invest.

However, a patchwork set of name, image, and likeness laws across various states, as well as some states with no laws regulating NIL whatsoever, has left the system in desperate need of a standard set of guidelines. Unfortunately, the NCAA is hamstrung by many of the state laws regulating NIL, which leaves Congress as the sole vehicle to act.
Hunter Yurachek, Whole Hog Sports

The Razorbacks' leadership inside the four walls of the athletic department has failed the football program, and everyone involved — from student-athletes, current coaching staff and its loyal fanbase — are all witnessing the long, painful death of the football program.

This is no longer a Petrino problem, but pure negligence of a once-proud football program spearheaded by a group of people who don't want to do what it takes to win anymore.

it's all about the money.

The reseating of Baum-Walker Stadium, not just once but twice under Yurachek.

Even Bud Walton underwent a reseating effort that drew ire from a loyal fanbase that stood beside Arkansas basketball through the Stan Heath, John Pelphrey and some of the Mike Anderson years.

That wait paid off under former coach Eric Musselman, who recaptured some of the magic that made the program great, including back-to-back Elite Eight appearances.

Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield speaks to a sideline reporter with the SEC Network following Arkansas' 31-14 victory over North Alabama | Nilsen Roman

Razorback Stadium wasn't immune to reseating as long-standing season ticket holders either lost their seats or had to contribute a much larger donation to keep them. That might've strategically worked after 2021 or upon the opening of the north end zone addition ahead of the 2018 season.

However, a losing product that is 69-103 from 2012-2025 is no reason to pluck fans from their seats. Give them something worth paying for and then try.

Petrino's wreck might’ve helped set the wheels in motion for a program downfall, but Arkansas' fall from relevance in football is due to negligence from a leadership standpoint that has become the main root of the problem at the UA.

Nothing will begin to change until we witness wholesale changes in the athletic department that will rid the stench of losing inside the building.

Former Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Ken Hatfield on the field prior to facing the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hogs Down Bad

That once proud football program that was mentioned earlier is entrenched in tradition, but you wouldn't be able to tell that right now.

At this point, Razorback football has become a shell of itself, effectively becoming the doormat to the SEC. Vanderbilt thanks you for taking that dirty ol' rug away after all these years.

If looking at a clear view of win/loss records doesn't get a fanbase's blood boiling, just take a look at how many 20-point losses Arkansas has endured under each coaching staff.

Ryan Silverfield: 3 (5 games, 60%)
Pittman: 11 (66 games, 16.6%)
Morris: 9 (22 games, 40.9%)
Bielema: 12 (63 games, 19%)
Petrino: 7 (51 games, 13.7%)
Nutt: 13 (124 games, 10.4%)
Ford: 9 (57 games, 15.8%)
Crowe: 4 (18 games, 22%)
Hatfield: 2 (72 games, 2.7%)
Holtz: 4 (83 games, 4.8%)
Broyles: 10 (218 games, 4.6%)

Sign up to our free newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google