Razorbacks on the hunt: Who could be the next Arkansas head coach?

From ex-SEC coaches to rising stars, Arkansas’ coaching search has plenty of possibilities. Here are the names to watch to replace Sam Pittman.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman during the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Notre Dame won 56-13. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Now that the inevitable has happened, it’s time to begin the other inevitability: rampant speculation.

Who will be the next Arkansas head football coach?

It’s a question most people began to ask after last week’s upset loss to Memphis that came a week after losing to newly-ranked No. 5 Ole Miss in a nearly-identical fashion.

And some people, including yours truly, began working on a list of potential head coaching candidates last Sunday.

Luckily, I didn’t delete it.

There are some obvious names on this list (including the motorcycle-loving one), some names you may go “oh, yeah, that’d make sense” and probably a few that’ll make you say “what is this idiot thinking.”

And it’s fine. I have no clue what Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek will decide to do and, based on some recent controversial comments, this coaching search could go in any direction (i.e., your guess is as good as mine).

That is the big question, though. What direction do the Razorbacks want to go with their next coach?

• Do they want to make a “splash” hire like Mississippi State hiring Virginia’s Brian O’Connor in baseball?
• Do they want to give an out-of-work, big-name coach a second (or third, fourth) chance?
• Do they want an elite recruiter? Or an elite tactician/strategist? Or both?
• Do they want to deal with another coach’s buyout?
• Do they want to keep changes to a minimum?

Those questions and many more have to be answered by Yurachek and the other decision-makers in this process.

So, here’s my initial list of candidates, all of whom should warrant some amount of consideration. Are all of these names realistic? No, but you never know.

SMU Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee celebrates with his team during the second half against the Baylor Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Current FBS Head Coaches

• Tyson Helton, Western Kentucky
• Rhett Lashlee, SMU
• Jeff Monken, Army
• Eric Morris, North Texas
• Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State
• Dan Mullen, UNLV
• Deion Sanders, Colorado
• Ryan Silverfield, Memphis
• Jeff Traylor, UTSA

Taylor’s Comments: Imagine what would happen if Arkansas hired Sanders away from Colorado. Primetime in the SEC? It won’t happen, but that would be a big splash hire.

More realistic, but just as intriguing is Mullen. He’s got SEC experience and led Mississippi State to some of its most successful seasons ever. His Florida tenure actually went better than Billy Napier’s current tenure is going.

The others are coaches are having success at smaller schools, except Mendenhall who was great at BYU (99-43 overall) but not-so-great at Virginia (36-38). Also, Morris might be out of the running just for having too close of a name to another former Arkansas coach.

There’s also the “Texas” philosophy to hiring coaches: Hire the one that beat you.

Lane Kiffin and Marcus Freeman won’t answer the call, but Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield might pick up the phone.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Oakland Raiders at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA on Jan. 26, 2003. | ROBERT HANASHIRO / USA TODAY NETWORK

Unemployed Ex-Head Coaches

• Jimbo Fisher
• Jon Gruden

Taylor’s Comments: These were originally intended to be tongue-in-cheek candidates and then I thought it about some more.

Fisher won a national championship at Florida State and his recruiting classes were consistently rated among the best.

The on-field results didn’t always pan out, especially at Texas A&M, but to be elite in the SEC, you need an elite-level coach. Would Fisher like a chance to reestablish himself as an elite head coach?

And don’t tell me Gruden wouldn’t be an exciting addition to Arkansas. Him with John Calipari? That’s a gold mine.

Gruden also mentioned over the summer a desire to coach an SEC team. Well, an opening was just created. It’d be a splash hire and a coach with NFL experience, which is basically what college football has become now.

And don't forget, Gruden is an offensive mastermind. He turned Rich Gannon into an MVP with Oakland Raiders and turned Derek Carr into a great quarterback in a second stint with the Raiders.

Gruden is a great football coach and it'd be interesting to see how his personality plays out in college.

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bobby Petrino watches quarterback KJ Jackson (7) during practice. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Current Assistant Coaches

• Collin Klein, Texas A&M OC
• Bobby Petrino, Arkansas OC

Taylor’s Comments: Klein comes up in a bunch of different head coach candidate lists, but if Arkansas is going to hire an assistant coach to be its next head coach, it’ll be Petrino.

In terms of excitement, hiring Petrino doesn’t move the needle all that much. Like, we kind of know what we’re going to get with him.

If Petrino is the best candidate, then he should get the job. But let’s hold off on anointing him until we know for sure.

That being said, it’s the most likely outcome since he’ll be the interim coach for the remainder of the season and already has a base of support in Fayetteville.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden looks on from the sideline in the second quarter of the NFL Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NFL Coaches

• Al Golden, Cincinnati DC
• Jeff Hafley, Green Bay DC
• Kliff Kingsbury, Washington OC
• Todd Monken, Ravens OC
• Tommy Rees, Cleveland OC

Taylor Comments: If Arkansas wants to really lean into the “college football is like the NFL now” image, it can pluck someone from those ranks. The names listed above all have experience at the college and NFL levels and all come up in various lists of head coach candidates.

Taylor's (Pointless, Yet No Nonsense) Candidate rankings:

1. Jon Gruden
2. Dan Mullen
3. Jeff Traylor
4. Bobby Petrino
5. Bronco Mendenhall