All Hogs

Razorbacks recruits, players react to news of Pittman's ouster Sunday

Emotional posts share love for fired Arkansas coach, roster defection unlikely
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman during the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Razorback Stadium. Notre Dame won 56-13.
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman during the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Razorback Stadium. Notre Dame won 56-13. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Razorbacks officially handed sixth-year coach Sam Pittman his walking papers Sunday at noon following an embarrassing 56-14 loss to Notre Dame in Week Five.

Several of Arkansas' 2026 commitments along with current players shared their reactions following the news.

Farmerville, Louisiana defensive tackle commit Ari Slocum is ranked inside the Top 1,000 for the 2026 class and remained firmly committed to the Razorbacks despite the team's three game losing streak.

Slocum, like many other linemen, have gravitated to Arkansas because of Pittman's background in the trenches and the Union Parrish product doubled down on that stance.

"Honestly, I'm so very disappointed," Slocum tells allHOGS. "[Pittman] is a big part of why I committed to Arkansas."

Muscle Shoals, Alabama 3-star defensive back Keivay Foster has flown under the radar as a lengthy safety. He committed to Arkansas over offers from Mississippi State, Missouri, Troy and many others.

The 6-foot-4, 185 pound defensive back remains firmly committed to the Razorbacks despite a change in leadership through the final seven games.

"I feel like [Arkansas] shouldn’t have fired [Pittman]," Foster tells allHOGS. "But for the team, I guess it’s going to be good to see what changes."

Bentonville 4-star wide receiver Dequane Prevo recently transferred from Liberty-Eylau High School in the Texarkana area just before the start of his senior year.

Missouri City, Texas 3-star offensive lineman Hugh Smith shared his thoughts on the firing of Pittman, but remains "100% committed" to Arkansas.

"I’m sad to see Coach Pittman go but I am still 100% committed to playing at Arkansas," Pittman said. "I’m thankful for all he has done for me and this program. I’ll always respect the role he’s played in my journey. I’m also looking forward to working with Coach Petrino and supporting him as he continues to move the program forward."

Smith's teammate, 3-star wide receiver Robert Haynes shared similar feelings toward the news.

"I am shocked that he got fired," Smith said. "He was a really big part of me going there."

The Razorbacks longest tenured commit, 3-star safety Tay Lockett, is remains "locked in" at Arkansas with the goal of being an early enrollee.

"First off, I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Coach Pittman and everything he did for the program and for me personally," Lockett said. "With that said, my commitment to Arkansas is still solid. I chose the Hogs because of the school, the fans, and the overall vision I see for me personally.

"Of course, I’ll be paying attention to who they bring in as head coach, but right now I’m locked in and focused on finishing strong in high school."

Arkansas backup quarterback KJ Jackson shared a post on his X account with a picture of himself hugging Pittman in the locker room. It's fairly apparent how well liked the now fired Razorbacks coach is by his players.

While fans are likely thrilled of the change in leadership, it's still tough for a coach and his players when a season begins to spiral out of control, but relationships live on forever.

Wide receiver C.J. Brown shared a post with a picture of Pittman from a Facetime chat with the caption of "forever and always my guy."

Brown lost his father just days before the 2025 season started and Pittman was by him each step of the way.

"Coach Pittman was there through every step of the way with my father," Brown said earlier this season. "He almost had to force me to go see my father because I know like, my dad wanted me to be at practice, like, always."

What about the transfer portal?

As for anyone worried that Arkansas could see players enter the transfer portal in this 30-day window following Pittman's dismissal, they must understand most of the team's two-deep have already participated in five games which makes sitting out the remainder of the season useless.

Between the three Power Four programs (Oklahoma State, UCLA, Virginia Tech) only three players have entered the transfer portal after firing its head coach.

While there could be some defections stimming from Pittman's ouster, the probability of a mass exodus is unlikely due to NIL contracts and obligations.

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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