What's timeline if Arkansas decides to pull plug on Pittman as coach?

Razorback fans will have to wait a while longer before the inevitable comes but exactly when that happens is mystery

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on the field before a game with the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas' loss to a well-coached, less-talented Memphis team might be the final nail in the coffin of a Sam Pittman tenure that's been on the ropes for what seems like three seasons now.

It's been a long, winding road since the 4-8 season, but it shows nothing has changed within the Razorbacks football program.

Not only has Pittman's teams gone 7-19 in one score ball games since he was hired in 2020, but is 2-10 in such games dating back to the 2023 season.

Memphis Tigers players and fans celebrate after winning the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

While Pittman's overall record at Arkansas says he's one game under .500 in his tenure at 32-33, his current contract doesn't reflect the COVID season due to various restrictions in a forgotten year in football history.

Contractually, that props Pittman's overall record to 29-26 (11-22 SEC) since leading Arkansas to a 9-4 season that includes an Outback Bowl victory against Penn State.

While the Razorbacks sit at 2-2 this season, the sixth-year coach's buyout will not decrease unless his overall record since 2021 dips below .500 which is among the most bizarre incentive-based contracts ever signed in college football history.

If the Arkansas' Board of Trustees opted to agree with athletics director Hunter Yurachek's decision to terminate Pittman's contract at this point, Pittman would be owed $9.3 million to enjoy Lake Hamilton.

Should Pittman lead the Razorbacks to four victories this season, his buyout drops to just $6.9 million, which is quite feasible given how much Arkansas has paid coaches like Bret Bielema ($11.9 million) and Chad Morris ($10 million).

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman with athletic director Hunter Yurachek before the game against Louisiana Tech | Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI Images

With a ranked Notre Dame Irish team coming to town, followed by a high-flying Tennessee offense, things could start to get ugly quickly once the Razorbacks return home to face another College Football Playoff caliber team in Texas A&M Oct. 18.

Should the Razorbacks fall against the Aggies, that would finally bring Pittman's record since 2021 to 29-29 overall with just one more loss likely doing him in.

Arkansas will host an improved Auburn Tigers team fresh off a controversial loss at Oklahoma due to officiating errors. Tigerrs coach Hugh Freeze has had Pittman's number over the years dating back to his time at Liberty.

For the pocketbook of Arkansas donors, it's worth letting such expensive mediocrity go on just a bit longer since Yurachek placed a vote of confidence in Pittman's tenure in 2023 to see if things could turnaround.

If the hiring of former coach Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator couldn't help bring the Razorbacks to relevance again in the SEC, there's no point in him being on the short list of future coaches either.

Arkansas' loss to Memphis certainly didn't end with Pittman packing his bags, his tenure is effectively over as there is no way to bounce back after this.

Then again, Arkansas' football program could struggle to land a capable coach of turning things around when its athletics director went viral for putting limitations on what the football team can do.

"I think we are set up to win a national championship in men's basketball moving forward, we know we are set up to win a national championship in baseball moving forward,” Yurachek said at the Little Rock Touchdown Club last week. “Football, where we are right now, we're not set up to win a national championship I'll just be brutally honest with that."