Nine Months Made Huge Difference in Pittman
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A lot can change in nine months.
Back in December, the weight of the world looked like it was going to crush Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. He wasn't himself and nothing about him looked healthy. There was genuine concern, at least in the allHogs offices, about his well-being. Just look at the description from a story we ran this past December.
Arkansas head coach climbed to the front of the media room and had a seat. Just like when he wandered to the same spot a few weeks ago, he looked worn and stressed.
However, there was an extra element this time. There was a tinge of exhaustion and a bit of "I am so over this" lingering in his eyes. Pittman then labored his way through the long list of items on his plate that had been beating him down for the past week and then settled in for a round of questions he didn't appear to want to deal with, but did anyway out of sense of duty.
It was easy to see the emotions were the type of raw that comes with just being tired and desperately needing a nap and about 15 hours to just do nothing.
When Pittman wandered into the press conference on Saturday, the haggard, exhausted man who took the podium in late 2022 was long gone, much like most of the players and staff from that team. Anyone who has dealt with organizations that have yearly cycles similar to how college football programs are set up knows the weariness that can set in some years where the only hope is simply getting to the end so the people dragging things down can move on and the cycle can start afresh.
That's exactly what has happened with Pittman. He's got a new lease on hope. New players, new coaches and a lot of departed baggage. There's a lightness to him once again. The light in his eyes when he was the man who charmed Arkansas with his jovial energy and stories told like he's among a group of buddies standing around a vat of hot grease at a fish fry has returned.
He's walking around joking with players in practice again. He had Ron Burgundy jokes in Tuesday's press conference and was simply glowing in Saturday's postgame address. When he talked about freshman linebacker Brad Spence's interception return and how well the receivers did catching the ball it looked like his face was going to shatter from smiling so hard.
It's a welcome change. It shows among the players and there's also a different energy with the assistants that wasn't really there last year. Pittman even called all his guys together at an indoor practice and went on and on about how fun it is. He seems happy again.
Sure, it can all change on a dime, but when there's something different in the air as far as culture its effects show on the field. The challenge will be to see how this team handles adversity when it get behind by a lot, especially if it's because of mistakes.
Even more will be shown should the Razorbacks take a loss. Pittman will probably keep his demeanor as long as too many don't stack up, but it's what goes on behind the scenes with the players and coaches that can really bring things down. If the Pittman everyone is seeing now is still like this at the end of the season, regardless of the record, that will be a strong sign things have drastically improved over last year in the locker room.
No one wants to see a return of mid-December Pittman. It warranted concern for the program, but more importantly, for Pittman. As for now, the last nine months have brought forth a rebirth in the head coach. Hopefully that holds true all the way through the holidays this time.
.HOGS FEED:
HOGS' VET BECOMES STABILIZING FORCE AMONG POSITION GROUP PACKED WITH NEWCOMERS
ARKANSAS STILL PRODUCING AT LEAST TWO TOP RECRUITS NATIONALLY
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