Clock, Money Should Spur Pittman to His Best Ever Coaching Day

If Arkansas coach keeps it close against Alabama Crimson Tide, could buy time to at least keep his full buyout

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Oct 12, 2023 6:18 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas fans are conditioned to expect a decisive loss each time Alabama rolls onto the schedule. There are a few rare occasions where the final score is reasonably close, but for nearly a fifth of a century, curb stompings have been aplenty at the Razorbacks' expense in this series.

That's why, in the midst of a 2-4 fall off the proverbial cliff that is almost certain to become 2-5, there is one good reason to suspect this weekend's annual sacrifice to almighty Crimson Tide might be way closer than expected.

See, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman can do math just like any other American. He can read a calendar too. If Pittman wasn't aware of the clause in his contract that dramatically chops his buyout if he falls below .500 as a coach, his agent has surely reminded him over the last week. The Arkansas coach is probably not only aware of his record clause being on the precipice of kicking in, he's also likely painfully aware of how perfectly that discount coupon aligns with a time where the athletics department is in desperate need of money and having a difficult time getting people to give it.

For the record, Pittman is a perfectly even 21-21. If he falls to Nick Saban's minions Saturday, he may not make it to Mississippi State. However, being competitive at least buys another week, and another week offers the chance to get back to .500 against the struggling Bulldogs. From there, the schedule sets itself up much better for staying above that magical mark than the current four-game road trip against the best of the SEC West.

Simple logic says the best time to let a coach go with a December signing period is during the off-week in late October. It allows the interim time to take over the role, shuffle the staff and implement changes without the immediate pressure of a game right away. It also provides a few weeks to evaluate the interim as a potential candidate while getting a jump on the competition for the highest possible candidates Arkansas might land.

That's why this has to be the coaching job of Pittman's life, assuming he still wants the job and has the ability to put down any strife that might be building among his staff as fingers begin to get pointed. He has to turn the tide on fan apathy because, in the midst of a slow progressing fundraising campaign, rows upon rows of empty seats despite prices slashed down into the $20s for an SEC game is not what athletics director Hunter Yuracheck wants to see.

Wins over Mississippi State, Florida International and Auburn won't be enough to get Arkansas into a bowl game, but it will be exactly enough for Pittman to hold onto an extra 25% of his remaining salary. Instead of being owed approximately $2.75 million per year left on his contract, Pittman would have the program on the hook for a little over $4.1 million per year.

That's an extra $5.5 million that will be lit on fire and tossed into the wind to simply wait around a few more weeks. On top of that, there's less time for a new hire to keep the recruiting class together and evaluate the new staff so those he thinks are worth keeping will continue recruiting. If Pittman can do enough to convince Yuracheck to let him stay another year with the promise of revamping the offensive staff, then the pressure to win next year will be especially heavy as Arkansas will be staring down a $3.3 million retention bonus due in December of next year.

No matter how this plays out, it all starts with making a good show of things in Tuscaloosa. That's why Saturday should be much closer than Razorback fans are expecting. The financial bottom line deems it so.