Looking Back at Pittman's Razorback Coaching Hires

Comfortability vs. results is common thread between coaches that have had success

Author:
Daniel Shi
Updated:
Dec 30, 2023 12:31 PM EST
Original:
Dec 29, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With so much of a head coach's job nowadays managing a team, coach Sam Pittman is only as good as his weakest assistant.

Heading into his fifth season, there is a common thread of coaches who have had success under Pittman – coaches who have not worked under or with Pittman at previous stops. When Pittman hires one of his previous colleagues, the results have been mixed.

Cody Kennedy has moved on to Mississippi State after a poor 2023 and Dan Enos lasted all but eight games as offensive coordinator. Kennedy was a graduate assistant at Georgia under Pittman. Enos, as has been well documented at this point, was the Razorbacks' offensive coordinator when Pittman was the offensive line coach. Pittman brought in Eric Mateos to replace Kennedy after working under Pittman as a graduate assistant from 2013-15.

Conversely, two of the standouts on the 2023 staff were first-year hires who have never officially worked with Pittman on staff. Morgan Turner was poached from Stanford and was responsible for the emergence of Luke Hasz and Ty Washington. Defensive coordinator Travis Williams dragged the defensive unit from the cellar of the SEC to a more respectable standard. Deke Adams has spent the previous two seasons as a defensive line coach with relative success after just missing Pittman at North Carolina by a year.

Even former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who has moved on to TCU, was responsible for quarterback KJ Jefferson's best years on his way to setting multiple school records.

Special teams coach Scott Fountain has been with Pittman for a few years at Arkansas and served on the same staff at Georgia with Pittman and has had success, making him an exception to the rule.

As Arkansas embarks on a search for a new wide receivers coach following the reported departure of Kenny Guiton, Pittman once again faces a decision. Go with the comfortability of someone he's worked with before, or branch out and trust someone new to revive a receiving core that ranked third to last in yards in the SEC in his most important season as Razorbacks head coach.