Hogs' Sam Pittman Not on Hot Seat of SEC Coaches ... Now

With Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher already there, Florida's Billy Napier close wins, losses will determine temperature

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Feb 22, 2023 10:13 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — We'll start this off pretty direct: Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is not on any hot seat.

Whether that temperature holds for long depends on wins. Another 6-6 season will start some buzzing.

Say what you want, all a bowl win does is give you some public relations points or a negotiating angle to say you won more than you lost.

Everybody knows you were a .500 team.

There are some coaches around the SEC, though, who go into spring practice with a warming seat ... or even small flames coming up like Jimbo Fisher has to deal with at Texas A&M.

That's what happens when you have a No. 1 recruiting class, go 5-7 and watch a lot of those players leave.

Nobody in the league has a Chad Morris-type situation working right now, but Billy Napier didn't exactly generate a lot of job security after 6-6 was followed with a thud against Oregon State in a bowl game.

Those type of losses will get you canned quickly in Gainesville.

Missouri takes its time with things because Eli Drinkwitz is probably on borrowed time after seeing how they ushered Barry Odom out the door following a lack of interest (but that's never been big with the Tigers).

Pittman is now in a position where he's got to win some games.

The problem is the schedule with the SEC not exactly doing the Razorbacks any favors with only two of the first three games in Fayetteville following the opener, which is being played in the high school stadium in Little Rock.

After a game against BYU on Sept. 16, the Hogs won't be back until Oct. 21 against Mississippi State in a game that could be huge.

Three road trips to LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama sandwiched around the annual A&M distraction in Arlington could make things very interesting.

The Hogs won't be undefeated and could be 4-3 or 3-4. Anything below that and the howling will be consistently loud.

Pittman may find himself on a seat getting warmer every week.

The only way to cool it is winning games.