Could Sam Pittman be the Answer to Auburn's OL Woes?

Sam Pittman's firing from Arkansas, combined with Auburn's struggles on the offensive line could, lead to an interesting pairing.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman was fired on Sunday. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers have lost two consecutive SEC games, and in each loss, the offensive line has looked completely overwhelmed and outmatched.

After news on Sunday that Arkansas has fired head coach Sam Pittman, could the Razorbacks’ former leader be the influence that the Tigers’ line needs to turn things around?

Pittman took the Arkansas job before the start of the 2020 season and was 32-24 as the head coach of the Razorbacks, guiding them to three bowl wins during his tenure. However, where Pittman made a name for himself was coaching offensive lines.

Of his 42 years spent coaching football, 24 of them have been in the role of offensive line coach. Pittman most recently served in that role for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2016 to 2019, leading prolific Bulldog rushing attacks that frequently ranked near the top of the country and coaching future first round picks Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson. Thomas is currently an All-Pro tackle for the New York Giants.

Before Georgia, Pittman served as offensive line coach for Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma between 1994 and 2015, only taking a break from the role in 1996 to work in a similar position at Cincinnati, coaching tight ends and offensive tackles.

If Auburn were to bring in Pittman, the Tigers would have to work around his contract after Arkansas worked out a deal for his buyout. Pittman was signed through the end of the 2026 season, and Arkansas was nearly forced to pay a buyout of nearly $9.8 million. According to ESPN, the buyout was higher due to Pittman’s 29-27 record since 2021, upping the amount to $9.8 million rather than the original $5.7 million if he had been under .500 since the start of that season.

However, the buyout was renegotiated down to roughly $7.6 million.

A major factor of his Arkansas contract was a "covenant not to compete," meaning if Pittman was fired for cause or resigned, he could not pursue a head coaching or assistant job within the SEC until 2027. Considering Sunday's firing is not that case, he is eligible to coach at another SEC school/

Though it’s unlikely that Auburn would outright hire Pittman immediately, he could still be brought on in a consultant role or analyst to assist current offensive line coach Jake Thornton. Pittman’s wealth of experience would be incredibly valuable to an Auburn unit that has seemed especially out of sorts recently, allowing 14 sacks and committing 13 penalties in the last two games.

As head coach Hugh Freeze’s seat continues to get warmer, the staff could jump at the opportunity to bring in a proven commodity to help what has been the team’s Achilles heel in conference play to this point.

Whether the Tigers choose to find answers from within or bring them in from outside the program, a solution needs to be found quickly during the bye week if Auburn wants to be competitive when the Georgia Bulldogs come to town on Oct. 11.