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Arkansas HC Pittman COVID-19 Positive, Status in Question vs. Florida

A major implication has arisen ahead of Florida vs. Arkansas.
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The Florida-Arkansas game scheduled for this coming Saturday just received a major implication: It could be without Razorbacks head coach, Sam Pittman, as he has tested positive for COVID-19 from Sunday's round of PCR testing within the Arkansas athletic department. The university has released the following statement:

"Head coach Sam Pittman has tested positive for COVID-19. Coach Pittman was tested Sunday as a part of the team's normal protocol and he was informed this morning that his PCR test was positive. He is not symptomatic and is in self isolation at home. He retested this morning to confirm the results of Sunday's test with those results still pending. All individuals who are considered close contacts have been notified and will enter quarantine guidelines. Coach Pittman will follow the SEC's Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force protocol for testing asymptomatic positives."

Pittman, in his first year as the Razorbacks' head coach, appears to have already turned the program around. After over two seasons of winless football within the conference, Arkansas is off to a 3-3 start this year against only SEC competition.

Riding one of the better defenses in the league paired with consistent performances from former Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks, the Razorbacks rank fourth in the SEC West through seven weeks of the 2020 season.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban tested positive shortly before the Crimson Tide's game against Georgia in October. Following three consecutive negative tests, Saban was cleared to rejoin that week with a confirmed false-positive test.

As Pittman is currently asymptomatic, the hope is he can yield a false-positive and join the team at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday. If he doesn't, then defensive coordinator Barry Odom will serve as Arkansas' interim head coach against the Gators.