The fallout from the University of Arkansas firing head coach Sam Pittman continues, as newly-named Bobby Petrino is making some changes. On3’s Pete Nakos has reported that Petrino met with several Razorbacks assistant coaches on Monday morning and parted ways with some of them. The biggest name let go was defensive coordinator Travis Williams.
Bobby Petrino is meeting with Arkansas assistants throughout Monday morning. Among changes is a parting of ways with defensive coordinator Travis Williams, sources tell @On3sports
Williams is a former Broyles Award nominee https://t.co/7BuLHRo8Zx pic.twitter.com/bC2ldCNqIs
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) September 29, 2025
Last year, Williams was nominated for the Broyles Award and was a promising defensive coordinator, though he was still let go as part of Petrino’s sweeping changes. Two other defensive assistants, defensive line coach Deke Adams and co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson, were also fired as part of the Razorbacks’ coaching staff overhaul.
Prior to this, former head coach Sam Pittman had led the Razorbacks to a 2-3 record this season, punctuated by that embarrassing 56-13 blowout loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game was so one-sided that fans started calling for Pittman’s ouster as the game was going on during the first half. The Fighting Irish ran over the Arkansas defense, with the team struggling to make any stops as Notre Dame looked unstoppable.
Arkansas’ defense had allowed 30 points per game this season and was considered the 193rd in the country. They have so far allowed 129 points to go through this season, though those came against some of the top offenses in the country, like Ole Miss and Notre Dame.
Bobby Petrino Used To Be Arkansas’ Head Coach But Was Fired After a Scandal
As for Bobby Petrino, he served as the offensive coordinator under Sam Pittman, but he also used to be Arkansas’ head coach himself. He served as the head coach from 2008 to 2011 and led the Razorbacks to a 34-17 record. He had turned Arkansas into an SEC powerhouse during his tenure, but was abruptly fired after a motorcycle incident in 2012.
The Razorbacks were looking good ahead of the 2012 season, but this momentum was derailed when Bobby Petrino was caught up in a motorcycle accident in Fayetteville. He suffered four broken ribs, a cracked vertebra in his neck and a number of abrasions on his face.
However, that incident soon turned out to be a scandal as his affair with the school’s player development coordinator, Jessica Dorrell, was revealed to the public after the crash, leading to the coach being ousted, eventually returning as the offensive coordinator under Pittman. He was reportedly with Dorrell during the crash.
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