The Arkansas Razorbacks struggled in 2023, finishing with a disappointing 4-8 record. As a result, Sam Pittman went from media darling to hot-seat poster boy. What did the Arkansas coach say at SEC Media Days, and what should we expect from the Razorbacks in 2024?
What Did Sam Pittman Say at SEC Media Days?
1) Bobby Petrino Handpicked Taylen Green From the Portal
Pittman, like so many other coaches at SEC Media Days, began by thanking influential people and then launched into introducing the three players he brought with him. One of those guys is transfer quarterback Taylen Green from Boise State.
Pittman immediately mentioned that new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino handpicked Green from the transfer portal, finding that his skill set fits perfectly with what Petrino wants to do on offense.
The dual-threat quarterback excelled with the Broncos, especially as a running threat. Petrino believes that he’s the perfect quarterback for his system.
2) Offensive Line Should Be Better
Arkansas’ offense last season was up and down, but the offensive line was the unit that struggled the most. The Razorbacks allowed the sixth-most sacks in FBS football last year, but they return multiple starters on the offensive line in 2024 and added key pieces in the transfer portal.
Pittman went out of his way to praise his offensive line, saying that it will be “by far” the most improved unit on the team. They’ll need to be better, as there were times last season in which Razorbacks couldn’t get out of their own way offensively.
This season, it’s clear Pittman (an OL guy himself) thinks that the unit should be better and should help the offense as a whole.
3) At Least Outwardly, Pittman Is Optimistic
Pittman wasn’t exactly defiant about his job security, but he was certainly optimistic about his team and the changes they’ve made. He went position by position to explain why the team is better.
On the offensive line, he mentioned the Razorbacks have more talent and that the staff has done a better job recruiting along that area in the portal and the high school ranks.
He also mentioned that the 12-team College Football Playoff “breathes life” into a program like Arkansas. Pittman mentioned that often one loss disqualified a team from the playoff, mentioning Georgia last year. This year, Pittman expects better play from many teams down the stretch.
It’s clear Pittman isn’t just playing the SEC Media Days game. As he said, he’s trying to win football games, not Media Days. Still, it’s obvious that he loves this Razorbacks team. He thinks they’ll be better than a 4-8 team last year that lost five one-score games.
Time will tell if Arkansas actually improves on the field, but it’s clear Pittman thinks his team will be better.
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