After a disappointing 4-8 season, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman pulled out all the stops to steady the ship and return to the success he experienced in his first three years at the helm. The call to the team and Razorback fans? “Embrace the Hog,” something Pittman himself is trying to do in year five.
Sam Pittman: “We Need To Be Tough, Embrace the Hog”
Arkansas seemed to be on a solid trajectory under Pittman after back-to-back winning seasons in 2021 and 2022, but the Razorbacks took a huge step back in 2023, finishing the year 4-8 and 1-7 in conference play.
Pittman made a host of changes in the offseason to turn things around in 2024, though, bringing in multiple new coaches, including former head coach Bobby Petrino, to run the offense.
Pittman admitted multiple times that he’s not there to micromanage but rather to empower his assistants to get the best out of his players. Pittman is there to lead.
“I’m the oldest [graduate assistant] in the country,” Pittman joked.
But even with this hands-off approach, Pittman is working tirelessly to erase the memories of last year’s results. And with that approach comes a call to action, a mantra of sorts.
“2024 is a fresh start,” Pittman said. “We’ve been working tirelessly to address the areas that need the most improvement. It’s a year to embrace the Hog: We need to be tough. We need to be together.”
As part of the overhaul, Pittman brought in 22 transfers, several of whom will start on the offense, a unit that struggled late in games last season. Petrino hand-picked quarterback Taylen Green out of the transfer portal to lead the team and he’ll have a few transfers in front of him brought in to fix a bad offensive line.
Time will tell if the Razorbacks actually “Embrace the Hog,” but it’s clear what Pittman is looking for out of his team this fall. And if he’s successful, Arkansas won’t repeat its 4-8 2023 campaign.
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