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FAYETTEVILLE — Despite publicly stating his intention of keeping his entire staff together, Sam Pittman ended up needing to replace two assistant coaches this offseason.
Defensive line coach Jermial Ashley was fired and defensive backs coach Sam Carter left to take a similar position at Ole Miss, leading Pittman to hire Deke Adams and Dominique Bowman in their place.
The Razorbacks got their first taste of both coaches this spring, as they used all 15 practices allowed by the NCAA for spring ball.
“They’ve come in and I believe if you ask both position groups about them, you’d get rave reviews,” Pittman said. “And I think you would feel it and not just, ‘Well, they’re just saying what they think we want to hear.’ I think you could see it and feel it. Anytime you get the kids feeling about you that way, they’re going to play well and play hard.”
The decision to move on from Ashley after just one season is widely believe to be tied to his struggles on the recruiting trail. Not only did the Razorbacks fail to sign a high school or junior college defensive tackle in the 2022 class, they also whiffed on their top two targets in the portal — one of which played for Ashley at Tulsa.
The loss of Carter also had recruiting implications, as he was considered one of the top recruiters on staff. Plus it’s no secret that Pittman holds that aspect of coaching in high regard, so it’s no surprise that was at the forefront of his hiring process.
