Arkansas 2019 Coaching Search: Making the case for, against Sam Pittman

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The Arkansas coaching search to replace Chad Morris is underway and feelers are already being put out to agents and coaches by AD Hunter Yurachek's search firm.

While a full list of likely candidates can be found on the HawgBeat Hot Board, we begin our "case for/case against" series with Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman. We start with him not because we believe him to be at the top of the list for Yurachek, but because Pittman had a letter submitted on his behalf by former Razorbacks to HawgSports.com, pleading the case that he should be the next head hog.

"Order... Order in the court, we'll now hear the case of Georgia Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach Sam Pittman..."

- A Return Trip

One of Pittman's many stops around the country was at Arkansas from 2013-15, so a return to Fayetteville would be a return home (though he's had many). Pittman is a Grove, Okla., native, which means his hometown is just an hour and a half away.

- Recruiting

It may be hard to remember, but Arkansas used to get 4-star offensive linemen and even when it didn't, Pittman made them play like they were 4-stars. One of the Razorbacks' weakest links right now is the offensive line and it's been an issue since Pittman left.

Pittman's recruits had an average Rivals rating of 5.75 with four of the 11 being 4-stars during his time in Arkansas. Since then, the average rating has dropped to 5.53 and the Razorbacks haven't even signed any 5.7 3-stars. On top of that, there wasn't a place in the nation Pittman wouldn't go to find a recruit. If you look at the signees over the past few classes, the Hogs have definitely been limited based on their own strict recruiting footprint.

From the open letter:

"Coaches are often assigned regions that they understand and can effectively recruit, but the running joke was that Pitt went after whoever wherever because he could get them."

With Georgia's national brand, Pittman's recruiting lore has only grown. All of his commits in the 2019 class are 4- or 5-star, Rivals250 commits–and they hail from four different states.

He's built himself a brand with his viral YESSIR videos, so even though he has never been the head man, everybody knows his name.

Also, a good recruiter knows what other good recruiters look like, which makes it more likely he'd hire a staff full of them.

- Players love him

Just read this bit from the open letter:

"I challenge you to find someone that mothers love the way ours loved Coach Pittman. I challenge you to find a coach that will give everything he has because our program deserves it. I challenge you to find someone who will get every bit out of players no matter the circumstance."

You could probably find Razorback players willing to write these types of letters for just about any coaching candidate, but the words written in this one match what people have said about Pittman for years, from parents to recruits to the media.