FAYETTEVILLE — Not only did Arkansas reach bowl eligibility, but Saturday’s win also triggered an automatic raise for head coach Sam Pittman.
By getting to six wins, the second-year coach’s annual salary will increase by $250,000 over the life of his contract, which - with an automatic one-year extension for reaching a bowl game this year - goes through the 2026 season.
Rather than being a one-time bonus, that figure will be added to his salary in each of the next five years, meaning the dramatic 31-28 win over Mississippi State was essentially worth $1.25 million to Pittman.
With three games left in the regular season, there’s still a chance for Pittman to earn an even larger raise. A seventh win would trigger a $500,000 raise and an eight would trigger a $750,000 raise - figures that are non-cumulative.
It’s a unique contract structure for a guy who is the second-lowest paid head coach in the SEC, according to USA Today’s database. He ranks ahead of only South Carolina’s Shane Beamer ($2.75 million), with Vanderbilt’s salary data unknown because it is a private institution.
Asked about the raise Monday, Pittman deflected the questions and reiterated that he is just happy to be coaching the Razorbacks - regardless of his pay.
“They had a contract and I had a signature,” Pittman said. “There was no idea about it. (Hunter Yurachek) had a laptop, and he opened it up, and he started reading, and I started signing. It was a pretty simple deal.”
In addition to the raise, Pittman is set to receive a bonus for playing in a bowl game. It will be at least $100,000, but would increase to $150,000 if the bowl is part of the SEC’s “group of six” - Outback, Taxslayer, Music City, Texas, Las Vegas, Belk or Liberty.
