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Published Jan 15, 2020
Pittman explains decision to hire dedicated special teams coordinator
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Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
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FAYETTEVILLE — For what’s believed to be the first time in school history, Arkansas will have an assistant coach whose sole focus is special teams.

As part of his first coaching staff as the Razorbacks’ head coach, Sam Pittman hired Scott Fountain away from Georgia to be the team’s special teams coordinator.

There have been coaches with that title at Arkansas in the past, but they were also in charge of position group on offense or defense. Just last year, Barry Lunney Jr. was the special teams coordinator in addition to coaching tight ends.

Some coaches have also opted not to have a special teams coach at all, instead dividing up the duties amongst all of the position coaches. That strategy was most recently used - with disastrous results - by Chad Morris in 2018.

Making it even worse for Morris, who tried to right the wrong by adding to Lunney’s title, was that he made the decision despite it being the first year the NCAA allowed FBS schools to hire a 10th assistant. That rule allowed many schools to hire dedicated special teams coordinators.

When asked during an exclusive interview with HawgBeat why he chose to take that route and bring in Fountain, Pittman didn't beat around the bush.

“In all honesty, I just felt like it works better,” Pittman said. “I think you have better special teams that way.”

Statistics and analytics seem to back up what seems to be common sense, too.

There were three SEC teams among the top 10 in special teams going into the bowl season, according to Bill Connelly’s SP+ ratings. Two of them had dedicated special teams coordinators. (On the flip side, Ole Miss was one of two teams in the conference without at least a position coach with that added title and it ranked 119th nationally).

Sitting atop that list was Georgia, so Pittman got first-hand experience in what a special teams coordinator can do. Luckily for him, the main in charge of that unit - Fountain - was Pittman’s next-door neighbor.

“I saw him do it there at Georgia and I liked what he did,” Pittman said. “All I had to do is walk across the street and ask him if he wanted to come to Arkansas because he was my neighbor. It was really easy. It didn’t cost the school nothing.”

Having the No. 1 special teams in college football this season was not an anomaly for Fountain. His unit ranked 20th in 2018, his first season as an on-field assistant for the Bulldogs, and third in 2017, when he was a special teams analyst.

Before that, Fountain was a special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Auburn from 2013-16. In his four seasons with the Tigers, they ranked 15th three times and 30th once.

Kendal Briles and Barry Odom drew national headlines as big-name offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, drawing seven-figure salaries, but Pittman views Fountain in the same light.

“I believe we have three coordinators,” Pittman said. “Everybody talks about the offensive and defensive coordinator, but I’m going to tell you this - I was just as excited to get Scott Fountain here as I was Kendal and Barry. I think he’s special.”