Pittman fires DL coach Jermial Ashley
FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas defensive line coach Jermial Ashley has been fired by head coach Sam Pittman, HawgBeat can confirm.
No reason for Ashley's dismissal was given. The news was first reported Sunday morning by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
It is the first staff change for the Razorbacks this offseason, as Arkansas was one of only seven of Power Five programs that hadn't lost any assistants, according to HawgBeat's research.
Pittman previously told reporters that he had hoped to retain all 10 on-field assistants.
"I think we’re in great shape," Pittman said on Dec. 15. "I have no indication whatsoever that we might lose anyone on our staff, and to put it out there, I don’t want to lose anybody on the staff."
Coming to Arkansas from Tulsa as a replacement for Derrick LeBlanc, Ashley spent just one season with the Razorbacks. He coached a unit that was led by three transfers - Tre Williams, Markell Utsey and John Ridgeway - and racked up 15.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss.
However, those three players are moving on and Arkansas has struggled to find replacements at defensive tackle in the transfer portal. The Razorbacks missed out on Tulsa transfer Jaxon Player - who played for Ashley for three years - and Missouri transfer Mehki Wingo, who committed to Baylor and LSU, respectively.
The Razorbacks did land LSU transfer defensive end Landon Jackson, a former four-star recruit, though, and the return several key reserves who played a lot in 2021.
This move means Arkansas will have a new defensive line coach for the sixth straight year. However, it's worth noting that Steve Caldwell - who focused on the defensive ends - remained on staff for back-to-back seasons under former coach Chad Morris, while the Razorbacks made a change with their defensive tackles coach.