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FAYETTEVILLE — After several months of waiting, Arkansas and head coach Sam Pittman have officially agreed to a new contract.
The deal, which is for five years and includes the potential for a one-year extension, pays him $5 million annually and — much like his first contract — has built-in raises for certain win totals, plus incentives for postseason success, the UA announced Thursday.
The agreement began retroactively on Jan. 1 and goes through Dec. 31, 2026, but another year could be tacked on if Arkansas wins seven games — inclusive of a bowl game against a Power Five or top-25 team — at any point over the next five years. That would keep him under contract through the 2027 season.
It is a significant bump up from the $3 million Pittman made his first two years as the Razorbacks’ head coach. In fact, it’s even a 33.3 percent raise from the $3.75 million he was set to receive beginning this year after winning eight regular-season games in 2021.
Prior to the raise, Pittman was the second-lowest paid among the 13 head coaches with publicly known salaries (Vanderbilt is not subject to FOIA laws as a private institution), ahead of only South Carolina’s Shane Beamer ($2.75 million).
Based on 2021 salary numbers from USA Today, his new $5 million salary would rank in the middle of the pack in the SEC, tied with Auburn’s Bryan Harsin and Mississippi State’s Mike Leach for seventh.
The raise comes after Pittman led the Razorbacks to their best season in a decade. They went 8-4 during the regular season and then capped the year with a win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
According to a copy of the contract obtained by HawgBeat via a Freedom of Information request, Pittman will receive a $250,000 raise for winning seven games in a season, a $500,000 raise for winning eight games and a $750,000 raise for winning nine or more games.
Those amounts are non-cumulative and would apply to the remaining years on his term. Those win totals also include bowl wins against Power Five or top-25 teams.
For example, if Arkansas goes 7-5 this season and then wins a bowl game against a member of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 or Notre Dame — or a team ranked in the AP or Coaches Poll — to finish 8-5, Pittman’s contract would extend by one season and he’d be paid $5.5 million annually for the next five years.
Pittman is also eligible to receive up to three retention payments, the first of which would be $3.3 million on Dec. 31, 2024. If he’s still employed two years later, he’d get another $2.7 million on Dec. 31, 2026. He’d get another $1.5 million the next year, on Dec. 31, 2027, assuming he’d won seven games to kick in the automatic one-year extension. The three payments, which must be paid in a lump sump on those three dates, total $7.5 million.
If the UA terminates Pittman — with or without cause — or if he leaves without taking another job as a coach or analyst, he’d receive a prorated portion of those payments.
The buyout structure is similar to what was included in Pittman’s first contract with Arkansas. If the Razorbacks fire him for convenience, the amount he’s owed is dependent on his winning percentage beginning with the 2021 season.
Arkansas would owe him 75 percent of his remaining salary if he has won 50 percent or more of his games, but only 50 percent of his remaining salary if he won less than 50 percent of his games. (The 2020 season, in which the Razorbacks went 3-7, is not included in those winning percentages.)
The buyout would be paid in monthly installments over the remaining length of the contract and includes an offset clause, which means any future income would decrease the amount owed to him by Arkansas. Pittman, who turns 61 in November, has a “duty of mitigation” — meaning he must seek comparable employment for fair market value — until he’s 65 years old.
If Pittman chooses to leave and take another job elsewhere, he would owe the UA a buyout of $6 million if he leaves prior to Dec. 1, 2022, $3 million if he leaves prior to Dec. 2023, or $1.5 million if he leaves after Dec. 2, 2023, and before the end of his contract.
The contract includes a non-compete clause, as well, meaning Pittman can’t leave for another SEC job unless he’s terminated for convenience.
Pittman’s incentive payments — which are due on Feb. 1 of each year — include different amounts for varying levels of success.
For bowl games, the amounts are non-cumulative, meaning he’d only receive the highest amount achieved…
~Win the CFP Championship Game: $1 million
~Appear in the CFP Championship Game: $750,000
~Appear in a CFP semifinal bowl game: $500,000
~Appear in a New Year’s Six bowl game: $250,000
~Appear in a Tier 2 (Outback, Taxslayer, Music City, Texas, Las Vegas, Belk, Liberty) bowl: $150,000
~Appear in any other bowl game: $100,000
The other incentives are cumulative. Pittman would receive $100,000 for leading the Razorbacks to the SEC Championship game and another $250,000 if they win it. Winning SEC Coach of the Year is worth $25,000, while winning National Coach of the Year is worth $50,000.
He’s also eligible for smaller incentives based on academic achievements, with a 90% graduation rate worth $25,000 and a graduation rate between 80-89% worth $12,500.
In addition to Pittman’s raise, the Razorbacks’ salary pool for their 10 on-field assistant coaches will be a record-high $6.14 million in 2022 — a 15.3 percent increase over last season.
Statement from athletics director Hunter Yurachek:
“Coach Pittman and his staff have done a tremendous job quickly restoring the pride and belief in our football program. There is no doubt, Coach Pittman has proven to be the right man to lead our football team. He has earned this opportunity with the success he and his staff have had on the field and on the recruiting trail. Last fall, we won four trophies, including one for our victory in the Outback Bowl, and enjoyed our best season in a decade, and I believe we’re just getting started. I look forward to continuing to work with Coach Pittman as we build our football program back to elite status.”
Statement from head coach Sam Pittman:
“Arkansas is where I want to be, this is my dream job,” Pittman said. “I am so grateful for our University and Hunter for believing in me, our coaches and staff and the program we’re building. We are all excited to continue to build on what we’ve done and continue to make our fans and the whole state of Arkansas proud of our football team.”
