What Sam Pittman said at SEC Media Days
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You're in a unique situation knowing you were a former head coach, high school level, junior college level, now at Arkansas. How has that helped you in this landscape that we see now, not only the normal recruiting process but also the transfer portal?
Yeah, I remember being the head coach at Hudson Junior College. They said you had to have 120, 140 kids on your team. I went out west of Kansas, recruited, recruited. At a junior college you're going to recruit 85, 90 kids every year. It's kind of crazy.
Yeah, I've been raised up with a lot of people. That's basically what's portal is doing now. With us, we signed 22 and 9. We signed 31 scholarships, which is unheard of, two years ago, if you know what I'm saying. Change happens. It just depends on if you're willing to deal with the change or are you going to fight the change.
For us, we're willing to do whatever we can to make our football team the best.
What do you think of the job Barry Odom has done there the last few years? How different do you expect the defense to look this year?
We lost a lot of players off our defense. We feel like we did a nice job of getting some portal guys to help us. Obviously we're advancing the guys we had on our team.
Barry Odom is a key, key part of the University of Arkansas's success, along with Kendal Briles, all our coaches. He's a very, very key part. Especially because he helps me, and he still helps me. I'm a work in progress. He helps me with head coaching responsibilities. I bounce everything off of him still to this day.
But Barry Odom is one of the most loyal, wonderful people that there is in the country. He's unbelievable, loyal to myself and the university. I'm really, really happy that he's part of our staff.
Wide receiver position in particular, if you could evaluate that. Also the role that Malik Hornsby could play on this team.
Well, I think obviously the unsaid thing there was Burks, losing Treylon Burks. I don't know you replace a guy one for one. I don't think you can there. We're going to have to do it by committee.
I like a couple of the guys we've gotten in the portal in Matt Landers and Jadon Haselwood. I think Ketron Jackson is going to have his best year. I think he's ready to go. Warren Thompson is ready to go. Bryce Stephens has improved. I like who we signed out of the freshman class. Still yet to be determined whether they can help us or not. Isaiah Sategna, Sam Mbake, and Quincey McAdoo, they've all had good -- one had an off-season, then summer. We're going to have to do it by committee.
I'll say this. We look like a wide receiver group, we run like a wide receiver group. KJ is going to have to get comfortable with where these guys are going to be. He has to get comfortable with their speed, how they run their routes. That was certainly the number one thing offensively that was concerning, along with Malik, we have used him at wide receiver. He's fast. He has natural ball skills. We need to get him on the field. If he doesn't beat KJ out in fall camp, he needs to be on the field. He's fast, up to 190 pounds now. He can withstand the heat. Hits, physicality.
The other thing that helped us is Cade Fortin. So getting Cade Fortin in at quarterback allows us a little bit to move Malik Hornsby out and look at him at wideout. He's a good enough player he needs to be on the field. He's certainly got a chance to help us there, as well.
What does it mean for you to be a part of the Arkansas athletic department that has been one of the best in all the country across all major sports?
We got to get better. If you're at Arkansas right now, everybody is doing so much more than we are. We have to get better. Seriously it's unbelievable. When the basketball team goes to Elite Eight, Dave and them go to the World Series, Courtney and them win the SEC. I could go on. Women's soccer won SEC. Buck and them won the SEC in track. It's unbelievable.
I think you have to look at those individual coaches, you certainly have to look at Hunter Yurachek and his staff. It's a great time to be a Hog now. I think everybody in the state's pumped up about sports. You can see that in ticket sales and revenue, those things as well. I'm certainly excited to be a part of it.
Are you comfortable saying Arkansas has arrived?
No (laughter).
Second question, do you want Texas and Oklahoma as permanent rivals?
Yes. First answer, no. Oh, no, no, no, no. Arkansas is just trying to compete. We're trying to get better. We're trying to fight hard. We're trying to work hard. We're the underdog. We like it that way. No, no, no, we're way from that. Now, we will compete. We'll do that. Roll it out there and let's play ball. But, no, no, no, not that.
What was your second question? Oh, Oklahoma and Texas. It was fun playing Texas last year. Obviously it was one year we had a nice game against them and those things. Have a lot of respect for Coach Sark and the Longhorns. Oklahoma would be another rival that would be pretty cool, to be honest with you.
If we could play Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, that would be really neat. I'm not the schedule maker. I'm just a football coach. But to answer your question, that would be a really cool deal, growing up in the state of Oklahoma.
The Hog statue on your property, can you explain the backstory as to what led to that. Was that before or after you had a new contract coming?
I like that last pitch (smiling). The Hog statue. I bought the marlin house, and big old marlin had a big marlin over here, had a guy catching a marlin over here. The guy over here, he was like this, he was hooking the marlin on the other part of it. Jamie and I bought it on August 1st. August 3rd the storm came through, knocked the marlin down. Marlin shot water into the lake.
So my mind went to a slobbering hog. Insurance company came through. Brandon White was the guy I called about the hog. I just thought the hog was going to be out there. This thing is incredible, to be honest with you. He's got lights on him, red, whatever color lights you want. The water shoots up. It looks like he's slobbering down into the lake. That's the story behind it.
It's really kind of cool. Boats on parade coming down to the house, they call the hogs. A sign that says, Don't get on the hog. A few people that do. I wish they'd read the sign.
This is your third year at Arkansas, first time you're not being picked to finish seventh in the SEC West. Doesn't it feel good to be recognized for the success you and your players have had? How has it been different this season where you're actually getting credit from a lot of people?
I said when I got the head coaching job that the only decisions that I'd make, they would not concern public opinion. That way, if we win, we win as a group. If we lose, I get fired, I get fired because I did it like I wanted to.
Obviously you can't live in a cave and not hear what people say about you or predictions and all that stuff. If that's the only driving force that you have, you're going to lose. If that's the only driving force to be good, you're going to lose.
If we can keep our core values, let's go out-work people, let's out-tough people. Let's be the hardest-playing team in football. I don't know if we are or not. That's the goal. By the way, that's the expectation. Then whatever people may say, everybody has a mouth, everybody has an opinion. Some of 'em, the opinions are worthy and some aren't.
I'm going to let our football team, myself, drive what we need to accomplish. If we do, the kids and the coaching staff did a great job. If we don't, I screwed it up.
My question is about the defensive line. You like the numbers and the talent there? Dorian Gerald, can you talk about his story a little bit, what he might be able to do for you.
Dorian Gerald has been there so long, I told him the other day, I think Houston Nutt brought him in. I don't know how long he's been there (smiling). Dorian, we obviously need pass-rushers.
I love the numbers. Actually we're over, to be honest with you, on numbers there. We've got 20, counting walk-ons. We need some elite pass-rushers. We went and got Landon Jackson. Obviously Zach Williams is returning and Jashaud Stewart is returning. Eric Gregory can do either/or. We signed Jordan Domineck. We think we can get to the quarterback a little bit more.
We also feel a little better with our corner situation where we can play a little man coverage. We've got to get behind them, chains on first down. We did better last year. We have to continue getting better. Having man-to-man corners is going to help you do that. I feel a lot better. Isaiah Nichols on the inside. Obviously losing Taurean Carter for whatever the period of time it is hurt us. He was having a wonderful spring. But other than that I feel good. Terry Hampton coming in. I feel good about Taylor Lewis, some of those guys.
We'll see what happens. But I think we'll be much better on the D-line than we were a year ago.
You and LSU kind of had a little player swap this year. What are you expecting from Dwight McGlothern, Landon Jackson? What is LSU getting in Greg Brooks and Joe Foucha?
Let's go with what LSU is getting. Two fine kids. Ones that were never in trouble, gave everything for the University of Arkansas. We're very, very happy that they were on our football team. They'll work hard. They're good kids. They're good players. Certainly when you go in the same division, it's harder. But great kids, great parents. Coach Kelly got two fine, fine football players.
For us, Dwight McGlothern is a guy we think can play man-to-man cover corner. More importantly, he thinks he can play man-to-man cover corner (smiling). He can. He's long. I like him a lot. Landon Jackson came over with an injury. Wonderful person, wonderful kid. He's just now healthy. He can run. I mean, he can run run. Long.
We felt like not necessarily from LSU, but we felt like some of our issues were rushing the passer as a defensive end and a cover, man-to-man cover corner situation. Not that we don't have 'em, but we needed more. We felt like we did well with those two guys in the portal.
You brought up the schedule. I don't know if you know this, but you're 16-6 against the spread. I wanted to say thank you.
How much?
16-6.
Go Hogs (laughter).
You brought up how difficult the schedule has been; you're not in control of it. You're the most likable coach in the conference if not the country. Who is doing this to you in the scheduling? Are there plans to scale that back a little bit moving forward?
Well, you know, schedules are scheduled out so many years in advance. Nobody knew, maybe they did, but Cincinnati, when they were scheduled, I know they weren't in the College Football Playoff. BYU has always been really, really a good program. But they're at the top of their game. Well, not top. I think they played for a national championship a few years back. I may be all messed up on that one.
But being 21-4, having 20 starters coming back, I laugh at home saying they're trying to fire me. I hope not. I mean, I like it there. So I think with the realignment, which thank you for not asking me that question, everything is trying to become fair. Right now the West, if you're in the West, it's a beast. I'm not saying the East isn't. You have that, then play another couple, three teams in your non-conference schedule that are go-getters, it's hard, hard to maintain.
Last year we went 4-0. Somebody said, You're not going to be able to slip on anybody. We didn't slip up on Georgia last year either. I think they knew we was coming in there. I don't know. One point I'm hoping it will ease up a little bit. But right now it hasn't.
After the beating of Texas last year, what message do you have for the Oklahoma and Texas fans coming over to the SEC? What are the most played songs on your jukebox in your office?
We love you, Texas and Oklahoma. Can't wait for you to come over. We got a great place. I don't know what to tell 'em. OU, I was a kid, rooted for the Sooners till I moved over to eastern Oklahoma where I became a Razorback fan. Storied football program. We're having recruiting battles with them right now, thank the Lord. Before we couldn't get in the door. But we're having recruiting battles. We are having recruiting battles with Texas. I'm not telling you we're whipping them or anything like that. I'm telling you we're in the conversation. It's so close, you know? You have two storied programs there.
But I would tell them what they already know: it's a hell of a league. It's about big people and fast people. Not any different probably than the Big 12. Consistently each week you better have some depth. Those guys are great coaches over there at Texas, Oklahoma. They know that.
My jukebox, the most played thing, Stevie Nicks. I don't know her. Jamie didn't hear me say that. But I like her. I think Fleetwood Mac. But, oh, my, I'm listening to a four-song rundown right now. If I can do eight, then come back with the top two, I can get my two-mile walk in. That's what I'm doing right now.