Sam Pittman Coaching History & Bio

Sam Pittman is entering his sixth season as the Arkansas Razorbacks head football coach.

Sam Pittman Teams Coached	Years Coached	Sam Pittman Coaching Record
Arkansas	2020-Present	30-31 (14-28 SEC)

Sam Pittman Year-By-Year Coaching Record at Arkansas

YEAR	RECORD (SEC)
2024	7-6 (3-5)
2023	4-8 (1-7)
2022	7-6 (3-5)
2021	9-4 (4-4)
2020	3-7 (3-7)

Sam Pittman Coaching History

• 1987-88: Princeton (Mo.) HS — Head coach
• 1989-90: Trenton (Mo.) HS — Head coach
• 1991: Hutchinson (Kan.) CC — Offensive line coach
• 1992-93: Hutchinson (Kan.) CC — Head coach
• 1994-95: Northern Illinois — Offensive line coach
• 1996: Cincinnati — Offensive tackles/tight ends coach
• 1997-98: Oklahoma — Offensive line coach
• 1999: Western Michigan — Assistant coach
• 2000: Missouri — Offensive line coach
• 2001: Kansas — Offensive line coach
• 2003: Northern Illinois — Offensive line coach
• 2004-06: Northern Illinois — Assistant head coach/offensive line coach
• 2007-10: North Carolina — Offensive line coach
• 2011: North Carolina — Associate head coach/offensive line coach
• 2012: Tennessee — Offensive line coach
• 2013-15: Arkansas — Assistant head coach/offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator
• 2016-2018: Georgia — Offensive line coach
• 2019: Georgia — Associate head coach/offensive line coach
• 2020-present: Arkansas — head coach

Sam Pittman Coaching Record

Sam Pittman, one of those colorful and friendly coaches in college football, breathed life back into the Arkansas football program when he was hired away from Georgia, where he was the offensive line coach.

Pittman was named the 34th head coach in Razorback history ahead of the 2020 season.

With a pair of seasoned coordinators in Barry Odom and Kendal Briles, Pittman and the Razorbacks quickly revived the program, which had won 8 games combined in the 3 seasons prior to Pittman’s arrival. The Hogs won 9 games in 2021, including an Outback Bowl victory over Penn State. That was the program’s most wins in a decade. Arkansas finished the season ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll, a year-end ranking for the first time since 2011.

After going 3-7 in his first season while playing an all-SEC schedule, the 2021 team started 4-0 and rose to No. 8 in the AP Poll, thanks to wins over LSU and Texas A&M. Then they won the Outback Bowl to finish No. 21. For Arkansas faithful, Pittman was a refreshing change from an era where wins were all but impossible. Arkansas had failed to win an SEC game in the 2 years before Pittman’s arrival.

However, after a 7-6 record and a Liberty Bowl win in 2022, things took a turn for the worse in 2023. The Hogs finished the year with a disappointing 4-8 record and a 1-7 mark in SEC play. Now Pittman enters 2024 on the hot seat.

A native of Oklahoma, Pittman played at Pittsburg State in Kansas, and later went on to coach mostly offensive line since the late 1980s. Later, he was the OL coach at 6 programs in the Power 5. Pittman played defensive end at Pittsburg State, where he was a first-team NAIA All-American and twice earned all-conference recognition. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1986 and was inducted into the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

Known as an elite recruiter, Pittman was a key part of the Georgia turnaround under Kirby Smart, and used the trademark phrase, “Yessir!” in videos on social media when a commit announced a pledge to play for him.

He has coached 17 players that have been selected in the NFL Draft since 2013, including first-round picks Andrew Thomas (4th in 2020), Isaiah Wilson (29th in 2020), Frank Ragnow (20th in 2018), Isaiah Wynn (23rd in 2018), Ja’Wuan James (19th overall in 2014) and Jonathan Cooper (7th overall in 2013).

Pittman has coached 7 offensive linemen that were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, including the 6 above and Stockar McDougle (20th overall in 2000). Travis Swanson also became the highest drafted Razorback center in school history at the time when he was picked 76th overall in 2014. It was Swanson who Pittman coached when he was an original member of Bret Bielema’s staff at Arkansas in 2013. Pittman turned the Razorbacks’ offensive line into one of the league’s best as Swanson earned first-team All-America honors and was a Rimington Trophy finalist.

During his first stint with the Razorbacks, Pittman coached some of the best offensive lineman in recent memory, including Swanson, Sebastian Tretola, Dan Skipper and Ragnow.

But as a head coach, one of the early signs of progress at Arkansas came when Pittman led the Hogs to upset No. 16 Mississippi State on the road, 21-14, which snapped a 20-game SEC losing streak and was the program’s first win against a ranked team since 2016.

FAQs About Sam Pittman?

What is Sam Pittman's Salary?

Pittman’s salary in 2024 was $6.45 million before bonuses. That includes base pay of $5.25 million and a $1.2 million retention escalator paid each Dec. 31 that he remains Arkansas’ coach.

What is the Length of Sam Pittman's Contract?

Pittman signed a 4-year extension in 2022 that runs through the 2027 season.

What is Sam Pittman's Buyout?

Pittman’s buyout is based on his overall record since 2021, which may have saved him from getting fired in 2024. If Pittman’s record since his second season in Fayetteville falls below .500, he is only owed 50% of the remaining salary on his contract. If he is fired without cause and his record is above .500 — which it is now, barely — he would be due 75% of his remaining money, or approximately $12.2 million in 2025.

What is Sam Pittman's Favorite Catchphrase?

Pittman’s favorite catchphrase is “Yesssssir!” It’s a phrase he uses often, but it helped him become a social media sensation when he was the offensive line coach at Georgia thanks to a series of videos in which he used it to celebrate the Bulldogs’ offensive line recruiting commitments. He also used it in a video with Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek upon his hiring with the Razorbacks in December 2019.