Five candidates to replace Sam Pittman at Arkansas

The Arkansas Razorbacks of the powerhouse Southeastern Conference are searching for a new head coach after athletics director Hunter Yurachek fired Sam Pittman on Sunday.

Pittman, named the program’s head coach in December of 2019, went 32-34 overall in Fayetteville. The team was just 2-3 so far in the 2025 season, and that included a blowout 56-13 home loss to non-conference foe Notre Dame on Saturday.

Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who was the Razorbacks’ head coach from 2008-11, will serve as the squad’s interim head coach for the rest of the 2025 campaign.

Here are five candidates who will likely be heavily considered as the next head coach at Arkansas.

Bobby PetrinoAccording to Sunday’s statement from Yurachek, Petrino has already expressed an interest in being a candidate for the full-time head coaching position with the Razorbacks. Yurachek says the program’s national search for its next head coach will include Petrino. In his four seasons as the team’s head coach, Petrino went 34-17 overall.

Rhett LashleeLashlee has done a terrific job as the head coach at Atlantic Coast Conference school SMU. In the Mustangs’ first season in the ACC last year, Lashlee guided SMU to the 12-team College Football Playoff. He grew up in Springdale, Ark., and played quarterback for the Razorbacks. Lashlee was a graduate assistant at Arkansas, and he’s compiled a 31–14 record at SMU.

Barry OdomOdom, the head coach at Purdue, has deep SEC ties. He was the head coach at Missouri from 2016-19. From 2020-22, Odom served as the defensive coordinator at Arkansas, and his former coaching experience there should make him a candidate for the Razorbacks’ job. As a college head coach, Odom is 46-35 overall.

Gus MalzahnMalzahn, the offensive coordinator at Florida State, went to high school in Fort Smith, Ark., and was a walk-on wide receiver with the Razorbacks for two seasons. He served as the head coach of fellow SEC school Auburn from 2013-20, taking the Tigers to the national championship game at the end of the 2013 campaign.

Jon SumrallThe Tulane head coach is getting a lot of buzz as a candidate to receive offers for head coaching vacancies at power-four programs. He’s 36–10 overall, and that includes two excellent seasons at Troy and then additional success with the Green Wave. Sumrall was a linebacker at Kentucky. He has been an assistant coach at two SEC schools, Kentucky and Ole Miss.