How Arkansas Razorbacks redefined their place in the SEC hierarchy with two moves

Coaching Arkansas football was not a most appealing job after the Razorbacks fired Chad Morris in 2019, and some coaching candidates said as much to Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek.

“Many coaches that I talked to said, ‘You can’t win at the University of Arkansas. I don’t believe I can be successful at the University of Arkansas. That’s an uphill battle being in the SEC West,’” Yurachek recalled Friday, during an interview with the USA TODAY Network.

“Sam Pittman never said any of those things to me. He told me how you could win at the University of Arkansas.”

Pittman delivered on his word. The Razorbacks’ nine victories last season marked the program’s most since winning 11 games in 2011, the final year of the Bobby Petrino era.

[ EXCLUSIVE Q&A: Arkansas Razorbacks AD talks Sam Pittman contract, Eric Musselman energy, fan revelry ]

Nabbing Pittman became the second defining hire of Yurachek’s tenure. Pittman and men's basketball coach Eric Musselman have repositioned Arkansas within the SEC.

Yurachek and Morris were introduced at Arkansas on consecutive days in December 2017.

Yurachek was not involved in Morris’ hire. The Arkansas AD didn’t need long to act on what had become obvious – Morris’ program was headed nowhere fast. Yurachek fired Morris after just 22 games.

The previous spring, Yurachek made the more difficult decision to fire men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson.

A Nolan Richardson disciple, Anderson never posted a losing record in eight seasons as Arkansas’ coach, but the Razorbacks also never advanced beyond the NCAA Tournament's second round.

Swapping Anderson for Musselman, who excelled for four seasons at Nevada, rejuvenated Arkansas' once-elite program.

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Arkansas reached the Elite Eight in Musselman’s second season.

One year later, Musselman’s 15th-ranked Razorbacks (23-6, 12-4 SEC) are again one of the country’s hottest teams, with 13 wins in their past 14 games.

"He has made it en vogue again to be part of the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball program," Yurachek said.

Paralleled success in football and men's basketball had been uncommon for Arkansas. Not since 1989-90 has the Arkansas basketball team won at least 25 games in the same athletic season that its football program won at least nine games.

“Everything within our state, from an athletic standpoint, revolves around the Arkansas Razorbacks,” Yurachek said, “and, specifically, your football and basketball programs. When those are where they are today, the mood around the state … is just fabulous.”

Those smiles come with a price.

Arkansas nears new deal with Sam Pittman

As a first-time FBS coach without coordinator experience, Pittman signed a contract favorable to Arkansas. His compensation in 2021 ranked 12th among the SEC’s 13 coaches at public universities.

Arkansas’ performance triggered a raise that elevated Pittman’s salary to $3.75 million this year, which still ranks near the bottom of the conference.

The university is nearing completion of a new deal for Pittman that Yurachek would like to see finalized within the next couple weeks.

“We’re going to make sure we get his contract right, both for the University of Arkansas and for Sam Pittman,” Yurachek said.

“I think everybody is in agreement, from the athletic director to our interim chancellor to our board, that we want to reward Sam for the great season he had, some great seasons that we believe are in the future under his leadership, and Sam has reiterated that this is the only place he wants to be the head football coach.”

The Razorbacks did not win an SEC game during Morris’ two-year tenure, and they went 8-28 overall in the three seasons before Pittman’s hire.

Pittman had coached Arkansas’ offensive line during the first three seasons of the Bret Bielema era. He departed to become the offensive line coach at Georgia, where he furthered his reputation as a valued recruiter who was popular with players.

Some former Arkansas players campaigned for Pittman to replace Morris, and the coach’s authentic, “blue-collar mentality” resonates with Razorbacks fans, Yurachek said.

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Prolonged success will require Pittman to elevate recruiting throughout the region.

Arkansas is one of three SEC schools that stand as the lone Power Five program in their state, but the depth of in-state talent is not as rich as some other states within the SEC’s footprint.

The 2022 signing class illustrated that.

Arkansas signed eight of the top 10 in-state prospects, but its class ranked 28th nationally in the 247Sports Composite, good for 13th in the SEC.

Pittman supplemented the class with a strong crop of transfers, led by cornerback Dwight McGlothern (LSU), linebacker Drew Sanders (Alabama), safety Latavious Brini (Georgia) and wide receiver Jadon Haselwood (Oklahoma).

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Arkansas emerged as a darling underdog story last season thanks to September victories over Texas and Texas A&M. Led by returning quarterback K.J. Jefferson, the Razorbacks won’t catch anyone by surprise this season. They’re ranked No. 19 in USA TODAY’s early preseason rankings, but they will encounter one of the nation’s stiffest schedules, including nonconference games against Cincinnati and BYU.

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“We’re not going to sneak up on anybody,” said Yurachek, who earlier this year received a contract extension through 2027 that pays him $1.25 million annually.

“We still can have that fighter’s mentality and that underdog mentality, but I think everybody throughout our league and who we’ll play on our schedule understand what Sam Pittman is building, and the University of Arkansas is no longer a football program you can overlook.”

How fans are reacting to Arkansas Razorbacks’ success

Entering the final week of the regular season, Musselman’s Razorbacks remain in contention for their first regular-season conference crown since 1994.

Arkansas will host LSU on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT, ESPN2) before playing at No. 13 Tennessee on Saturday. Wins in those games coupled with at least one Auburn loss would catapult Arkansas to the top of the standings.

Arkansas’ success keeps the SEC’s meter maid busy.

Fans rushed the field after the football team defeated former Southwest Conference rival Texas, inducing a $100,000 fine.

Next came a $250,000 fine in February after fans from a record crowd at Bud Walton Arena stormed the court following an upset of Auburn, then ranked No. 1.

The day after Auburn went down, Yurachek tweeted photos that showed the joyful scenes after the football triumph over Texas and the hoops takedown of Auburn. “Priceless!” Yurachek tweeted.

“I can’t be flippant about what has been $350,000 in fines from the Southeastern Conference,” Yurachek said, “but I think for the fans of Razorback football and the fans of Razorback men’s basketball – and many of those are one and the same – it was well worth it.”

Now that Arkansas has reached a higher plane, its continued success calls for a bit of restraint on celebrations. When I spoke with Yurachek on Friday, he said the university had a plan to keep fans off the court if the Razorbacks beat Kentucky the next day.

Sure enough, Arkansas defeated Kentucky by two points.

Fans remained in the stands, while Musselman waved his right arm toward the crowd to encourage the roars from supporters reveling in the Razorbacks’ ascent.

Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. If you enjoy Blake’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Arkansas coaches Sam Pittman and Eric Musselman redefine success