What coach Sam Pittman contract's non-compete agreement means for Arkansas football

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman made an impromptu appearance on ESPN in October 2020 with Scott Van Pelt to discuss how he was going to turn the program around.

Pittman was just under a year into his first head coaching job, and Van Pelt asked if Arkansas felt like home.

"This is it for me," Pittman said. "I'm not interested in any other program. Arkansas is truly the greatest program in America to me. We're home, and this is where we want to be. This will be my last job."

A year and a half later, Pittman has a brand new contract to remain at Arkansas through 2027. He'll earn $6 million per year including retention pay. Page 16 of the deal includes a section that helps prove Pittman's comments on TV weren't just pandering to fans.

The contract includes a "covenant not to compete." In essence, Pittman agreed not to seek or accept a head coaching or assistant position at any other SEC school for the duration of the contract. Unless he is fired "for convenience," or without cause, Pittman cannot work for another coach in the SEC until after 2027, or whenever his contract is up should it be extended via the incentives it contains.

Even if Pittman resigns or is fired for cause, he cannot pursue another SEC job.

Pittman isn't the first Arkansas football coach to have such language in his contract. Both Bobby Petrino and Bret Bielema's deals contained similar non-compete agreements. Chad Morris' contract did not preclude him from coaching elsewhere in the SEC, but did contain a "covenant not to disclose proprietary information."

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After he "shot (his) mouth off," as Pittman himself called it, on TV in 2020, the noncompete agreement almost literally puts his money where his mouth is. It's helping him win the hearts of fans with his loyalty, and it's a boost in recruiting, too.

"We're one of eight programs of 130 that have the two coordinators and the head coach coming back for year three," Pittman told reporters Tuesday. "I thought we could sell some stability, and that's why I wanted it in the contract. I told the people of Arkansas that this would be my last job, and I wanted a piece of paper to confirm what my mouth said."

Pittman's deal was finalized at the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, where he said he, men's basketball coach Eric Musselman, women's basketball coach Mike Neighbors and other Arkansas staff were able to celebrate accordingly.

"It was an honor that the school thought enough of me to give me a longer contract and obviously financial benefit of that," Pittman said. "But also very humbling and an honor that as long as we can keep winning, I could be the head coach at Arkansas for several years, and that was the goal of it."

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Sam Pittman contract: Arkansas football non-compete agreement details