The Arkansas football team became the latest power 4 program to part ways with their head coach. Sam Pittman was fired by Arkansas on Sunday, a day after getting blown out by Notre Dame. While a lot of names are going to be tied to this job in the coming months, it appears several Arkansas donors are focusing in on one guy.
“Industry sources told The Athletic some key Razorback money folks want to bring SMU's Rhett Lashlee back to Arkansas,” The Athletic's Bruce Feldman posted to X, formerly Twitter.
Lashlee is the head coach at SMU. He led the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff during the 2024 season. It appears one of the Arkansas money people who wants Lashlee is an NFL team owner.
“Lashlee has the support of one of the biggest Hogs supporters. Industry sources told The Athletic this weekend that Jerry Jones — as in the Dallas Cowboys owner and former Razorbacks offensive lineman — and his family are squarely behind getting Lashlee to Arkansas,” Feldman wrote for the outlet.
Lashlee is a former Arkansas football quarterback. He played for the Razorbacks from 2002-2004.
Pittman leaves Fayetteville after a 2-3 start to the 2025 season. He lost his last three games, including an upset defeat to Memphis. Pittman was in his sixth season at the school.
Arkansas football will have lots of interest for this coaching position
The Razorbacks have a lot of money behind them, with powerful donors like Jones. Jones was one of the people who was able to lure John Calipari away from Kentucky to coach Arkansas basketball.
The SEC is a very difficult conference in football, with all sorts of powerful programs. There are several coaches who will likely show interest in the Arkansas position. This includes North Texas coach Eric Morris, as well as Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield. Ironically, Silverfield just recently defeated the Razorbacks.
Arkansas football's next coach will have a rebuild to do. Pittman leaves the Razorbacks with just three winning seasons since 2020. His team allowed 641 total yards of offense to Notre Dame.
Following the game, Pittman made light of the fact that he was under fire.
“I get it. If I was a fan I’d be mad at me, too. I’d be frustrated as hell with me,” Pittman said Saturday night, per the Associated Press. “But, as long as I’m the head coach at Arkansas, I’m going to fight my butt off to get the guys out there. How long that is, it’s not, it’s partly up to me because of what we put on the field. But that’s not my call.”
Arkansas football next plays at Tennessee on October 11. Former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino is the interim coach. Petrino was working as offensive coordinator under Pittman.
