What was once old is new again, with Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman hoping a redemption story can pull the Razorbacks football program out of its offensive tailspin.
In a stunning turn of events, Bobby Petrino is returning to Fayetteville, this time to serve as the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Chris Low, who first reported the deal being finalized. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported earlier Tuesday that Arkansas was ‘vetting’ Petrino.
Petrino was the Arkansas head coach from 2008-11, posting a 34-17 record and stringing together a two-season stretch better than any other this century. Arkansas won 10 games in his final two seasons with the program, culminating with a Cotton Bowl victory over Kansas State.
But Petrino was fired by Arkansas on April 10, 2012, after a strange series of events.
On April 1, he was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in northwest Arkansas. He initially told university officials he was alone on the motorcycle, but it eventually came out that he had a passenger — then-25-year-old Jessica Dorrell.
BOBBY PETRINO MOTORCYCLE SCANDAL: Why former Arkansas football coach was fired in 2012
It was eventually revealed that Petrino had an affair with Dorrell and had hired the former Arkansas volleyball player to work in the athletics department after giving her a $20,000 gift. He had not previously disclosed his relationship to university officials.
Arkansas fired Petrino with cause, as then-athletics director Jeff Long told reporters Petrino had ‘engaged in a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior’ before and after the motorcycle crash.
Since then, Petrino has been the head coach at Western Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri State. His career record as a head coach is 137-71. Petrino nearly led Missouri State to a win over Arkansas in 2022.
Petrino left the head-coaching ranks after the 2022 season and became the offensive coordinator for Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. The Aggies ranked 54th in total offense and 26th in scoring (34.2 ppg) in 2023. Fisher was fired earlier this month, and Texas A&M recently announced it had hired Mike Elko away from Duke.
On the surface, this fit both makes sense and feels out-of-sorts. Pittman has spoken about wanting an offensive coordinator and coaches with ties to Arkansas. Petrino obviously has that, and he has first-hand experience with winning big in Fayetteville.
But this will be the third offensive coordinator in three years for the Razorbacks, and Petrino’s offenses are closer to Dan Enos than Kendall Briles. Pittman said in his final press conference that Arkansas needed a coordinator who knew how to run the football, and Texas A&M ranked just 89th in the country with 141.4 yards per game.
However, this move will certainly energize a fan base that had become increasingly frustrated with Pittman, and specifically athletic director Hunter Yurachek’s decision to retain the embattled head coach.
Coincidentally — or perhaps perfectly planned — Arkansas announced its new NIL collective Tuesday morning, which allows fans to donate money directly to the program.