Pittman turns to 31 portal additions in hopes of improvement in 2025

A whopping 31 transfers have been brought to Fayetteville in hopes of dragging Arkansas football from the ditch of mediocrity.

If they cannot, Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman soon may be ditched.

In five seasons under Pittman, Arkansas is 30-31 and just 14-28 against Southeastern Conference opponents. That’s significantly more success than Arkansas had under predecessor Chad Morris but hardly acceptable for a once-proud program.

On the positive side, Pittman has led Arkansas to three winning seasons. That includes a 9-4 mark in 2021, which is Arkansas’ best output since going 11-2 in 2011.

Even that could be problematic because the coach of that 11-2 team — Bobby Petrino — is Pittman’s offensive coordinator. Last year, calls echoed throughout the Ozarks for Petrino to replace Pittman.

It was understandable. The Razorbacks' offense was satisfactorily productive.

Behind quarterback Taylen Green, Arkansas was second in the SEC in total offense and sixth in scoring offense.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

Texas A&M defeated Arkansas 21-17 on Sept. 28, 2024, in the final game of the series to be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

However, the defense was a debacle. Arkansas ranked 16th in the SEC in pass defense. Seven opponents completed multiple touchdown passes against the Razorbacks. Ole Miss had seven.

So, Pittman looked to the transfer portal to patch gaping holes in the secondary.

“We brought in body types that are strictly corner, then we brought in body types that are corner and boundary safety,” Pittman said this spring. “Where we were depleted was the secondary. We wanted to be right with who chose us and who we chose.

“That was our thinking to bring in some true corners, then some guys that were corners who could also play another position. That’s where we’re at right now. We’ll kind of figure a little bit more of that out over the summer and then in fall camp.”

Fingers are crossed that transfers Kani Walker (Oklahoma), Julian Neal (Fresno State), Jordan Young (Cincinnati), Shakur Smalls (Maine) and Keshawn Davila (Northwest Mississippi CC) can help dramatically improve pass coverage.

Alas, Pittman has other problems.

The top eight leading receivers from 2024 have moved on. Arkansas’ most productive returning running back rushed for just 354 yards last season. The leader in sacks, All-SEC defensive end Landon Jackson, was taken in the NFL Draft. The second-leader in sacks, Brad Spence, transferred to Texas.

That all explains why Pittman was so busy with the transfer portal. Unless most of those transfers excel, Arkansas may transfer its coaching duties to someone else. Petrino perhaps.

Arkansas Razorbacks

2024 record: 7-6; 3-5 in the SEC

Primary area of strength: Taylen Green proved himself as a bona fide SEC quarterback after transferring from Boise State. He’s a dual threat who accounted for 3,756 yards of total offense.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Taylen Green passed for 279 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the September matchup with A&M.

Primary area of concern: The secondary allowed an average of 246.9 passing yards in 2024. Only two SEC teams allowed fewer touchdown passes. Three starters must be replaced, which might be a blessing in disguise.

Top returners

• QB Taylen Green: Passed for 3,154 yards and 15 touchdowns. Rushed for 602 yards and eight touchdowns.
• LB Xavian Sorey Jr.: Had 99 tackles, 9.5 TFLs and two sacks.
• DT Cameron Ball: Had 47 tackles, four TFLs and 1.5 sacks.

Key additions

• RB Mike Washington Jr.: New Mexico State transfer rushed for 725 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
• LT Corey Robinson II: Georgia Tech transfer started seven games in 2024.
• WR O’Mega Blake: Charlotte transfer caught 32 passes for 795 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024.

Key losses

• DE Landon Jackson: All-SEC and NFL third-round selection (Buffalo Bills). Had 49 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season.
• WR Andrew Armstrong: Last year’s leading receiver had 78 catches for 1,140 yards.
• DT Eric Gregory: Had 42 tackles, five TFLs and three sacks in 2024.

2025 Arkansas Schedule

• Aug. 30 vs. Alabama A&M
• Sept. 6 vs. Arkansas State (at Little Rock)
• Sept. 13 at Ole Miss
• Sept. 20 at Memphis
• Sept. 27 vs. Notre Dame
• Oct. 11 at Tennessee
• Oct. 18 vs. Texas A&M
• Oct. 25 vs. Auburn
• Nov. 1 vs. Mississippi State
• Nov. 15 at LSU
• Nov. 22 at Texas
• Nov. 29 vs. Missouri