Picture this: It’s a cold March morning, and the SEC rumor mill is already spinning. While some teams are scrambling to get better, others are straight up falling apart. And there’s one team keeping it low-key, waiting for their moment: Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks. Arkansas, they wrapped up the regular season 6-6, but they pulled off a surprise Liberty Bowl win against Texas Tech, who were sitting pretty at 8-4. That shut up the haters for a minute anyway. But, you know how it goes. Trouble’s always lurking. And a Fox analyst just dropped brutal reality checks. Not one, not two, but three things Arkansas can’t just ignore. Like, are they about to get blindsided? Looks like the fight to stay relevant in the 2025 season starts now!

Arkansas lives in SEC purgatory—not elite, not awful, just stuck. Now, this season they are in a better place with a 7-6 record than just trailing behind with a 4-8. But 2025 isn’t doing them any favors either, with hurdles stacked high. And now, RJ Young has unloaded a bold list of flaws Sam Pittman can’t afford to ignore.

Threat #1

“We start with losing 25 scholarship players. Everybody usually loses players every year, but it feels like these always hit Arkansas just a little bit harder. Luke Hasz is at the top of the list for me, right? Isaiah Sategna transferring to Oklahoma—those are two playmakers on your offense that are just gone now,” Young said.

Let’s be real: losing 25 players in the portal in just two days is not a joke. And that’s not the story of this season; back in 2023, 26 scholarship players entered the transfer portal. It’s evident that they lost their star tight end Luke Hasz but also added Pleasant Valley’s Gavin Garretson into the roster. Then there’s Isaiah Sategna, who made a move towards OU. But Sam Pittman even got that covered by adding Jace Brown and Kam Shanks. Plus, can we blame him, though? Sategna just logged two receptions in four games as a true freshman with 12 yards. And the hunger for more playtime is real.

But that’s not even the half of it, as Sam Pittman’s crew has another problem brewing: threat #2.

“Though, you still got Taylen Green, who I think is one of the most athletic players in all of college football. But you need to take better care of him. You would not be shocked to know, as an Arkansas fan, that they were really bad at protecting Taylen Green, who got sacked 32 times,” Young noted. Well, the former Boise State QB balled out last season under Bobby Petrino, throwing for over 3,100 yards and racking up 23 total TDs. Yet the real problem lies in their offensive line. Remember their game against the Longhorns? Where Jahdae Barron had a 6-yard sack on Taylen on the final play of the first half.

This season, the team needs to avoid that. Arkansas’ offensive line struggled mightily in 2024, surrendering 32 sacks and placing 114th among 134 FBS teams in sacks allowed. That’s a disaster in the SEC, especially when your defense isn’t shutting teams down either. Now, putting the last nail in the coffin, RJ Young highlights one of the major setbacks for Sam Pittman’s team. And that’s threat #3, their tough schedule.

“Looking at the schedule, I’m going, my goodness, dude. The way that Kirby Smart was upset about the schedule that Greg Sankey and the SEC office gave them in 2024, you might hear something similar from Arkansas. But a lot of this they did to themselves.”

Arkansas faces a tough road schedule with matchups against Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, and Texas. Lane Kiffin will be scheming with Austin Simmons, who is a skilled quarterback. Josh Heupel has Nico Iamaleava ready for payback. LSU boasts Garrett Nussmeier, who excels at deep passes, and they have improved on both offense and defense. And let’s not forget Texas is filled with talent like Arch Manning, Ryan Wingo, CJ Baxter, and a strong offensive line.

Every game seems challenging, with tough opponents like Notre Dame, fresh off a national title appearance, waiting to flex, and A&M still looms as an annual headache. Auburn and Missouri also present formidable challenges. The schedule leaves little room for error, putting pressure on Pittman to deliver results. But that’s not the only issue Sam Pittman is facing….

Sam Pittman’s future is in jeopardy

Sam Pittman is totally into transforming Arkansas’ destiny. He wasted no time alongside wide receivers coach Ronnie Fouch in revamping the receiver unit by bringing in five new transfers. This move aims to equip quarterback Taylen Green with the necessary weapons. The group includes Missouri’s Courtney Crutchfield, Stanford’s Ismael Cisse, Fresno State’s Raylen Sharpe, UAB’s Kam Shanks, and Charlotte’s O’Mega Blake, who will all be donning Razorback red in 2025.

And Sam Pittman is proactive in his approach, focusing on immediate progress. Among them, Blake, Shanks, and Sharpe have the characteristics of SEC receivers transitioning from Group of Five schools and have demonstrated their capability with over 500 yards and 32 catches each on their previous teams. Arkansas is banking on their potential to excel in the SEC, although it involves a calculated risk. Nonetheless, there is an underlying pressure on Pittman’s job security.

Amid rumors about Bobby Petrino, Pittman remains composed as fans and media discuss potential coaching changes. With speculation about Pittman’s job security, many believe that Petrino, the former head coach turned offensive coordinator, could be his eventual successor. But Pittman made it clear on the Coaches & The Mouth podcast that he isn’t worried about backstabbing or job security.

“I think if you hire a coordinator, you ought to let him bring at least one of his guys in,” he said. “Not for coming into my office and backstabbing and this. None of that stuff.” Looks like Pittman trusts his staff, backs his approach, and won’t entertain the noise.

The trust also reflects in how he is shaping Arkansas’ roster and culture. Coach Pittman highly values loyalty by hiring assistants with previous connections to the Razorbacks, such as offensive line coach Eric Mateos. Mateos was so eager to come back that he agreed to a lower salary.

Arkansas is focusing on key areas like NIL and the transfer portal, planning to strengthen their defense in the upcoming spring. Despite understanding the complexities of player compensation, Pittman looks for individuals who prioritize values over money.  “It’s not Monopoly. I’m not about to spend it freely,” he said. Now, let’s wait and see if Arkansas makes a comeback this season or not!