Analyst believes Auburn just got Sam Pittman fired from Arkansas
Auburn football may have just gotten Sam Pittman fired from his head coaching position for the Arkansas Razorbacks after a 48-10 final in Fayetteville in favor of the Tigers — at least that’s what The Opelika-Auburn News’s Justin Lee believes.
“It’s the way things had been with this series,” Lee said during AU’s dominance over the Hogs on November 11. “Last year’s game that got Harsin fired was Auburn’s first loss to Arkansas in regulation since 2012. Does Sam Pittman make it to Monday?”
Pittman’s Razorbacks have dropped seven of their last eight games with the Auburn loss. Beating Florida in Week 10 may have prolonged the inevitable for the 61-year-old.
All Hogs’ Kent Smith believes it’s not hard to see the writing on the wall for a potential Pittman dismissal.
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell when it’s over,” Smith prefaced before saying, “This isn’t one of those times. Sam Pittman will be remembered as a lovable coach who drug Arkansas through a dark time following the Chad Morris years. Unfortunately, he will also be remembered as a great offensive line coach and recruiter whose offensive line was terrible by the time the roster was largely his own without any great recruits in line to give hope of the future.”
Former Auburn football player and coach could replace Sam Pittman at Arkansas
Lee threw out — perhaps sarcastically but the scenario is realistic enough — a hypothetical the Auburn family would appreciate: Travis Williams taking over the Arkansas head coaching job on an interim basis.
“Auburn’s gift to Travis Williams, two games as interim head coach,” Lee wrote with three accompanying crying face emojis.
Williams, the Hogs’ current defensive coordinator, has no prior head coaching experience. With that said, the Columbia, South Carolina native has nearly 15 years of experience as an assistant/coordinator.
There’s a higher chance than zero, a much higher chance, that Williams gets his first taste as head coach of a Power Five program during the final two weeks of the 2023 season.