Petrino’s New Role

There are at least some Razorback fans who believe that former Arkansas head football coach Bobby Petrino is going to become future Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino. They think he was brought in to keep the program going for a brief period of time after which Sam Pittman will retire and his new offensive coordinator will take over. Some are implying that the whole thing is an elaborate set up.

I’m not much of a conspiracy theorist. To me facts are more interesting than theories. It’s a fact that the University of Arkansas’ chancellor, system president and board of trustees signed off on hiring Petrino when many thought that it wasn’t possible due to state laws on rehiring employees who have been fired for cause. I believe they were able to do this because Petrino is not returning to his previous job.

Offensive coordinator is a non supervisory position. The OC works for the head coach. Nobody works for him. He cannot hire anyone. In short, what got Petrino fired is not a possible in his new position. I also believe that if, for some reason, athletics director Hunter Yurachek decides to dismiss Pittman before the end of the 2024 season, defensive coordinator Travis Williams will become the Interim head coach, not Petrino.

Those who think otherwise can’t see Petrino taking the Arkansas job under such a restriction. At his first press conference with the Arkansas media since being fired back in the spring of 2012, Petrino offered some clues as to why he would be content to finish his career as an assistant coach at Arkansas.

He mentioned a conversation he had with his agent while serving as the head coach at Missouri State. She was pushing him, “to get back in the game.” Getting back into the game would involve becoming an offensive coordinator at a school with a big time college football program. Petrino said that while he had come to accept the idea that his last few years in coaching would be as the head coach at a mid major program, his agent was able to convince him that he belonged in a different role.

Listening to him choke up as he recalled being forced out at Arkansas and never harboring any resentment toward the school because what happened was his fault, it was easy to see why Petrino is back here in a new job. He loves the University of Arkansas and his total focus will be to help the football program, “win games.”

There’s just no way he was faking any of this. The man is a veteran college football coach not an actor.

With the press conference behind him Petrino is about to fade from public view over the next several months. Pittman’s policy of keeping his assistant coaches away from the media will assure that. Personally I think the man is looking forward to spending his time inside the Fred Smith Football Operations Center away from the media and around Arkansas’ players and coaches.

One of Petrino’s issues in his time as head coach here was the fact that the football team had to share the former Broyles Center with the athletic department staff. To avoid distractions he wanted what other sports on campus had, a separate facility for locker-rooms, coaches offices, team meeting rooms, a weight room and a rehab area.

The current Fred Smith Football Operations Center was his design. It sits just to the south of Razorback Stadium but it is isolated. The locker-rooms and meeting rooms are elaborate but underground. The weight room sits above ground with windows that look out over the indoor practice field. Next to the indoor field are two outdoor fields surrounded by a tall brick fence. In short Arkansas players and coaches go about their daily business in total privacy. The only way you can see any of it is if they let you see it.

Toward the end of his press conference Petrino was asked about finally getting to see the facility that he designed but was never able to see. Construction started after his dismissal. He smiled recalling walking through it for the first time. You could tell he’s going to fit into those spaces like a glove. It’s a place where he can do this thing and his thing is to get this football team back to scoring touchdowns. A lot of touchdowns.

I don’t know how long Bobby Petrino will be here but if he’s able to put a jolt into the offense and the Razorbacks start climbing out of the hole they are in I think he could well finish his career here. Not as the head coach but as one of the best offensive coordinators in college football.

As for Pittman, he also dropped some hints about how his job will change moving forward. Managing Arkansas new NIL Edge will require more of his time. He sees himself as more of a CEO type head coach especially since he now has coordinators he can rely on.

Just a few days ago fans on social media were complaining that there was no plan for turning this football program around. Well, there is a plan and that plan looks promising to some. Others are going to continue to be skeptical until or unless the results on the field get a lot better in 2024.