RECAP: Top Pig Trail Nation Stories of 2024

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — 2024 was an eventful year for Arkansas Razorback athletics and was filled with national titles, coaching changes and more.

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of the year that was in Razorback sports.

(Courtesy: Getty Images, Kate Woolson/Texas Rangers, C. Morgan Engelman/NCAA Photos, Wesley Hitt)

January

After the football team lost running backs Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and AJ Green to the transfer portal, Utah running back transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson committed to the Razorbacks on Jan. 5. Jackson was part of a transfer class that included quarterback Taylen Green from Boise State and linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. from Georgia.

For the first time, the basketball version of ESPN’s College Gameday headed to Fayetteville for the Razorbacks’ matchup with the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats defeated Arkansas 63-57 on Jan. 27

February

Friday night ace Hagen Smith delivered a dominant pitching performance against Oregon State in Arlington during the Kubota College Baseball Series. Smith threw 17 strikeouts, tying a school record. The second-ranked Razorbacks defeated the No. 7 Beavers 5-4 on Feb. 23.

WATCH: Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman previews AutoZone Liberty Bowl

March

The women’s track and field team won its fifth indoor title and eighth overall on Mar. 9 in Boston with a final team score of 65, 15 more points than any other school.

After winning nine games in a row, Razorback baseball ascended to No. 1 in the Mar. 11 D1 Baseball rankings for the first time since 2021. The Razorbacks were ranked No. 1 for five consecutive weeks in the 2024 season.

The top-ranked Razorbacks continued their winning ways through the end of March with a sweep of the defending national champion LSU Tigers winning the finale 7-5. Arkansas improved to 8-1 in SEC play for the first time since 2009.

April

With the Razorbacks coming off of the first season without a postseason appearance since 2016 (not including the 2019-20 season), men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman left Arkansas for the University of Southern California on April 4. Musselman had been connected to openings at Louisville, Arizona State and SMU.

Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari shook the college basketball world on April 7 when ESPN announced he was finalizing a deal to become the new Head Hog. The hiring would officially be announced on April 10 when he was formally introduced at Bud Walton Arena.

The first commit of the John Calipari era was one familiar with the Head Hog as Kentucky freshman Zvonimir Ivisic announced his intentions of transferring to Arkansas on April 15.

Sam Pittman shows respect for Texas Tech

May

The trip to Hoover, Ala. in late May was short-lived for the baseball team after a third 0-2 performance in the SEC Tournament since 2012. The Razorbacks fell to 10-seed South Carolina 6-5 and third-seeded Kentucky 9-6 in an elimination game.

The baseball team returned to the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium, hosting a regional for the sixth time in the last seven seasons as the No. 5 overall national seed. Arkansas would host Kansas State, Louisiana Tech and Southeast Missouri State.

June

The 2024 season came to an end in disappointing fashion on June 2 at Baum-Walker Stadium after the baseball team dropped a pair of games to Kansas State and SEMO and was eliminated from their home regional for a second consecutive year.

The women’s track and field team continued their dominance, winning the outdoor national championship on June 8, three months after winning the indoor title.

The Boston Celtics picked up their 18th NBA Championship on June 17 and former Razorback Jordan Walsh became the fifth-youngest NBA player to win a title. Walsh was drafted as the 38th pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft.

July

Hagen Smith with selected fifth overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 2024 MLB Draft on July 14. He signed an $8 million contract and was the highest-drafted Razorback since 2020 when Heston Kjerstad was drafted second by the Baltimore Orioles.

Sam Pittman about players here, not ones gone

August

The football season opener at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Aug. 29 could not have gone better for the Razorbacks. The offense scored touchdowns on all 10 possessions in a 70-0 shutout win over UA-Pine Bluff, the largest margin of victory since 1928 (73-0 win over Rhodes College).

September

Frank Broyles Field at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was marked with megabrand logos for the 2024 season as the university announced on Sept. 12 that Tyson Foods and Walmart had signed sponsorship deals. The logos would be placed at the 25-yard lines.

Arkansas’ contract of playing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas came to an end in familiar fashion with another one-possession loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 28, falling 21-17. Other than a 20-10 win over the Aggies in 2021, Arkansas lost eight of the last 10 in Arlington by one score.

October

A much-needed boost for Razorback football came a week after a disappointing loss to Texas A&M as Arkansas defeated No. 4 Tennessee 19-14 on Oct. 5. It was Arkansas’ first home win over a top-five opponent since beating the No. 3 Volunteers in 1999. A day later the university was fined $250,000 for storming the field.

The Slobbering Hog, a logo synonymous with Razorback men’s basketball, returned to Nolan Richardson Court on Oct. 9 after a nearly decade and a half absence.

Hogs land huge Christmas gift, Courtney Crutchfield signs

November

The John Calipari era got off to a good start as Arkansas defeated Lipscomb behind Boogie Fland’s 15 points in the 76-60 win on Nov. 7.

The Razorbacks football team earned an extra game on Nov. 23 as Arkansas defeated Lousiana Tech 35-14 to become bowl-eligible for the third time in four seasons.

December

Arkansas learned its postseason fate on Dec. 8 when it was announced the Razorbacks would play Texas Tech in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl for the seventh time.

What will happen in the Liberty Bowl and in 2025? We’ll just have to wait and see.