NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit is seen during ESPN's College GameDay show at Times Square on September 23, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)Kirk Herbstreit shocked SEC fans on Sunday morning when he named an unlikely candidate for the conference’s Coach of the Year.
His choice?
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman.
The Razorbacks are off to a 3-3 start in 2020, which may seem like a lackluster beginning for most teams but for Arkansas is nothing short of amazing. In his first year at the helm, it looks like Pittman might be turning things around in Fayetteville.
Sam Pittman deserves SERIOUS consideration for SEC coach of the year-Let’s see how @RazorbackFB finish the year-But this team was 4-20 last 2 years & currently are 3-3 (very easily could be 4-2 Aub).
More importantly they’re just COMPETING, playing PHYSICAL & playing as a UNIT!— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 8, 2020
Over the last two years, the Razorbacks have gone 4-20, ranking them among the worst Power-5 teams in the country. The team decided to move on from Chad Morris toward the end of the 2019 season, allowing Pittman to come in and make his mark during this strange year.
And so far, Arkansas’s first-year head coach has done just that. 2020 marks Pittman’s first season as a collegiate head coach and so far the Razorbacks have surprised a strong SEC. Despite losses to Georgia, Auburn, and Texas A&M, Arkansas has pulled out impressive wins over Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and now Tennessee.
On Saturday, the Razorbacks knocked off the Volunteers to move back to .500 in 2020. Quarterback Feleipe Franks exploded in the third quarter for three touchdowns, as Arkansas scored 24 second half points to knock off yet another disappointing Tennessee team.
When it comes to assessing Pittman’s Coach of the Year chances, things get a bit more complicated. No winner of the award has had a losing record since 1991 and with four games remaining, it’s hard to see Arkansas ending the season above .500. The Razorbacks still have to play Florida and Alabama, two consensus top-10 teams in the country. With impressive seasons from the Gators and Texas A&M, Dan Mullen and Jimbo Fisher look to be the frontrunners for Coach of the Year.
But with Pittman at the helm, Arkansas fans have plenty to look forward to in the future.
