Pierson leaving Arkansas staff

The Arkansas Razorbacks are in the market for a new leader for their communications department.

Patrick Pierson, who has led the department for the past three years and spent five years overall at Arkansas, has accepted a similar position at Oregon. Pierson said he will begin his new job as the Ducks’ associate athletic director for communications on Feb. 5.

Pierson, 36, said the move will allow him and his longtime girlfriend, Sarah Brolsma Whitfield, to be close to her family in Oregon.

“It gives us the opportunity for one of us to be close to home and still be professionally satisfied,” Pierson said. “That’s rare.”

Pierson spent two seasons as the Razorbacks’ media contact for basketball before he was promoted to assistant athletic director for communications in 2015. He managed a department of seven full-time employees and 10 interns, including some with paid internships.

His primary role was as the lead media contact for Arkansas football, only the fourth person to hold the position since 1977.

Chris Freet, UA senior associate athletic director for external communications, said an interim director for the communications department will be announced sometime this week and a national search for Pierson’s replacement has begun.