Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Nervous excitement
Wide emotions for Pittman in opener
FAYETTEVILLE — The light-hearted, often joking approach first-year University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman displayed on more than a dozen video conferences and radio appearances through the spring and summer was noticeably absent on Monday.
Pittman looked and sounded serious during his first official in-season news conference, held once again on Zoom as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
It’s game week for Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Not only is it Pittman’s major college head coaching debut at 3 p.m. Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, the game is also against No. 4 Georgia, the school he served as ace recruiter and offensive line
coach extraordinaire the last four years.
“I really don’t know what the emotions will be,” Pittman said, asked to project toward game time on Saturday. “I’m really looking forward
to running out there with the football team.
“My family will be there. It’ll be kind of a neat deal. I’ll be the coach at Arkansas. It’ll be a heck of a day.”
The Razorbacks have been installed as more than three-touchdown underdogs for his debut.
“I would be lying to you if I didn’t say I was nervous,” Pittman said. “But I was nervous when I was O-line coach, too.”
Pittman then explained why he was nervous for this game in particular.
“Because they are really good,” he said. “They are an outstanding football team. They are big and run to the football and they’ll knock you off the ball. On both sides of the line of scrimmage they are probably as good as any team we’ll play this year.
“It’s gonna be a physical football game, and you’re always concerned when you know it’s gonna be a smashmouth game. Are you ready for that yet? Certainly we’ll find out.”
Pittman left his gig as offensive line coach and assistant head coach at Arkansas after three seasons in 2016 to join Kirby Smart’s first-year staff at Georgia.
It didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to become a major player on the national scene. Georgia won the SEC championship in Smart’s second season at his alma mater in Athens, Ga., and led Alabama most of the way in the College Football Playoff championship before falling 26-23 in overtime.
Smart, speaking at his Monday news conference, also talked about the emotions of facing Pittman in their first game back since coronavirus concerns postponed the first month of the SEC football season.
“We’re excited to … [be] going against a very good friend of mine in Coach Sam Pittman, who did just an unbelievable job while he was here,” Smart said.
“He and his wife Jamie meant so much to the community here in Athens and for so many of our kids. He helped build the foundation of what we have now. I am extremely happy for him for this opportunity he has gotten. I know he always had a special place in his heart for Arkansas, and he got this opportunity to go back.”
The Razorbacks had backto-back winning seasons and bowl victories in Pittman’s second and third years on Bret Bielema’s staff. Since Pittman left for Georgia, Arkansas has produced a 15-34 (.306) overall record, while Georgia has gone 44-12 (.786).
Pittman’s overall recruiting at Georgia has drawn accolades across the conference, but in particular his ability to attract, sign and develop high-level offensive lineman helped him score the Arkansas job.
The Razorbacks had been scheduled to open with nonconference games against Nevada and Notre Dame before the coronavirus crisis changed schedules. Georgia was added as an Arkansas opponent after the SEC decided to go to a 10game all-SEC slate.
“Never in my wildest dreams when I took the job did I think Georgia would be the first opponent, but it is,” Pittman said. “I want to say this, I am very grateful and thankful to have had the opportunity to coach at Georgia and coach under Kirby Smart. I learned a lot and he was very, very good to me.
“Kirby gave me the opportunity to go there and coach there for four years. It was an incredible experience for me and without that I wouldn’t be the head coach here at Arkansas … so forever grateful for that.”
Smart said the mark Pittman left at Georgia is evidenced by the play of the Bulldogs’ offensive linemen, which included multiple NFL Draft picks, including first rounders Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson this year.
“He was a really good recruiter,” Smart said. “He was a relationship-driven coach. His players just love him and they all enjoy playing for him. He created that family atmosphere.
“He and Jamie did not have kids of their own, but all the O-linemen were their kids and always have been. That came to fruition for me when we hired him from Arkansas, because every offensive lineman that he had coached there prior to coming back here he had a really special relationship with, and they tried to keep him there. We were lucky to get him. He certainly contributed to our success.”
Smart also talked about why he thought Pittman would make a quality head coach.
“Number one, he’s a great leader, he’s a great person,” Smart said. “He commands the respect of the room when he speaks. He can be very emotional and you don’t always find that with an offensive line coach because they’re usually a little rough around the edges, and he wears his feelings on his sleeve.
“He is very open with his players and I think he lets them in more than most O-line coaches do. That relationship really stands. I always thought when our offensive line would get up in front of the team and speak that they always talked about their relationship with Sam and how they felt about him, cared about him. He got the opportunity to go and a lot of our guys reached out. They were hurt by it, but not hurt like they were mad at him. They were very thankful for his opportunity but they were going to miss that relationship.”
Georgia center Trey Hill, a junior who is regarded as one of the best in the nation, spoke of how he felt about Pittman on Monday.
“I respected just how family-oriented he was and his energy on and off the field,” Hill said. “What you got on the field is what you got off the field. The way he takes care of his players and the love and support he gives them [stands out].”