Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman has fired defensive line coach Jermial Ashley, per reports.
No reason for the termination was reported. Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported the story.
Pittman had said in the fall he hoped to retain his entire staff. Ashley had finished his first year with the program after joining from Tulsa where he spent the last six years.
“I have no indication whatsoever that we might lose anyone on our staff, and to put it out there, I don’t want to lose anybody on the staff,” Pittman had said in mid-December, before Arkansas’ Outback Bowl win over Penn State.
Arkansas finished seventh in the SEC in total defense, allowing 367.6 yards per game. The Razorbacks were 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC in sacks, registering 25.
The team has not had the same defensive line coach in back-to-back seasons since Rory Segrest from 2014 to 2016.