Mike Leach was almost the Arkansas football coach instead of Sam Pittman.
Kind of. Kind of not.
Leach wanted the job in 2019 when Bret Bielema was let go, but despite Arkansas brass knowing that, he was, allegedly, never contacted. And, of course, as we all know, the search for Bielema’s replacement otherwise went swimmingly.
So when the school sought a replacement for Chad Morris, Leach, still upset by the first snub, wanted a big pay-day. Needless to say, things didn’t come to fruition and Arkansas went with a former assistant from Bielema’s staff, Sam Pittman and Leach wound up at Mississippi State.
Each coach is in his third year at his school. Arkansas has won both meetings against the Bulldogs since with the third set for an 11 a.m. kickoff on Saturday. And for the longest time – basically every single week until last week – Arkansas fans had felt like they won the prize, that they were better off with Pittman than Leach.
Now the Hogs are 3-2 – not exactly shlepping it – and coming off losses to Texas A&M and Alabama. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are 4-1 and in both Top 25 Polls.
So, let’s take a peek. Through two-and-a-half seasons, how do the coaches cmopare?