Tag: Arkansas coach

Sam Pittman’s departure a big blow for Georgia football

Sam Pittman leaving Georgia for Arkansas is a big blow for Kirby Smart and UGA football.

Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman accepted the position of head coach at Arkansas over the weekend, piling on to what was already a sad few days for Bulldog fans.

For Pittman, it’s a heck of an upgrade, though. To go from offensive line coach to head coach at another SEC school is not something that you see often.

There’s no arguing that losing Pittman won’t hurt the Bulldogs. People may say that we’ll be fine, which we will, but the loss of Pittman will be noticeable. The guy is a recruiting mastermind and did something never seen before in Rivals’ recruiting history, according to Nikki Chavanelle, who covers Arkansas for Rivals.

You don’t just replace that kind of recruiting.

While at Georgia, Pittman put an emphasis on size.

Georgia’s entire line this season weighs in heavier than the average NFL offensive lineman (314.8 lbs) and allowed just 12 sacks all season.

Whoever replaces Pittman will be fortunate to inherit arguably the best returning offensive line in college football next season, but it’s hard to imagine there is anybody out there who reel in the big-hitters that Pittman did on a consistent basis each year.

For 2020, Pittman is the No. 3 ranked recruiter in all of college football, according to 247Sports’ recruiter rankings.

The other thing Pittman emphasized was depth. And this season at Georgia, the Dawgs had a group of second-stringers who could start just about anywhere in the country. And thank God we did.

Injuries happen on the line. A high volume of 300+ men in a congested space. Yeah, injuries will happen.

But Pittman prepared for that, and that’s why we were so deep at offensive line. Whoever we hire next as offensive line coach, if there’s one thing I hope he focuses on its depth.

In Pittman, Arkansas gets more than a great recruiter and teacher. They also get some of the greatest videos to ever hit social media.

I’ll miss a lot about Pittman, but none more than these classics.