Tag: sam pittman

Arkansas making a push for 2021 Texas quarterback commit Milroe

Arkansas recently met with 2021 QB Jalen Milroe. Meeting with CB coach Sam Carter, Milroe was “impressed” with Arkansas after speaking.

According to Richard Davenport of WholeHogSports.com, Arkansas recently met with long-time Texas commit and 2021 four-star quarterback Jalen Milroe. Meeting with Hog’s cornerback coach Sam Carter, Milroe was “impressed” with Arkansas after speaking with him.

He was also informed that the Razorbacks would be offering him a scholarship, extending his list of offers. Recently hiring former Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman, the rebuild of Arkansas has already begun.

You can read the full story from the Arkansas perspective, here.

Milore had an incredible junior season at Thompson High School in Katy, TX, winning the District 19-6A MVP. Listed as a dual-threat quarterback on 247Sports, Milroe threw for 2,689 yards with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions, while also rushing for 378 yards and eight touchdowns. Add in his 4.6 speed and he will be something special if he stays committed to the Longhorns.

Having offers from other big time schools like Alabama, Florida, Nebraska, and Oregon, Milroe is a wanted man. He has been a huge foundation piece for the Longhorns in building the 2021 class. Losing Milroe would be a huge loss for Texas and they must keep him committed.

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Local stars remain unsigned after committing to Razorbacks

Local stars remain unsigned after committing to Razorbacks.

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KNOXVILLE — The first day of the Early Signing Period is now in the rear view mirror and two local West High School prospects remain unsigned.

Linebacker Drew Francis and defensive end Tyrece Edwards both originally committed to Arkansas over the summer, but the Razorbacks fired head coach Chad Morris during the 2019 season, leaving both players uncertain about their futures.

Both are weighing their options and will likely sign in February.

Neither player, however, have firmly decomitted from the Razorbacks, who are now coached by former Tennessee offensive line coach Sam Pittman.

Both have scheduled a visit to Fayetteville in January.

The duo led West High to the Class 5A State semifinals where the Rebels lost to two-time defending state champ Knox Central High School. The Rebels went 12-2 this season and ousted heavily favored Powell in the state quarterfinals.

Francis also has offers from Arizona, Memphis, Purdue and Tennessee while Edwards has offers from Arkansas State, Arizona, Coastal Carolina and Indiana.

Both players are three-star prospects.

Look: David Pollack loves new UGA OL coach Matt Luke

David Pollack was excited about UGA football’s hiring of Matt Luke.

On Monday, it was announced that the Georgia Bulldogs would be hiring former Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke to be the team’s new offensive line coach and associate head coach.

The move followed the departure of former offensive line coach Sam Pittman, who took his talents to Arkansas and excepted the head coaching position for the Razorbacks.

Count former Dawg and current college football analyst David Pollack among those who are in favor of the signing of Luke.

As Pollack notes, Luke has a wealth of experience in the college football world. He previously coached tight ends and lineman at Ole Miss, Tennessee, and also head coached at Ole Miss for the last three season before his dismissal last week.

Let’s hope Pollack is right and this turns out to be a quality hire for the Dawgs.

New Arkansas coach Sam Pittman gets choked up during first press conference: ‘I’m a wreck’

Sam Pittman was overcome with emotion during his introductory press conference at Arkansas.

Sam Pittman was officially introduced as Arkansas’ new football coach Monday, and he replaces Chad Morris, who was fired in November after going just 4-18 in less than two seasons and earning zero SEC wins.

Most recently, Pittman was the associate head coach and offensive line coach at Georgia, where he spent four seasons, and before that, he held the same positions, along with recruiting coordinator, at Arkansas from 2013-15. Former Razorback players so strongly supported their school hiring Pittman back that they wrote an open letter to the school supporting him, following Morris’ firing.

Judging by Pittman’s introductory press conference, this job clearly means the world to him. While speaking about recruiting and attracting coaches to join the program, he was overcome with emotion and met with applause from those in attendance.

“As you can tell, this means a lot,” Pittman said while getting choked up. “I’m a wreck,” he later added.

Arkansas finished this season 2-10 with its only wins coming against Portland State and Colorado State. It’s also on a 19-game losing streak in the SEC that goes all the way back to the end of the 2017 season, when Bret Bielema was still the coach.

Pittman signed a five-year contract worth about $3 million annually that also emphasizes performance bonuses, ESPN reported. He is also eligible for two one-year extensions if the team makes it to a bowl game, which it hasn’t done since 2016.

“I want to earn your trust, and the only way I know how to do it is to be loyal to you, be honest with you and go work hard,” Pittman said during the press conference. “And that’s what we’re going to do.”

Here’s a longer clip from his emotional introduction:

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Twitter reacts to Georgia’s big time hiring of Matt Luke as OL coach

Georgia football made a big splash hiring Matt Luke and UGA Twitter reacted.

Matt Luke, who was fired as head coach of Ole Miss on December 1st, has accepted the position of offensive line coach at Georgia.

Luke fills a void left by former o-line coach Sam Pittman, who took the position of head coach at Arkansas.

For Georgia, this was about as good of a hire as possible. To get a head coach from an SEC school to come coach a position group is a big move, and Kirby Smart pulled it off.

A few hours before the news, former Georgia offensive linemen David Andrews and Brandon Kublanow both tweeted about how good of a hire this would be if Georgia were able to make it happen.

Now, with the hiring being confirmed by Georgia, Bulldog fans can breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to picking up where we left off with Pittman.

Here are some social media reactions to the news.

It’s official: Georgia announces hiring of former Ole Miss coach Matt Luke

Georgia football announces hiring of former Ole Miss HC Matt Luke

Well, the rumors are no longer rumors.

Former Ole Miss coach Matt Luke will replace Sam Pittman as Georgia’s offensive line coach, after the former accepted the head coaching job at Arkansas on Sunday.

Coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs wasted no time filling the spot Pittman left open and are already back on the trail, hoping to retain all the recruits gained by the Razorbacks’ main man.

This morning, the rumors on Luke to Athens quickly turned into reports, before the Bulldogs officially announced the signing just after 12:00 pm.

Luke will also serve as Georgia’s associate head coach. He coached Ole Miss’ offensive line from 2012 until 2016 and was named interim head coach after the firing of Hugh Freeze. Luke, who played center at Ole Miss in the 90’s, became his alma mater’s permanent head coach after the 2016 season.

Now, Georgia will turn its focus to the Early Signing Day, which is only 8 days away, as well as re-tooling the offensive staff.

Make sure to follow along with UGA Wire for the latest updates on the ongoing changes in Athens.

Former Georgia football players express support for potential Sam Pittman replacement

Former Georgia football players express support for Sam Pittman replacement candidate Matt Luke

Georgia football had a particularly rough weekend, after losing the SEC Championship Game to LSU in Atlanta Saturday and offensive line coach Sam Pittman to Arkansas Sunday.

With Pittman’s departure from the Peach State, comes a need for a new offensive-minded coach on the Bulldogs’ staff.

The name being tossed around lately is former Ole Miss Rebels head coach Matt Luke. Though he’s already the favorite to replace Pittman in Athens, having the support of two well-respected former players certainly can’t hurt.

We’ve heard Luke is the candidate current and former players have been lobbying for and this only adds to the buzz.

While nothing is official at the moment, it’s looking like Matt Luke very well could be the next offensive line coach in Athens. Stay tuned to UGA Wire as we update you throughout the week on everything changing.

 

Details: Sam Pittman’s new Arkansas contract

Former Georgia football OL coach Sam Pittman signs new head coach deal with the Arkansas Razorbacks. See the details of the signing here.

Georgia lost a good one yesterday as offensive line coach Sam Pittman signed a deal with Arkansas to become the Razorbacks’ new head coach.

Pittman, who has played a critical role in beefing up the Georgia offensive line through recruiting and coaching, is getting paid well by the Hogs.

Related: Sam Pittman’s departure is a huge blow for Georgia

Pittman contract is a five-year deal that starts at $3 million annually, per Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY Sports.

At Georgia, Pittman was valued incredibly high by Kirby Smart, earning $900,000 per year as a position coach.

Berkowitz provided all the info necessary on Pittman’s new contract.

 

 

This is a huge loss for the Bulldogs but is understandable looking at the business perspective of the deal.

We wish coach Pittman and his family nothing but the best as he embarks for Fayetteville next season.

Once a Dawg…always a Dawg.

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.

It’s official: Arkansas hires Georgia OL coach Sam Pittman, fans react

It’s official: Sam Pittman is going to Arkansas to coach the Razorbacks

Sunday, it was reported that the Arkansas Razorbacks were heavily considering Georgia football offensive line coach Sam Pittman for their open coaching vacancy.

Now, it’s a done deal. Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek officially announced the new signing Sunday evening, with one of Pittman’s signature ‘Yessirr’ videos.

Sadly, the traditional ‘Go Dawgs’ slogan quickly turned to ‘Go Hawgs’ and that was that.

Here’s how the Bulldog Nation reacted to the news:

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