Sam Pittman is in the hot seat at Arkansas

DALLAS (AP) — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman made a headline-grabbing hire in the offseason when he brought Bobby Petrino back to Fayetteville as offensive coordinator.Petrino was head coach of the Razorbacks from 2008-11, but was fired after a scandal involving an extramarital affair and a motorcycle crash.

Petrino has bounced around a lot since, including a one-season stop at Texas A&M last year to work for Jimbo Fisher as offensive coordinator.

“I hire people, I give my opinion, but he’s the offensive coordinator and it’s his responsibility,” Pittman said. “I would want to work for me, if I was an offensive coordinator. I’m gonna let you go get ’em. Give him freedom to run what’s best.”

Petrino has been a head coach at Louisville (two stops), Western Kentucky and most recently Missouri State. He was 51-34 for the Razorbacks.

“Bobby has been a great resource for me,” Pittman said. “So there is a lot of times where I’m able to run things by him and we decide collectively at times what is best for the University of Arkansas football team.”

The presence of Petrino only ramped up speculation about how secure Pittman is in his job. And he didn’t shy away from it.

“I’m popular now, just in the wrong way,” Pittman said. “I’d say I’m hot. I’m at the top of those lists.”

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