Sam Pittman’s CFB Future Takes Surprising Turn Amid Arkansas’ 6-Figure Madden Iamaleava Conundrum

Five years in Arkansas, and Sam Pittman’s seat is scorching hot heading into 2025. The blue-collar O-line whisperer who once had the Razorbacks buzzing with promise. Talk about that 2021 stint that ended in a 9-4 record. Fast forward to now, the vibes are… Well, let’s just say Fayetteville’s not exactly hosting a Pittman parade. This man’s resume is no joke. AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year in 2021, Joe Moore Award finalist, and even a Hall of Famer at Pitt State. But coaching resumes don’t win SEC games. And after going 7-6 last season, with a painful 14-28 mark in SEC play, folks are losing patience. 

Fans love Sam Pittman as a person; he’s genuine, passionate, and bleeds Arkansas red. But Tye Richardson of ESPN dropped a brutal reality check in a new episode on That SEC Football Podcast on May 18. “I don’t think the fan base is fully on board with Sam Pittman,” he said. “To say that Arkansas is fully on board with Coach Pitt is not true. It’s just not. I want him to succeed. I want them to win eight or nine games this year. Is that going to happen? Probably not.” And it’s not just the fan base that’s spelling trouble for the HC. 

After a six-loss season in 2024, Sam Pittman’s overall record with Arkansas stands at 30-31. And now, even CFB analyst Paul Finebaum’s also sipping the skepticism juice. “There’s nothing Pittman has done in the last three years that has really excited anybody,” he fired. In the last three years, Arkansas fell 18-20 under their HC. The analyst added more spice, saying, “If you bring in the disgraced former head coach [Petrino] as your coordinator, and that energized your fanbase? That’s telling me that he’s there for a reason, and the reason is to take over for Sam Pittman.” Harsh but not wrong. 

Then, there’s John Nabors offering a softer take. If Sam Pittman manages to go 6-6 this year, with a brutal schedule and a depleted roster, he deserves another year “because it would show just how miraculous that would be.” Because if we consider Arkansas’ 2025 schedule, it’s a gauntlet. LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas. Sports Illustrated ranked it the third toughest schedule in the nation. Oh, and they had 40 outgoing transfers, including the setback from Madden Iamaleava. 

Sam Pittman on Madden Iamaleava’s departure 

Sam Pittman’s hustling, no doubt. He is trying to fill roster gaps with transfers like UCF LB Andrew Harris and UTPB DL Frank Mulipola. But the biggest gut punch was the Madden Iamaleava saga. Arkansas was able to sway Nico Iamaleava’s younger brother from UCLA by landing his commitment on Signing Day. And he never even visited the campus then. But the magic didn’t last because a few months later, he was back to unite with his Bruin brother. 

The kicker here is that Arkansas wants $200,000 from Madden Iamaleava as part of an NIL buyout, per On3’s report. That’s the cost of doing business in the Wild West of college football. Sam Pittman didn’t flinch though. “There’s always rumors going around, so I don’t know that I was totally surprised,” he said. At least Madden gave him the courtesy of a face-to-face farewell. Still, the Razorbacks scrambled. 

They brought in Florida State transfer Trever Jackson, another former 4-star, who now joins a QB room that’ll battle it out behind Taylen Green. So yeah, Arkansas loves Sam Pittman the man, but college football? It’s a results game.

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