Bobby Petrino is Boss Hog as soon as extra. He’ll function the Razorbacks’ interim coach for the remainder of the 2025 season after the college made the choice to maneuver on from Sam Pittman amid a 2-3 begin to the yr.
In response to athletic director Hunter Yurachek, there’s an opportunity that Petrino’s stint again on high extends past the non permanent.
“As we transfer ahead within the strategy of discovering our subsequent head coach, I’m sure we can present the mandatory assets to our workers and crew to succeed in our objectives,” Yurachek stated in a press release. “We’ll start a nationwide seek for our subsequent head coach instantly and that search will embrace Coach Petrino, who has expressed his want to be a candidate for the full-time job.”
Petrino has re-introduced himself to the Razorbacks as Arkansas’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach over the previous two seasons. However that is not how most Arkansas followers know him.
He first launched himself to Fayetteville from 2008-11 as certainly one of Arkansas’ most profitable coaches since Lou Holtz was patrolling the sidelines. Regardless of the truth that he received 21 video games in his final two years, although, he made it simply 4 seasons with Arkansas.
Here is a glance again at Petrino’s tenure with Arkansas, his ignominious falling out and his potential path again in direction of redemption.
Sam Pittman is a superb man who as soon as saved Arkansas soccer, however it was time for him to go
Brandon Marcello
Petrino’s first stint
Former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt resigned from his place with the Razorbacks three days after the 2007 common season ended amid some off-field noise about his recruiting efforts and his dealing with of Arkansas’ personnel. That put the Razorbacks in a little bit of a bind, since Nutt received the SEC West thrice and produced profitable seasons in all however three of his years at Arkansas.
Across the identical time, Petrino, who noticed his teaching star rise at Louisville from 2003-06, was flaming out in his first NFL alternative with the Atlanta Falcons. Petrino made it simply 13 video games with the Falcons — which is tied with Holtz and City Meyer for the third-shortest non-interim tenure in NFL historical past — earlier than he resigned, interviewed with Arkansas, and made his return to the school recreation.
He received simply two SEC video games whereas going 5-7 in his first yr at Arkansas. In 2009, he turned that into an 8-5 file punctuated by a win towards East Carolina within the Liberty Bowl, giving the Razorbacks their first postseason victory since 2003.
Arkansas took it to a different degree in 2010. The Razorbacks received 10 regular-season video games and made it to the Sugar Bowl, the place they misplaced to Ohio State.
The 2011 season cemented Arkansas’ standing as an ascendant SEC competitor. Petrino led the Razorbacks to simply their third 11-win season in program historical past, and first since 1977, and Arkansas completed at No. 5 within the AP Prime 25 after beating Kansas State within the Cotton Bowl.
That is when issues began to unravel.
The unceremonious finish
In April 2012, Petrino was concerned in a motorbike accident whereas driving on the freeway. He initially claimed that he was alone on the automobile when the mishap occurred.
However, as experiences began to claim in any other case, Petrino admitted that he was on the motorbike with former Arkansas volleyball participant Jessica Dorrell, who he had employed in March of that very same yr as a member of his recruiting workers. He additionally admitted to an affair with Dorrell.
Petrino was fired for trigger 9 days after the accident after an Arkansas investigation accused Petrino of deceptive the administration throughout Dorrell’s hiring course of and within the days following the motorbike accident. Arkansas additionally discovered that Petrino regularly despatched Dorrell presents, and that he was a part of the hiring committee when she was granted her place with the soccer program.
There is no such thing as a justification,” Petrino stated in a 2012 interview with ESPN. “There is no such thing as a excuse for having her within the interview pool, hiring her, having her on the again of the motorbike. I look again on it and there’s no good reply. I wasn’t considering and I wasn’t performing accurately.
“That is not how I used to be raised. That is not how I raised my kids. I take duty for it and I’m actually sorry. I’ve performed it again and again in my head 1,000,000 occasions. How might I do that? How might this occur? And never simply the hiring. Or that day. However my actions, my conduct — for months it was simply fallacious.”
The return and potential redemption
It did not take lengthy for Petrino to make his return to the teaching ranks. He was employed at Western Kentucky in Dec. 2012 and, after one yr with the Hilltoppers, made his means again to Louisville, the place he posted a 77-35 file over 5 years.
From 2020-22, he led Missouri State on the FCS degree after which began to work his means again into the FBS ranks as an offensive coordinator underneath Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M in 2023. He made it one season with the Aggies earlier than Pittman introduced him again to the Pure State.
He is definitely left his mark as a play-caller. Arkansas’ offense has been one of many lone brilliant spots for this system lately. The Razorbacks completed the 2024 season second within the SEC in complete yards (459.2 yards per recreation) whereas scoring 30.9 factors per recreation.
They’re off to a different sturdy begin in 2025. They’re certainly one of 4 SEC applications to common a minimum of 500 yards per recreation and Arkansas is third within the SEC. The Razorbacks additionally scored a minimum of 30 factors in all 4 video games earlier than Saturday’s 56-13 loss to Notre Dame.
His offense has performed properly sufficient that he is earned one other look in Arkansas’ teaching search. The truth that Arkansas employed him as an assistant after which trusted him as this system’s shepherd in a time of transition reveals that it could have moved on sufficient from his previous to contemplate him a official candidate.
