Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
When Sam Pittman confirmed in December that he switched from Arkansas-based agent Judy Henry to super agent Jimmy Sexton, you could practically hear the groans from Fayetteville. Sexton’s clients don’t work for cheap. Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher are proof of that. Pittman being on an extremely team-friendly contract with an annual compensation that ranked No. 12 of 13 public SEC university football coaches was set to be a thing of the past with Sexton on board.
Technically, those days are over with Pittman’s new contract, which was announced on Thursday. But dare I say, he’s still a massive bargain.
A new $5 million base salary is up from the $3 million that Pittman made in 2021. It’s the richest base salary in the history of Arkansas athletics, which might seem like a risky financial play for someone with 2 years of experience as an FBS head coach.
Just like his first deal, though, Pittman’s contract is loaded with incentives (H/T 247sports).
If at any point on the contract Arkansas wins 7 games — inclusive of a bowl game against a Power 5 or Top 25 team — then he gets an extra year added to the end of the deal. His annual base salary would also get a $250,000 bump to go from $5 million to $5.25 million for the remainder of his contract (2023-27).
If Pittman wins 8 games in 2022, each of his remaining years left on this new deal will get a $500,000 bump to go from $5 million to $5.5 million in base pay. For a 9-win season, his remaining base salary would get a $750,00 increase to go from $5 million to $5.75 million for the next 5 years.
There are also 3 different times in which Pittman can receive retention bonuses. If he’s still Arkansas’ coach on Dec. 31, 2024, he’ll receive $3,300,000. On Dec. 31, 2026, that number is $2,700,000 and on Dec. 31, 2027, that number is $1,500,000 as long as the contract is extended. Pittman has a non-compete within the conference, meaning he cannot leave for another SEC head coaching job unless he’s fired by Arkansas.
Oh, and one last thing. Just as his original deal outlined, Pittman’s buyout is performance-based. If fired without cause, he’s owed 75% of his remaining contract. However, if Pittman’s record is below .500 when he’s fired, he’s only owed 50% of his remaining contract.
That’s significant because it essentially saves Arkansas’ money if Pittman collapses. Based on the fact that the guy just delivered the program its best season in a decade, nobody is expecting that. Of course, things can change in a hurry. Arkansas knows that all too well. In less than 2 years, Chad Morris went from being the promising hire from the Dabo Swinney tree to being the guy who got a $10 million buyout after failing to win an SEC game.
Morris is the context needed to show why Pittman’s 12-11 record is far more impressive than it would suggest. The Hogs went from being the laughing stock of the league to beating Texas A&M, LSU, Texas and Penn State in the same season. Pittman’s well-documented turnaround isn’t just a great story. He’s the reason Arkansas climbed out of the SEC dumpster and is now as stable as ever with Texas and Oklahoma set to create the SEC’s super conference.
In that super conference, a $5 million coach is standard. In the SEC alone, there were 9 coaches who made at least $5 million in 2021. In FBS, there were 22 coaches at that mark in 2021 (not including the unknown terms of Brian Kelly’s contract at Notre Dame):
It’s important to see how long that list is because somewhere, there are Arkansas fans with sticker shock. I get it. Paying a coach $5 million — and probably closer to $6 million annually if he continues at this pace — is somewhat daunting.
Let me show you why it’s not quite as daunting as it could be.
In the worst-case scenario, Pittman falls apart the next 2 years. Arkansas misses a bowl game in consecutive years and it finds itself back in the SEC West basement. Just hypothetically speaking, that worst-case scenario would include the Pittman-Hunter Yurachek relationship falling apart. Instead of Pittman being the beloved, hog statue-owning guy who loves Hot Springs and bulldogs, he becomes public enemy No. 1.
Per the current terms of Pittman’s contract, that would mean he finishes with a sub-.500 record. Ergo, only half of that buyout is owed. If he didn’t hit 7 wins in those next 2 seasons, his base pay would still be at $5 million, which would mean after the 2023 season, he would still be owed roughly $15 million. Yurachek could fork over a $7.5 million buyout and move on to the next coach.
Arkansas fans know all too well that $7.5 million is chump change in terms of coaching buyouts. In a time when the majority of Power 5 head coaches have buyouts north of $10 million, getting out of that contract after 4 years would be extremely manageable. And again, we’re talking about the disaster scenario.
Consider that another reason why this is an excellent contract for all parties.
Pittman’s deal is loaded with incentives, but having $5 million in base pay assures him that he’s not hung out to dry if Arkansas gets decimated by injuries and it goes 6-7. Arkansas doesn’t have to worry about any world in which Pittman’s people even entertain a phone call for another SEC job. On top of that, it essentially has built-in, incentive-based raises AND extensions.
Think of the value Arkansas would still be getting if Pittman led a Playoff berth. That scenario would include about $2 million in bonuses for Pittman to net him around $7 million (that’s what Dan Mullen made in 2021). For a program who hasn’t finished in the top 4 of the AP Poll since the first year of the Jimmy Carter administration, that check would be worth writing 100 times out of 100.
Pittman already made good on Yurachek’s investment in him back in 2019. It didn’t matter to Pittman that he wasn’t their first choice. He admitted that he didn’t have much leverage when he negotiated that first contract, which was highly scrutinized by the outside world.
This time, though, things were different. Pittman earned that.
Once a bargain, still a bargain.
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I’m happy for Arkansas fans and Coach Pittman. His contract is set up a lot like Coach Stoops contract at Kentucky. I remember a lot of people were laughing at Mitch Barnhart Kentuckys AD for signing him a deal where he got and extension for winning 7 games and a bonus. But it’s worked great for Kentucky and I think it’ll be great for Arkansas too. I think he’s a heck of a coach! Again I’m really happy for you guys and hope you have another excellent year!
The contract is set up nicely for both sides. Plenty of bonuses and escalators to make Sam paid as an elite coach if his performance warrants it. He’s certainly off to a very good start. Keeping quality coordinators is the key. I trust he learned from Orgeron’s downfall.
As a side note, five of the seven articles in the home page are about softball, and virtually no one here cares about that. The baseball tournament starts today, and many care about that. Just saying.
A heck of a coach and a heck of a person; don’t be surprised if the Hogs become a prennial SEC powerhouse under Pittman.
Pittman isn’t a trendy pick like one of the prodigy du jour guys – Herman, mullet, Sark, Riley etc – but he will be steady and consistent.
We’ll wake one day and Pittman will have built a solid roster and excel at playing grown-man football with a high-character, highly motivated squad
Pittman is a hell of a coach. Definitely deserves all he can get! With the likes of Tyson, JB Hunt Co, and Walmart able to give out NIL deals, Im terrified that Arkansas is probably going to become the next great dynasty. Once Saban hangs it up, the SEC might just run through Fayetteville.
You left out former Razorback & Dallas Cowboys owner: Jerry Jones....Ark has access to as much $ as they need. Last year, after beating Texas, Ark was fined $100,000 for rushing the field....as he was leaving-JJ paid that in cash & left a tip.
@wag Super Cringe Bro… I know Shy and Charlotte well, JJ loves and supports his Hogs but he doesn’t throw money out the window.
I named the 3 I did cause unless im mistaken they are all headquartered in Fayetteville. Though Im sure JJ will also have alot of contributions.
Great deal for Coach Pitt and a good move by the Hawgs! Don't be surprised if Arky isn't competing every year for the West soon.
*if Arky IS competing every year for the West soon.
I'm thrilled with the coach at my school but I can't think of a better fit between a coach and a school than Pittman and Arkansas. Stoops at Kentucky is a close second in this category as is Smart at UGA. The SEC is loaded with quality coaches.
The way the fans have rallied around the team and Coach Pittman I expect he’ll be there a while. Had he worked 2 or 3 stars out of the transfer portal this year he very well could have challenged Bama for the SEC West. I expect a full 4-quarter game vs them this year.
He seems like a perfect fit. High integrity guy, footballer for life, blue collar but with a great feel for players and the game. Results are trending in the right direction, and he seems to be building a tough team. What’s not to like?!
Like all Dawg fans, I am so happy for Coach Sam and his success there. He did a fantastic job at UGA and will always be a favorite ex Dawg.
Go Hogs WPS!!!