Arkansas appears on the verge of hiring its next offensive line coach.

Eric Mateos, the OL coach at Baylor, is set to be named to the same role with the Razorbacks, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. Mateos would replace Cody Kennedy, who took the same position with Jeff Lebby’s initial staff at Mississippi State.

The Razorbacks are looking to shake off a disappointing 2023 season: after a 9-4 mark in 2021 and a 7-6 finish in 2022, they slumped to a 4-8 record that included a 6-game losing streak.

Offensive line is a position group near and dear to Sam Pittman’s heart as a longtime OL coach before being hired as the head man at Arkansas. With the Razorbacks failing to carry on the momentum gathered from their 2021 season, AD Hunter Yurachek announced that Pittman’s job is safe, but he’ll be under immense pressure to turn the program’s fortunes back around in 2024 — especially with former Arkansas HC Bobby Petrino returning to Fayetteville as offensive coordinator.