Kirby Smart knows all too well how effective Sam Pittman is as a recruiter from his days as an assistant on Georgia’s staff.

“He cares,” Smart said on the SEC coaches media teleconference. “… People recognize when a person is real and themselves and not a salesman. He cares and it matters to him.”

Pittman in his second year has elevated Arkansas to a top 10 team, and the Razorbacks have a top 10 recruiting class for the class of 2023.

Pittman also has an inspiring personal story of how he grew in his career to be the Arkansas coach.

He brought the Razorbacks, who didn’t win a single SEC game in the 2 seasons before Pittman returned to Fayetteville, back to being a respectable program. He was Arkansas’ assistant head coach for Bret Bielema from 2013-15, then was on Georgia’s staff for 4 seasons before replacing Chad Morris for his first head coaching job at a four-year school.