Pete Thamel gives insight into Arkansas coaching search, ‘audition’ for Bobby Petrino
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Bobby Petrino has come full circle.
Petrino returned to Arkansas in 2024 as offensive coordinator under Sam Pittman, over a decade after he was fired in 2012 for lying about a relationship he had with an athletic department employee.
Fast forward to Sunday and Pittman’s firing — and Petrino’s subsequent ascension to interim head coach. The big question, of course, is if he gets the job permanently. Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek said that Petrino would be considered a candidate.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel talked about it on “College Football Live” on Tuesday.
“I would like to think of this as basically a $1.5 million audition for Bobby Petrino,” Thamel told Zubin Mehenti. “Sam Pittman’s buyout is very complex, but basically, if they had waited and Arkansas had continued to lose, they would have paid him $3 million less.”
Thamel reported that the university negotiated with Pittman’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, to “cut the difference” of Pittman’s buyout “in the middle,” opening the door for what amounts to a seven (or more)-game tryout for Petrino.
It won’t be easy. Thamel noted Arkansas’ upcoming “gauntlet” of a schedule that features five teams in the top 25.
“The offense has been juiced up. The defense has been abysmal for Arkansas. And Bobby Petrino would have to earn it if he was going to win the job on the field,” Thamel said.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
