Arkansas Razorbacks head football coach Sam Pittman, who is in his second season at the helm, has signed with CAA Sports’ Jimmy Sexton for representation. Sports Business Journal’s Liz Mullen was first to report the move.
Coming off a regular season in which he won eight games, the most in program history since 2015, it made sense for Pittman to retain the services of Sexton, who represents many of the most prominent head coaches in college football, including but not limited to Alabama’s Nick Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fischer, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, and Penn State’s James Franklin.
Sexton, on Pittman’s behalf, has reportedly been in conversation with Arkansas athletic Hunter Yurachek, and presumably other school power brokers, regarding a contract extension for Pittman. Sexton reportedly proposed a 7-year, $50-plus million contract, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The potentially new average annual base salary – $7.14 million – would represent a substantial raise for the Oklahoma native as his base pay entering the 2021 season was $3 million, which ranked 12th (out of 13) among SEC head coaches. The new figure would put Pittman in the same neighborhood of Franklin ($7 million), Smart ($7.13 million), and Kiffin ($7.25 million) in terms of average annual base salary.
The Razorbacks will play Penn State in the Outback Bowl, and a victory for the Razorbacks would secure the best record in program history since 2011.