Sam Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks might still be healing the wound after their recent 41-35 loss against Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss. It was no less than a fumble for Pittman’s squad as they had a nightmarish finish with a fumble in the last two minutes. They now face the heat on social media, and the critics’ doubts are getting louder. That’s when Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek dropped a bomb at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, addressing the gray area in NIL rules. However, an analyst believes that Pittman’s squad’s grip over the NIL is loose.
Pittman’s AD, Yurachek, said that the Razorbacks will be sticking to the slow lane for now. “Until we get our [college athletics NIL] enforcement agency up and running, you’re going to continue to have schools operating in that third lane, and that’s a bad place to be in my opinion,” he said. And it did not sit well with Arkansas reporter, Jacob Davis.
Quoting Yuracheck, he critiqued Pittman’s squad on X, “Hearing all this “third lane”, “just happy to compete in the SEC” kinda stuff at the @LRTouchdownClub, it’s apparent that Arkansas is still NOT serious about NIL or being relevant football. Some type of change is needed or Razorback football will forever be the @SEC’s doormat.” When Yurachek first arrived at Pittman’s squad, the athletics budget was $120 million, which seemed like a lot compared to his previous experience at a smaller “Group of Five” school in Houston. At present, the program’s budget has grown to $180 million. Yet, there prevails a wide gap with other SEC schools that reportedly operate with $300 million budgets.
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Yurachek admitted he had to make difficult choices, such as cutting positions and limiting athletes’ opportunities to attend summer school, to balance resources. But Davis feels otherwise. He thinks that when it comes to the NIL game, Pittman’s squad’s current NIL approach and mindset toward SEC football are insufficient for serious competitiveness. It’s high time they upgrade themselves or get used as a “doormat.”
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Well, Pittman’s Razorbacks are perceived as lagging in NIL because of their late start in launching an NIL collective and their insistence on sticking to the spirit of the rule. Some programs exploit NIL loopholes, giving players large sums of money without requiring them to promote anything or provide services. According to Yuracheck, Arkansas sticks to the spirit of the rule, but may fall behind in recruiting. But what makes Davis question Pittman and co.’s efforts on the NIL track?
Firstly, they started their NIL initiatives later than their peers. Second, they refuse to tread the gray areas of NIL. The current coaching staff hasn’t fully pushed aggressive NIL recruitment. In that way, Pittman’s program is paying a heavy cost for being ethical. Here came the Arkansas AD’s blunt message.
Arkansas AD’s honest opinion on Sam Pittman’s program
Pittman’s AD sounded too confident about how he made the most use of the Razorbacks’ NIL. They have to fight the reality that within the same conference, some schools have nearly double the budget, which affects recruiting, facilities, and overall competitiveness, especially in football. Yurachek shared, “But at the same time, I’ll tell you, I know the focus is on football and we all want to win in football, but at the same time, those schools have been outspending us for the last decade and we still won more SEC championships among more sports than any school in the SEC. And so I think we’re doing just fine at the University of Arkansas.”
Despite having fewer resources than wealthier SEC programs, it never came in the way of Arkansas achieving notable success across multiple sports. So what Yurachek emphasizes is that money isn’t everything, and Arkansas is capable of winning titles without matching the highest budgets. From the standpoint of the big three, he said he feels basketball is set up for a legitimate shot at the national championship. On the other hand, the Arkansas baseball team is also in a position to give the national title a shot. And what about Pittman’s football program?
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“I think we’re set up in several other sports to win a national championship. Football, where we are right now, we’re not set up to win a national championship. I’ll just be brutally honest with that, but I think we’re set up to compete really well in the Southeastern Conference, especially now with the new revenue sharing model,” said Yurachek.