FAYETTEVILLE — There were some hurt feelings inside the Arkansas football locker room earlier this week.
Interim coach Bobby Petrino addressed the program’s mass overhaul during a team meeting on Monday, Sept. 29. He told reporters on this week’s SEC Teleconference that the Razorbacks “got a lot on the table” as they processed the recent firings of Sam Pittman, defensive coordinator Travis Williams and two defensive assistants.
According to Petrino, the team came out on the other side motivated and put forth an excellent practice on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
“We went out yesterday and I felt like we had a good practice,” Petrino said. “There was great attitude out there. Guys were going full speed. We’ve still got a lot of things to work on, a lot of things to get better at but the effort and attitude was there, and I was encouraged by what I saw.”
Petrino acknowledged during his introductory press conference that defensive players would be emotional following Williams’ departure. The defensive coordinator was beloved by his players, and a few Hogs took to social media in the immediate aftermath to express their displeasure.
Petrino didn’t want to shy away from the emotions. The interim coach said he was also dealing with difficult feelings in the wake of Pittman’s firing. Pittman took a risk bringing Petrino back to Arkansas after more than a decade of exile. Petrino said he is thankful for Pittman’s trust, and the friendship they built along the way.
“I tried to let them understand that everybody in the room is feeling some of the things that have hurt and don’t feel right,” Petrino said.
“Make sure you mourn properly. Make sure you do something positive for somebody, and then get back to what was important to you before.”
In order to get back to the importance of winning games, Petrino is tapping into a unique form of motivation.
He’s telling his players and his coaching staff the next nine weeks are essentially money-making time.
Whether it’s through the NFL Draft, in the transfer portal or another coaching job, the 2025 Razorbacks can set themselves up for a better 2026 with a strong close to the season. The fact no one has entered the transfer portal is evidence of buy-in from the players.
Monday was for mourning. Now, it’s time for the Hogs to get back to work. A road trip to face No. 15 Tennessee on Oct. 11 is on the horizon.