Arkansas football has taken plenty of criticism this season, but few critiques have hit harder than those from College Football Hall of Famer Mark May, who openly blasted the Razorbacks’ leadership for the program’s prolonged slide.
Asked what has been missing at Arkansas and why the program has struggled to maintain success or stability with its head coaches, May didn’t hesitate.
“A leader in the Athletic Department,” he said bluntly.
What is hog football missing?
— LR Touchdown Club (@LRTouchdownClub) November 24, 2025
"A leader in the Athletic Department." - @mark_may pic.twitter.com/ot4B3D5Mxf
May went further, pointing out that the best college football programs share one consistent trait—steady, proven athletic department leadership.
"“When you go and look at good teams, good schools that have longevity that are up at the top year in and year out,” May added. “You look at the athletic director. He’s probably someone that’s established and been there and done it.”"Mark May
This was not a subtle comment. It was a clear shot at Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek, whose tenure has been marked by persistent football instability, cultural fractures, and a complete inability to build a lasting foundation of success.
A Decade of Decline
May emphasized a truth that Razorback fans have been living for years: the program has never recovered from the post-Petrino era. Since Bobby Petrino’s final season in 2011, Arkansas has cycled through coaches, Bret Bielema, Chad Morris, Sam Pittman, and now finds itself once again in a head coaching search.
The results speak for themselves:
- 10 straight SEC losses dating from the end of 2024 through 2025
- 9 straight losses in the 2025 season alone
- Staring down the possibility of a double-digit loss season
- Nearly 13 years of inconsistency, losing records, and failed rebuilds
What was once a tough, competitive SEC program has turned into one of the conference’s most unstable operations.
Leadership Sets the Standard
May’s broader point extends beyond football: when a program has strong, consistent leadership at the top, that standard trickles down into every team, every department, every hire.
Elite athletic departments have a clear identity. They build infrastructure that lasts beyond one coach, one season, or one cycle of players. Arkansas, in his view, has failed to establish any of that.
And he’s not wrong.
Leadership, whether in business, sports, or any competitive environment, creates the culture that drives results. Arkansas’ turnover, dysfunction, and repeated coaching failures reflect gaps in vision and direction.
The Razorbacks haven’t just struggled to win. They’ve struggled to build anything worth sustaining and that needs to come with accountability.
A Crucial Hire Ahead
Arkansas is currently searching for its next head coach, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. After a decade-plus of false starts and culture resets, the program desperately needs a hire who fits, not just on the field, but within the broader athletic structure.
May’s criticism underscores what many already believe: Arkansas can't afford to get this next hire wrong.
If the program wants to escape the revolving door of coaches and rediscover the winning stability it once enjoyed, leadership must establish the foundation May described which is one that attracts success rather than recycles failure.
The Razorbacks have proud traditions and passionate fans. But unless the athletic department redefines its identity and standard, Arkansas football risks remaining exactly where May suggests it is now: a program without direction from the top.