The unofficial kickoff to the Arkansas Razorbacks’ football season arrives Thursday, as head coach Sam Pittman and three players take center stage at SEC Media Days. With a revamped roster on both sides of the ball, the 2025-26 season remains shrouded in uncertainty, making this media appearance all the more intriguing.
Arkansas enters the fall with more questions than answers, especially after a complete overhaul on offense and defense. As Pittman steps up to the podium, here are three key questions he’ll need to address.
Three areas Sam Pittman must cover during SEC Media Days
Revenue sharing
Thanks to the House Settlement, pay-to-play is essentially legal in college athletics, or at least, pay-to-play directly from the school. NIL has been legal since 2021, and it's turned the college athletic world upside down. However, revenue sharing is supposedly one step to fixing it.
Sam Pittman has already address some of the problems with the House Settlement, like roster limits. But how does Arkansas plan on utilizing revenue sharing? The athletic department has already signed a GM in Remy Cofield to help manage money across all sports.
"Come to Arkansas, you'll figure it out when you get here." #WPS
— Courtney Mims (@MimsCourtney) June 26, 2025
I asked Arkansas' new GM Remy Cofield what his sales pitch would be to any athlete who is thinking about being a Razorback, check out his full answer below ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/f69YprEYM9
However, Arkansas is reportedly supposed to hire a football-specific GM by Aug. 1. That report was from May, and it's now two weeks away from the tentative date. Will there be a football GM this year? And more importantly, will revenue sharing help Arkansas escape its downward trend in recruiting?
Offensive line
Arguably, the biggest problem with last season's offense was the offensive line. Between the 20-yard lines, Arkansas had perhaps one of the best offenses in the nation. But they could hardly turn it into points once the offense reached the red zone. That was in part because the SEC's physicality in the trenches overpowered the Hogs' front five.
After Addison Nichols, Joshua Braum, and Patrick Kutas transferred out after the season, Pittman had to look toward the portal for help. Arkansas signed five OL, and at least three are likely to start. Unfortunately, the Razorbacks' spring game was canceled due to rain, so the fans and media haven't seen them in action yet. How do they stand up against last year's squad? How are the moves for Fernando Carmona and E'Marrion Harris to guard working out? Will the pass protection improve with the new additions?
Defense
Arkansas has lost more than half of its defensive production from last season, according to ESPN. The secondary and defensive line were the hardest hit, but like the offensive linemen, the Razorbacks hit the portal hard for both positions. But is it enough?
The Hogs lost a massive piece upfront in Landon Jackson, who's not playing in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. Arkansas also lost key pieces like linebacker Brad Spence and defensive backs Jaylon Braxton, TJ Metcalf, and Tevis Metcalf. With 13 incoming transfers, it's essentially a completely different defense. How have they molded together since spring practice? Can Arkansas hold up to SEC passing attacks with the retooled secondary and defensive line?