DALLAS — Arkansas was in the spotlight at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Thursday as head coach Sam Pittman, quarterback Taylen Green, wide receiver Andrew Armstrong and defensive lineman Landon Jackson took the stage.
Many speculate Pittman is on the hot seat after last year's dismal 4-8 finish, and he tackled those assumptions head-on by highlighting how fast narratives can shift in college football.
"I'm at the top of the [hot seat] list," Pittman said. "Two years ago, I was one of the top six guys up for the Coach of the Year award; isn't it crazy? I want to be that guy, not the one out there last year. The only one who can really control the hot seat is me... I'm not concerned about it."
Despite the questions surrounding Pittman's job security, the Razorbacks remain confident they can bury last season's woes. This year, the program's focus is to "embrace the Hog."
“2024 is a fresh start,” Pittman said. “We’ve been working tirelessly to address the areas that need the most improvement. It’s a year to embrace the Hog: We need to be tough. We need to be together.”
Green, who earned the starting quarterback job after transferring from Boise State, sees that vision and thinks this year's squad is a cut above the rest.
"With the weapons that we have offensively and a great defense, I feel like the sky is the limit for us," Green said. "The only people stopping us is ourselves, and that's what we try to mitigate."
The Razorbacks made a splash in the offseason by bringing back former head coach Bobby Petrino to lead an offense that averaged 26.6 points per game last season, 10th best in the Southeastern Conference.
Petrino is widely regarded as one of the nation's elite offensive minds. With a balanced attack that keeps opponents on their toes, Arkansas will look to strike early and often.
Armstrong said he's looking forward to it, especially with Green as the quarterback.
"Getting coached by Pretino has been great," Armstrong said. "We're going to try and be very explosive this year. With Taylen Green coming in and the leader he is... it's been exciting."
The redshirt senior wide receiver decided to finish out his college career at Arkansas after leading the Hogs in receiving yards (764), receptions (56) and touchdowns (5) in 2023.
Armstrong's play was one of the bright spots in an otherwise cloudy offense last season. He said returning to Fayetteville was a no-brainer.
"Looking at how the team was last year with our close losses, I feel like we can build on top of that," Armstrong said. "I feel like there was unfinished business here, and we can do something extremely great [this season]. That's why I came back."
Five of Arkansas's eight losses in 2023 were by seven points or less, including a three-point loss to then-No. 11 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
"We played in a lot of one-score games last year, and we just didn't finish," Armstrong said. "It could've changed our season around... we need to just play to the best of our ability."
That same sentiment is echoed on the defensive side of the ball, a unit led by Jackson, who compiled 44 tackles and led the team with 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last year.
"We just really need to finish close games," Jackson said. "It's all about the little details. In those tight games, we need to prevent them from getting first downs and just dominate the line of scrimmage, play as a unit and get the job done."
In defensive coordinator Travis Williams' first season, Arkansas finished sixth in the SEC in tackles for loss and sacks.
Arkansas kicks off its 2024 campaign against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Aug. 29. Coverage from War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock begins at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.