Stature and coaches, 1936–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
5th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Houston Nutt (1998–2007) · succeeded by John Smith (2012) · returned in 2025, succeeding Sam Pittman (2020–2025) · succeeded by Ryan Silverfield (2026–now).
| Season | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2025 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 5-7 | 8-5 | 10-3 | 11-2 | 0-7 | |
| Postseason | — | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #25 | #20 | #41 | #21 | #32 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | 53.4 | 52.6 | 52.5 | 53.3 | 48.6 | |
| Coordinators | ||||||
| OC | — | — | — | — | Bobby Petrino / Kolby Smith | |
| DC | — | — | — | — | Marcus Woodson / Travis Williams | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | 65 | 75 | 92 | 86 | 81 | |
| Defense | 50 | 68 | 49 | 44 | 16 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 55.5 | 55.1 | 54.6 | 61.6 | 45.7 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 34.9 | 44.9 | 43.9 | 53.5 | 40.2 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 40.5 | 28.6 | 28.6 | 35.3 | 18.5 | |
Outperforms his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
A portal-built roster.
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
13 NFL Draft picks: Jonathan Luigs (2009), Mitch Petrus (2010), Ryan Mallett (2011), D.J. Williams (2011), Demarcus Love (2011), Jake Bequette (2012), Joe Adams (2012), Jarius Wright (2012) + 5 more
AI Narratives — “Arkansas' Rough Season Continues” and 6 more on the team page.
12th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Chad Morris (2018–2019) · succeeded by Bobby Petrino (2025).
| Season | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||
| Record | 3-7 | 9-4 | 7-6 | 4-8 | 7-6 | 2-3 | |
| Postseason | — | W bowl | W bowl | — | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #30 | #24 | #28 | #22 | #31 | #32 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||
| Pass rate | 41.8 | 34.8 | 37.0 | 40.6 | 45.7 | 48.6 | |
| Coordinators | |||||||
| OC | Kendal Briles | Kendal Briles | Kendal Briles | Dan Enos | Bobby Petrino | Bobby Petrino / Kolby Smith | |
| DC | Barry Odom | Barry Odom | Barry Odom | Marcus Woodson / Travis Williams | Marcus Woodson / Travis Williams | Marcus Woodson / Travis Williams | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||
| Offense | 69 | 78 | 71 | 27 | 88 | 81 | |
| Defense | 38 | 84 | 17 | 64 | 57 | 16 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 44.2 | 34.9 | 39.2 | 40.3 | 46.6 | 45.7 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 43.8 | 32.5 | 31.2 | 41.5 | 25.9 | 40.2 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 26.1 | 32.6 | 41.7 | 23.5 | 39.6 | 18.5 | |
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Brings in bigger-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
14 NFL Draft picks: Jonathan Marshall (2021), Treylon Burks (2022), John Ridgeway (2022), Montaric Brown (2022), Drew Sanders (2023), Ricky Stromberg (2023), Cam Little (2024), Beaux Limmer (2024) + 6 more
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Drew Sanders (2022)
AI Narratives — “Arkansas' Rough Season Continues” and 6 more on the team page.
6th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed John Smith (2012) · succeeded by Chad Morris (2018–2019).
| Season | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 3-9 | 7-6 | 8-5 | 7-6 | 4-8 | |
| Postseason | — | W bowl | W bowl | L bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #23 | #29 | #22 | #23 | #27 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | 38.8 | 39.2 | 42.2 | 44.0 | 42.4 | |
| Coordinators | ||||||
| OC | — | Jim Chaney | Dan Enos | Dan Enos | Dan Enos | |
| DC | — | Robb Smith | Robb Smith | Robb Smith | Paul Rhoads | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | 50 | 64 | 100 | 67 | 73 | |
| Defense | 14 | 92 | 19 | 25 | 16 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 23.7 | 25.6 | 32.8 | 33.8 | 33.3 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 44.9 | 33.9 | 34.0 | 37.5 | 30.1 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 20.8 | 30.0 | 44.4 | 27.0 | 28.6 | |
Outperforms his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
19 NFL Draft picks: Travis Swanson (2014), Chris Smith (2014), Kiero Small (2014), Zach Hocker (2014), Trey Flowers (2015), Martrell Spaight (2015), Tevin Mitchel (2015), Darius Philon (2015) + 11 more
7th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Danny Ford (1993–1997) · succeeded by Bobby Petrino (2008–2011).
| Season | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||||||
| Record | 9-3 | 8-4 | 6-6 | 7-5 | 9-5 | 9-4 | 5-6 | 4-7 | 10-4 | 8-4 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | — | — | L bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | #18 | #26 | #22 | #36 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38.0 | 36.8 | 35.9 | 33.4 | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | 83 | 29 | 23 | 32 | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 67 | 98 | 77 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30.2 | 24.6 | 21.8 | 25.3 | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30.1 | 52.2 | 29.3 | 27.0 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | 66.7 | 29.6 | 20.0 | 18.8 | |
32 NFL Draft picks: Brandon Burlsworth (1999), Melvin Bradley (1999), Madre Hill (1999), Ryan Hale (1999), Kenoy Kennedy (2000), Bobbie Williams (2000), David Barrett (2000), Anthony Lucas (2000) + 24 more
8th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Joe Kines (1992) · succeeded by Houston Nutt (1998–2007).
| Season | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 5-5-1 | 4-7 | 8-5 | 4-7 | 4-7 | |
| Postseason | — | — | L bowl | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | |
4 NFL Draft picks: Henry Ford (1994), Isaac Davis (1994), Anthony Hicks (1997), David Sanders (1998)
4th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Ken Hatfield (1984–1989) · succeeded by Joe Kines (1992).
| Season | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 3-8 | 6-6 | 0-1 | |
| Postseason | — | L bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | |
2 NFL Draft picks: Derek Russell (1991), Raylee Johnson (1993)
3rd-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Lou Holtz (1977–1983) · succeeded by Jack Crowe (1990–1992).
| Season | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||
| Record | 7-4-1 | 10-2 | 9-3 | 9-4 | 10-2 | 10-2 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | L bowl | L bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
12 NFL Draft picks: Greg Lasker (1986), Ravin Caldwell (1986), Bobby Joe Edmonds (1986), Nick Miller (1986), Kevin Wyatt (1986), Greg Horne (1987), Wayne Martin (1989), Steve Atwater (1989) + 4 more
2nd-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Frank Broyles (1958–1976) · succeeded by Ken Hatfield (1984–1989).
| Season | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||
| Record | 11-1 | 9-2-1 | 10-2 | 7-5 | 8-4 | 9-2-1 | 6-5 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
15 NFL Draft picks: Steve Little (1978), Leotis Harris (1978), Dan Hampton (1979), Jerry Eckwood (1979), Vaughn Lusby (1979), Ben Cowins (1979), Tom Ginn (1980), Steve Cox (1981) + 7 more
1st-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Jack Mitchell (1955–1957) · succeeded by Lou Holtz (1977–1983).
| Season | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Record | 4-6 | 9-2 | 8-3 | 8-3 | 9-2 | 5-5 | 11-0 | 10-1 | 8-2 | 4-5-1 | 10-1 | 9-2 | 9-2 | 8-3-1 | 6-5 | 5-5-1 | 6-4-1 | 10-2 | 5-5-1 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | L bowl | — | — | — | W bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
9th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Bowden Wyatt (1953–1954) · succeeded by Frank Broyles (1958–1976).
11th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed John Barnhill (1946–1949) · succeeded by Bowden Wyatt (1953–1954).
13th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Glen Rose (1944–1945) · succeeded by Otis Douglas (1950–1952).
10th-best Arkansas tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Succeeded by George Cole (1942).