OC Petrino on Hogs return: Goal ‘to make it right’
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Only in his dreams did Bobby Petrino think he’d ever return to Arkansas to coach football. More than a decade after being fired as head coach for cause, however, he’s returning as the Hogs’ offensive coordinator.
“It’s something I hoped would happen. Wasn’t sure if it ever would, but it is a dream come true to be able to go back to the University of Arkansas and do anything I possibly can to make it right this time,” Petrino told ESPN on Wednesday. “I’m grateful to coach [Sam] Pittman and [athletic director] Hunter Yurachek for making it happen.”
Petrino, as Arkansas’ head coach from 2008 to 2011, guided the Razorbacks to their most successful two-season stretch since the Frank Broyles days in the 1960s. The Hogs won 10 games in 2010 and 11 games in 2011 and capped that season with a Cotton Bowl victory and No. 5 ranking in the final polls.
It’s the only time since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 that it had put together back-to-back winning records (6-2) in SEC league play.
But that next April, a motorcycle crash involving Petrino revealed an extramarital affair he was having with a female staffer that he had hired in the football office. After an investigation, Petrino was fired for cause when then-athletic director Jeff Long said Petrino lied to school officials during the process.
Petrino, who received a three-year contract and will make $1.35 million in 2024 and $1.6 million in 2025 and 2026, understands that much will be made about his ugly exit now that he’s back, but he told ESPN that he sees this as a chance to help make amends to all the people he let down.
“I’m more excited than anything, just to be able to go back and give back to all the great people of Arkansas,” Petrino said. “I can’t do anything about the past, but I know how hard Coach Pittman and his coaches have worked. It was great to see when he first got there and the way he changed the culture and then had that good season his second year (9-4 in 2021) and won the bowl game.
“I’ve always been a Razorback fan and rooted for them and know how hard this last season has been for all of them, so when Coach Pittman had the idea of me coming back, I was immediately interested. Like I said, it was almost a dream.”
Petrino said he’s heard from several of the players he coached at Arkansas, which makes his return all the more real for him. He reiterated that, as he sets foot back on campus, his thoughts will be solely on helping Pittman return the Hogs to national relevance.
“When I think back on the great teams we had, I think about the players and the toughness and pride they displayed in being a Razorback, and I’m looking forward to helping influence our guys to play with that same kind of passion, energy and toughness,” Petrino said.
“I know this will be a little different for a lot of people, but I’m grateful to Coach Pittman for giving me this chance and looking forward to getting my feet on the ground, walking into the facility and seeing everybody. It’s time to get it cranked up.”
Tyler Wilson played quarterback under Petrino and remains Arkansas’ leader in passing yards. Wilson, who played three seasons in the NFL, said Petrino’s return will energize not just the football program, but the whole state.
“There’s been a lot of despair among the entire Arkansas fan base the last couple of years,” Wilson said. “But as soon as it came out that Bobby Petrino was coming back, my phone immediately started blowing up. You’re going to see season tickets go up, and it quickly changes the mentality of the Arkansas fan base.”
Wilson said there’d be some people, inside and outside the Arkansas family, who will be critical of the hiring, but he hopes this reunion will ease some of the embarrassment, anguish and disappointment of Petrino’s messy exit.
“There was so much pain after his dismissal, and it wasn’t just our team, but the state in general,” Wilson said. “I felt like we never fully healed after all that and it had almost been like a lingering ghost. Some may still wonder if this is the right fit structurally, and that’s to be determined. But certainly there’s going to be a lot of wouldas, couldas and shouldas that will be vetted out now.”
Petrino, who will be the Hogs’ third different full-time offensive coordinator in the past three years, will be in charge of an offense that scored 22 or fewer points in six of its last seven SEC games.
He spent this past season as the Texas A&M offensive coordinator but wasn’t retained by new coach Mike Elko. Since his firing at Arkansas, he has been head coach at Western Kentucky, Louisville and at FCS Missouri State.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Ball State fired coach Mike Neu, the school announced Saturday. The Cardinals are 3-7.
Neu was 40-63 in nine seasons at Ball State. Neu led the Cardinals to the MAC title in 2020, which was his only winning season at Ball State.
Sources told ESPN that the staff was informed of Neu’s dismissal early Saturday.
Offensive line coach Colin Johnson will serve as the interim head coach for the last two games, athletic director Jeff Mitchell said in a statement. Ball State hosts Bowling Green on Nov. 23 then plays at Ohio on Nov. 29.
Neu, 53, is a beloved alum with a strong campus reputation, but the lack of results ultimately led to his dismissal. Ball State lost 51-48 in overtime at Buffalo this week and fell to 2-4 in MAC play.
That clinched a fourth consecutive losing season for Ball State.
“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program,” Mitchell said in the statement. “I commend him for his professionalism and the positive team culture he has constructed. His efforts have greatly impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. He has represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class, and I wish him well in future pursuits.”
Neu led Ball State to two bowl games. That included a win over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl to conclude the 2020 season, when Ball State finished 7-1 and won its first MAC title since 1996.
Indiana has agreed to a contract extension with Curt Cignetti amid the Hoosiers’ unprecedented 10-0 start, the school announced Saturday.
Cignetti’s new eight-year contract runs through the 2032 season and will pay him an average of $8 million per year with an annual $1 million retention bonus, putting the total value of the new contract at $72 million.
“I am beyond appreciative for the tremendous commitment, confidence, and support from President Pam Whitten and Athletic Director Scott Dolson,” Cignetti said in a statement. “Manette [his wife] and I love Bloomington and are grateful for how the IU community has embraced us. I look forward to leading this outstanding program and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football.”
Cignetti originally received a six-year, $27 million contract when he was hired in December. He took the Indiana job after leading James Madison to an 11-1 season in 2023 — when he made $677,311 — with the goal of changing the Hoosiers’ historically woeful image in football.
He then led Indiana to the first 10-win season in school history and a possible push for the College Football Playoff. No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) has one more win than its combined total over the previous three seasons. Its No. 5 ranking is one spot shy of the team’s highest ever, last reached in 1967, also the last time the Hoosiers won or shared a Big Ten title.
Indiana has scored at least 40 points seven times, won nine times by 14 or more points and trailed only twice briefly all season.
“We were confident IU could become a winning program and we love what he’s building here,” Dolson said in a statement. “We love the student-athletes that he’s bringing here. We love how our fanbase has rallied around this team and made Memorial Stadium the place to be on Saturday afternoons. And now, we love the fact that he’s going to be doing all those things right here in Bloomington for a long, long time.”
A source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Indiana will also significantly increase the pool for Cignetti’s assistants and staff.
The Hoosiers are on a bye this week before a pivotal matchup with No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday that could determine Indiana’s playoff hopes and a potential spot in the Big Ten championship game.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein will not play against No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, with redshirt junior Nate Yarnell getting the start for the Panthers.
Holstein hadn’t been cleared medically, sources said, and was considered a game-time decision by coach Pat Narduzzi after leaving two of Pitt’s past three games following apparent head injuries. Holstein took part in warmups Saturday.
Yarnell, who lost a camp battle to Holstein, will make his first start this season and fourth in his career for the Panthers. He has a 2-1 record as a starter, with wins over Western Michigan (2022) and Boston College (2023) and a loss to Duke (2023).
Yarnell has a strong amount of experience for a backup, as he has thrown for 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. That includes a 65.3% completion percentage and an average of 8.9 yards per attempt. This season, he has thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions while playing in the past three games.
Holstein has been a revelatory player for the Panthers under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Holstein, a transfer from Alabama, has thrown for 17 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Pittsburgh has the country’s No. 16 scoring offense at 36.7 points per game. That’s up from No. 114 last season, when it averaged 20.2 points.
Holstein has completed 61.9% of his passes and thrown for 2,174 yards.
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