Bobby Petrino has fired three defensive assistants just one day after being named interim head coach at Arkansas as part of an overhaul of the Razorbacks’ coaching staff.

Petrino dismissed defensive coordinator Travis Williams, defensive line coach Deke Adams and defensive assistant Marcus Woodson in the latest moves after being appointed interim coach for the rest of the season to replace Sam Pittman, who was fired Sunday following five-plus seasons as Arkansas’ head coach.

“I just felt like how we performed on Saturday gave me an indication that maybe Sam had lost the team a little bit because they generally had played really hard for him throughout his tenure,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek said of the move, which came on the heels of a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame.

Petrino, 64, returned to Arkansas in 2023 as offensive coordinator after serving in a number of jobs. In four years as the Razorbacks’ head coach, he went 34-17, including consecutive seasons with double-digit victories in 2010 and 2011.

“Coach Petrino, as we met yesterday, he accepted this opportunity with the understanding that he also wanted an opportunity to formally be a candidate for our head coaching position, and he will have that opportunity, but we’ll also subsequently run a search for our next head coach at the same time,” Yurachek said.

Pittman’s dismissal, Petrino’s temporary promotion and the defensive assistant dismissals weren’t the only changes. Chris Wilson was named the team’s interim defensive coordinator.

Petrino had high praise for Wilson, who was in his first year with the Razorbacks as an assistant defensive line coach.

“My experience [with Wilson] goes way back to having to battle against him when he had all the great defensive linemen at Mississippi State,” Petrino said. “Very, very impressed with what he’s done throughout his career. Guy’s got a Super Bowl ring. He brings a lot of credibility into the room.”

Several defensive players posted cryptic messages on social media following the firing of Williams, who had served as the team’s defensive coordinator since 2023. Yurachek and Petrino encouraged players to welcome change amid a 2-3 start to the season.

“The No. 1 thing is, you have to get used to change. You know, your whole life there’s going to be change. So how we handle that, our attitude on how we handle that, will determine how quickly we improve,” Petrino said.

Petrino was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in April 2012 that left him with four broken ribs. At first, he said he was riding alone, but a police report revealed a woman was riding with him. The woman turned out to be a former Arkansas athlete who was in a romantic relationship with the married Petrino. The coach had given her a job in the football program and a $20,000 gift.

Petrino was fired by then-athletic director Jeff Long for misleading his bosses about what happened with the accident and his relationship with the football staffer.

Pittman, 63, went 32-34 with the Razorbacks.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 10 Alabama will be without starting outside linebacker Qua Russaw for “an extended period” with a broken foot, coach Kalen DeBoer said Monday.

The sophomore suffered the injury early in a 24-21 win at Georgia on Saturday and was scheduled for surgery this week. He played just eight snaps against the Bulldogs, according to Pro Football Focus.

“He won’t be out for the season, but it will be an extended period of time,” DeBoer said.

Compounding injury issues at the position, senior linebacker Jah-Marien Latham has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Latham, who was in his sixth and final year of college eligibility, suffered a neck injury in practice last week. It’s unclear if he will pursue a medical redshirt, DeBoer said.

“Jah-Marien will recover fully,” DeBoer said. “That’s the main thing in the big picture of everything. But unfortunately won’t be back this season.”

The expectation now is that sophomore Yhonzae Pierre will start at home against 16th-ranked Vanderbilt on Saturday. He has been a productive rotational player through four games, ranking second on the team in tackles for loss and recording four tackles against Georgia.

True freshman Justin Hill also is expected to have a bigger role moving forward.

“Yhonzae just keeps getting better and better,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “His ability to affect the run game (and) pass rush for us has shown up so far this season. But we’re going to have to be creative in the way that we develop other people in certain packages to make sure that we have enough depth.

“Certainly when you lose two experienced guys, it’s a challenge.”

CJ Carr barely won the offseason competition to become Notre Dame‘s starting quarterback, but the second-year player has fully capitalized on his opportunity, and coach Marcus Freeman is taking notice.

“It’s rare to be a second-year college football player playing in your fifth [career] game and performing at a level he’s performing at,” Freeman said Monday. “It’s rare. But I think CJ Carr is rare.”

Carr recorded his first career 300-yard passing performance in Saturday’s 56-13 rout of Arkansas, finishing with 354 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 22 of 30 passes. His 294 passing yards in the first half marked the third-highest total in team history, and his four touchdowns were the second-highest total in team history. The four touchdowns also were tied for second most by a true freshman or redshirt freshman in Notre Dame history.

Through four games, Carr has 1,091 passing yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He ranks second nationally in total QBR.

Carr, the grandson of longtime Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, competed with third-year sophomore Kenny Minchey in the spring and preseason camp. Minchey’s strong practice performances suggested he might get the first opportunity to start, but Freeman went with Carr, who saw action in only one game last fall and had no pass attempts.

“He has this unique trait that very few people have,” Freeman said. “He is … a competitive, selfless individual. It’s not about CJ Carr. He’s not so competitive that, ‘I want to be able to throw for this amount.’ It’s like, ‘Whatever we got to do to win, if I got to motivate, if I got to work, if I got to put my head down and run if I got to throw the ball,’ whatever it takes to win, like, he has that trait. He hates to lose, and then he’s mature in the way he prepares.”