Bobby Petrino is returning to Arkansas.
Petrino, who served as the Razorbacks’ coach from 2008 to 2011 before his firing following a motorcycle accident and ensuing scandal, is joining the program as offensive coordinator. Petrino spent this season as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator.
Petrino confirmed his return to Arkansas on social media Wednesday morning before the school officially announced his return to the program later in the day.
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“Proud to be coming home. Now let’s bring the Hogs a Championship!!” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
It’s you and me 15. Proud to be coming home. Now let’s bring the Hogs a Championship!! 🐗 #WooPig pic.twitter.com/PCYA2iuHbs
— Bobby Petrino (@CoachBPetrino) November 29, 2023
Petrino will earn $350,000 from Dec. 3 through February 28, 2024, and then his salary changes to $1.5 million on March 1 for the rest of 2024 and early 2025. His salary will increase to $1.6 million in March 2025.
Petrino, 62, led Arkansas to a 34-17 record over four seasons, including an 11-win season in 2011 — matching the program record for victories in one season. But his tenure ended abruptly nine days after he was involved in a motorcycle crash on April 1, 2012.
Petrino lied to the school and the media about details of the crash, and Arkansas discovered Petrino was having an extramarital affair with a student-athlete development coordinator in the football program who was on the back of his motorcycle during the crash. The school fired him on April 10, 2012, due to his dishonesty on multiple occasions.
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Since his first stint at Arkansas, Petrino has been the head coach at Western Kentucky (2013), Louisville (2014-18) and Missouri State (2020-22). At Louisville, Petrino coached Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson and an offense that ranked top five nationally in yards per play in 2016 and 2017. He was fired after a 2-8 start to the 2018 season.
Petrino resigned from Missouri State, an FCS school, to become Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator this season. The Aggies went 7-5 with an offense that ranked 55th in FBS in yards per play. Texas A&M fired coach Jimbo Fisher earlier this month.
Arkansas announced on Nov. 19 that it would bring back coach Sam Pittman in 2024, despite a 4-8 record this season. Petrino will inherit an offense that ranked 116th (of 133 FBS teams) in yards per play and last in the SEC.
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The Razorbacks fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos in October following a 7-3 loss to Mississippi State.
What we learned during Petrino’s time at Texas A&M
Although Petrino called the plays during his one season at A&M, he didn’t have full control over the offense, calling plays primarily from Fisher’s scheme. Those within the program wondered what Petrino’s offense would have looked like if he wasn’t handcuffed.
In the building, Petrino was well-received. An A&M athletic department staffer told The Athletic that Petrino “couldn’t have been easier to deal with,” never created any issues and other offensive coaches liked Petrino’s collaborative approach, which gave them a voice in the offensive staff room. A&M quarterbacks also shared positive experiences from their time with Petrino in position meetings. — Sam Khan Jr., senior college football writer
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(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
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