Less than 24 hours after Notre Dame went to Arkansas and crushed the Razorbacks 56-13, Arkansas fired head coach Sam Pittman. The Hogs are 2-3 and on a three-game losing streak, with the blowout loss putting an end to Pittman’s tenure. Now Bobby Petrino — yes, him — is running the program again as interim coach.

So who might Arkansas turn to next to improve its status in the SEC?

Current head coaches

SMU’s Rhett Lashlee

Lashlee has the support of one of the biggest Hogs supporters. Industry sources told The Athletic this weekend that Jerry Jones — as in the Dallas Cowboys owner and former Razorbacks offensive lineman — and his family are squarely behind getting Lashlee to Arkansas. The 42-year-old Arkansas native, a former Razorbacks quarterback, is 31-14 at SMU and led the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff last season.

We suspect it’s his job if he wants it. Can he turn it down? He has a lot of traction at SMU after going 11-3 last season. However, at 2-2 this season, would he consider the timing ideal if he were ever to return home?

A path to the CFP seems much more manageable from the ACC via Dallas than it does from the SEC via Fayetteville, where the job feels like it ranks in the bottom-third of the league. That’s behind Alabama, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Florida, Ole Miss and probably Auburn and maybe Missouri.

North Texas’ Eric Morris

Morris is liked by some of the Hogs’ major donors and is also a candidate for the Oklahoma State vacancy. The 39-year-old Texas native, who played receiver for Mike Leach at Texas Tech, has the Mean Green off to a 5-0 start. He’s 40-32 in seven years as a head coach. His ability to evaluate talent and stand firm in his convictions is a significant asset in his favor.

As a young receivers coach at Washington State, he tried to convince Leach to offer Baker Mayfield, despite no other power conference programs being interested in the eventual Heisman Trophy winner.

Later, as the head coach of FCS Incarnate Word, Morris discovered and developed Cam Ward, who would later become the No. 1 draft pick. Then, when Morris was the offensive coordinator at Washington State, he found quarterback John Mateer when no other FBS programs would offer him.

Memphis’ Ryan Silverfield

Silverfield and the Tigers beat Arkansas earlier this month. His team finished No. 24 last year, and Silverfield is 26-5 over the past three years. The 45-year-old former O-line coach from Florida is on the short lists of a lot of athletic directors. He should be considered here, but there are a few coaches we’ve heard, starting with Lashlee, who are expected to be higher in the minds of the Hogs’ biggest powerbrokers.

Texas State’s GJ Kinne

Kinne is one of the brighter young minds in football. The 36-year-old, a Gus Malzahn protege, worked as an analyst at Arkansas in 2018. Four years later, Kinne became a college head coach. He is 31-13, including a 12-2 season in the FCS at Incarnate Word in 2022. The former star QB at Tulsa has led the Bobcats to back-to-back bowl wins.

Tulane’s Jon Sumrall

Sumrall is familiar with the SEC from his time as an assistant coach at Ole Miss and Kentucky. The 43-year-old Alabama native will be choosy on his next move. Maybe he waits for Auburn to open up, which might not be too far down the road. He did a superb job turning around Troy quickly and has Tulane at 4-1 this year.

Lots of ADs are big believers in Sumrall. Just about everybody in the college football world who has gotten to know him comes away convinced. We think he’ll end up running an SEC program sooner than later, it just might not be this one.

UTSA’s Jeff Traylor

Traylor is also expected to be in the mix for the Oklahoma State job, but will he view this SEC opportunity as a better fit? Traylor turned down a chance to be the head coach at Texas Tech four years ago.

A former state champion as a Texas high school coach, Traylor has done a terrific job in San Antonio. He’s 48-22 and has not had a losing season with a program that had five losing seasons in six years before he took over.

He is revered by Texas high school coaches and has consistently demonstrated a keen eye for talent. His latest star running back, Robert Henry Jr., came from the Mississippi junior college ranks and leads the nation in rushing.

Colorado’s Deion Sanders

Sanders has been an excellent fit in Boulder. He resurrected a dreadful program and got the Buffs into the top 25 two seasons after going 1-11 the year before he took over. Sanders has a very good relationship with the Colorado brass.

We include him there, though, because a few years back, Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek interviewed Sanders, then at Jackson State, and we’re told he came away extremely impressed.

Sanders, a former star with the Dallas Cowboys, also has ties to the Jones family. It seems doubtful that he would leave Boulder for this job, but the Hogs AD is a believer in Coach Prime.

Intriguing coordinator options

Florida State OC Gus Malzahn

Malzahn, who stepped down last winter as head coach at UCF, has deep ties in the state. He’s 59, and once spent an interesting season as the Hogs’ offensive coordinator. Malzahn spent a decade as Auburn’s head coach, which included getting the program to the national title game in 2013. His 68-35 record is impressive, but that feels like such a long time ago.

Arkansas OC and interim coach Bobby Petrino

Petrino is the wildest of wild cards. He’s 64. He’s scandal-ridden. He’s a punchline. However, the school approved his return as offensive coordinator last season, put him in charge for the remainder of this season and indicated that he would be considered for the full-time job.

In his first stint at Arkansas, he went from 5-7 in his first season in 2008 to 11-2 and No. 5 in the nation in his fourth season before all heck broke loose when he got on that motorcycle.

He has a bye week to get this team ready for a trip to No. 15 Tennessee. Then, it’s No. 6 Texas A&M. Then, Auburn and Mississippi State, before the Hogs finish at No. 13 LSU, at No. 9 Texas and then No. 19 Mizzou. That’s five top 20 teams, plus an MSU team that’s beaten Arizona State and given the Vols all they could handle.

If Petrino can get the Hogs to win at least four of those seven and become bowl-eligible, could they convince themselves to give him the job again? Doubtful, but it’s Petrino, and it’s Arkansas. Literally nothing is off the table.

(Photo of SMU coach Rhett Lashlee: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)