FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas confirmed that former Razorback football head coach Bobby Petrino has agreed to come back to the program as the offensive coordinator.
Petrino was offering hints Tuesday and Wednesday about the agreement by posting a video to X, formerly known as Twitter, of his granddaughter calling the Hogs. He also changed his location to Fayetteville and added "#WPS" to his bio.
He also posted a picture of himself and Razorback player Ryan Mallett, who tragically died after drowning while vacationing in Florida in June 2023. Petrino said he is "Proud to be coming home."
According to Petrino's contact, he will be earning $3.45 million over 2.5 years, alongside performance incentives.
John Nabors, host of the Locked on Razorbacks podcast said some former offensive coordinators for the Razorbacks have been contracted for more, so this shows Petrino's commitment to the state.
“The fact that Petrino took that type of contract, I think was really showing how much he wanted to be here to where he probably could have gotten a lot more money going elsewhere," Nabors said. "But signing a contract like that shows that this is a place that he wants to be and he wants to come back to Arkansas.”
Petrino was first introduced to the University of Arkansas football program in 2008 and led the Razorbacks to a few successful seasons during his reign between 2008 and 2011.
In 2010, the Razorbacks finished the season 10-2 and secured a spot at the 2011 Sugar Bowl against Ohio State, making it the first bowl appearance for the Razorbacks in two decades. The Razorbacks ended the 2011 season 11-2. They also won the 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic against Kansas State.
This success, however, came to an abrupt end after Petrino was involved in a motorcycle accident with an athletic department staffer on April 1, 2012.
Originally, the university and Petrino said that he was the only individual in the accident.
An Arkansas State Police report released on April 5, 2012, said Petrino was not alone on the motorcycle at the time of the accident like he originally said.
As a married man, the university said the incident raised concerns for the Razorback's image. Just nine days after the accident, on April 10, 2012, athletic director Jeff Long announced Petrino had been fired.
"I chose to engage in an improper relationship. I also made several poor decisions following the end of that relationship and in the aftermath of the accident. I accept full responsibility for what has happened," Petrino said in a statement the same day of the firing.
Prior to joining the Hogs, Petrino was a former head coach for the Atlanta Falcons and the University of Louisville. He also had coaching experience at Arizona State University, the University of Nevada, Utah State University, Auburn University, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Petrino's contract:
Between each job, Petrino told ESPN in 2022 that lying about his extramarital affair continues to follow him.
"There's instantly a reaction when you hear my name, whether it's negative or positive," Petrino said. "I wish it was more positive, but it's probably more negative and a lot of that's on me. But a lot of those people don't really know me. They know what happened when I was fired at Arkansas and how poorly I handled everything, and that's what sticks with them."
Petrino possibly rejoining the Razorback coaching staff comes on the heels of a disappointing 4-8 season and the firing of Dan Enos.
Arkansas students and lifelong Razorback fans seemed to be thrilled Petrino is heading back to Fayetteville.
"Being a fan for my whole life, he was the coach when I was growing up. And he obviously showed the best intel and the best progress in our program and it really, you know, killed the program when he left," one fan said.
"It's really exciting, like I think back to when he was here as a head coach, you know, we were going to BCS [Bowl Champion Series] bowls, and I think that'd be really cool if he could get us back to that," another fan said.
One fan even thought this hire will put the Hogs in prime position to win 10 games next season.
Another fan said he felt Petrino had been instrumental in him being a Razorback fan.
“[I] really started to become a fan during the Petrino era, so it’s good," he said. "And hopefully we can get back to the winning we had in the Petrino era."
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