Bobby Petrino was officially announced as the new offensive coordinator at Arkansas on Wednesday, completing a full circle arrangement for a program that was once under his direction as the head coach.
Petrino was certainly excited to move on from Texas A&M, where he spent one season as the offensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher. But he also admitted that he never felt comfortable scheming up the offense for the Aggies in his lone season at the helm.
“This past season, I went into A&M and Jimbo [Fisher] wanted to keep his terminology and I didn’t sleep for months,” Petrino told HogsPlus.com. “It was hard. It was studying every night trying to figure this out and ‘Why are we calling it this way’ you know?”
Needless to say, Petrino is excited about having full control of the offense under coach Sam Pittman with the Razorbacks.
“I have an offense that I’m very familiar with and understand inside and out, and calling it will be much easier…,” he added.
We all knew Jumbo was holding BMFP back. He gonna have them boys cookin! #WPS #WooPig
— KNOXBLOCK (@KNOXBLOCK) November 30, 2023
🎥: @HogsPlus pic.twitter.com/aKwcgm7hX5
Fisher was fired by Texas A&M earlier this month, 10 games into his sixth season at the helm in College Station. A popular thought was that Fisher struggled to adapt and change, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Petrino’s lack of total control of the offense as the offensive coordinator this season is proof of that.
Time will tell whether or not Petrino will be able to replicate his success as an offensive mind at a school he loves in Arkansas. If he’s able to help turn the offense around, it will likely save Pittman’s job, as he enters the 2024 season squarely on the hot seat after a 4-8 campaign.
