The record
3
Seasons of 2–10 football under this athletic director. 2018, 2019, 2025.
9
Straight home losses to power-conference opponents.
$10M
Buyout guaranteed to Chad Morris, who went 4–18 and 0–14 in the SEC.
4. Arkansas Times, Nov. 11, 2019, the Chad Morris buyout terms
$7.7M
Buyout owed to Sam Pittman, paid through December 31, 2027, by the department that finished last in the SEC in roster spending.
He was fired five games into 2025, after a raise in 2022 and after being retained following 4-8 and 6-6 seasons.
5. WholeHogSports, Sept. 29, 2025, department finances after the firings
What he said
Asked at the Little Rock Touchdown Club whether Arkansas is set up to win national championships, he said basketball is, baseball is, and several other sports are. Then football:
“Football, where we are right now, we're not set up to win a national championship. I'll just be brutally honest with that.”
September 15, 2025, Little Rock Touchdown Club. Seventeen seconds. Full video at this moment.
Thirteen days later, on September 28, he fired Sam Pittman five games into the season. The next day:
“I gave you some statistics where our head coach compensation, our assistant coach salary pool, our support staff salary pool, and our overall operating budget ranked toward the bottom of the Southeastern Conference. I think, with that information, Coach Pittman did not have the resources he needed to appropriately compete in this conference right now.”
Compensation, salary pools and operating budget are the athletic director's job.
September 29, 2025, press conference, Fayetteville. Seven seconds. Full video at this moment.
A new financial commitment “will push us to the top half in key SEC items such as our assistant coaches pool, our strength and conditioning staff, our support staff pool, and our talent acquisition through revenue sharing and legitimate NIL.”
December 4, 2025, Ryan Silverfield's introductory press conference. Twenty-five seconds. Full video at this moment.
He said that on December 4th. Nine months later, The Athletic put Arkansas last in the SEC.
“I know people don't like it, but generating revenue is really the name of the game in having a successful athletics program, and unfortunately generating revenue comes at the expense of your fan base.”
September 10, 2026, Hawgs Illustrated Sports Club luncheon, Springdale. Sixteen seconds. Full video at this moment.
“Looking back, I would have established a general manager-type position earlier.”
There was no athletics general manager until March 2025. No football general manager until December 2025.
What he didn't collect
August 12, 2023
Hunter Yurachek published an op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette headlined “Save college sports,” calling on Congress to impose a national standard on NIL.
He wrote that a model requiring revenue-generating programs to share nearly half their revenue with athletes “would collapse the entire system.”
Arkansas opted into the revenue-sharing pool in July 2025.
10. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Aug. 12, 2023, Hunter Yurachek, “Save college sports”; 9. WholeHogSports, Oct. 6, 2025, Arkansas ends its relationship with Blueprint Sports
LAST
Arkansas's rank in SEC roster spending for 2026. An estimated $22–25M against a conference average of $33–38M, per The Athletic, Sept. 16, 2026. Texas, LSU and Texas A&M each roughly doubled it.
Roster-spending figures are reported estimates, not disclosed numbers.
6. KARK, September 2026, on The Athletic's roster budget report of Sept. 16, 2026
$181M
Arkansas's athletics budget, against SEC programs Yurachek said operate at $300M or more. His own figures, given at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, Sept. 15, 2025.
$1.75M
Hunter Yurachek's total annual compensation. He started at $850,000 in 2017.
$1.5 million annually plus $250,000 in deferred compensation. Among the highest-paid athletic directors in the country, though several major private universities don't disclose administrator pay.
24. Best of Arkansas Sports, 2022, Hunter Yurachek's contract terms
At the bottom of SEC spending. Among the highest-paid athletic directors in the country.
$500K
Total value of the NIL agreements Arkansas assumed from its own collective in July 2025, per Yurachek. About $15,000 per athlete.
Arkansas Edge, launched November 2023, was operated by Blueprint Sports, an out-of-state firm that ran more than 70 collectives.
Arkansas ended the relationship in October 2025, among the last five schools still partnered with the company.
9. WholeHogSports, Oct. 6, 2025, Arkansas ends its relationship with Blueprint Sports
25 years
Notice the department had that the stadium's naming rights would expire. The Reynolds Foundation deal was signed in 1999 and ran out June 30, 2024. The replacement wasn't announced until June 24, 2026.
Two full years without a naming-rights contract on one of the department's largest revenue assets.
8. Southwest Times Record, June 24, 2026, the new stadium naming-rights deal
2
Concerts held at Razorback Stadium, which seats 76,000, in the last four years. They are also the only two in the building's history: Garth Brooks in April 2022, which the university called the first independently scheduled concert ever held there, and Post Malone in July 2026.
Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee had signed event-booking partnerships for their campus venues by 2018, 2018 and 2021.
Metallica plays Razorback Stadium in May 2027, one of twelve North American dates on the tour.
12. ArkansasRazorbacks.com, 2022, Garth Brooks at Razorback Stadium; 13. ArkansasRazorbacks.com, 2026, Post Malone and Jelly Roll at Razorback Stadium; 16. Burnt Orange Nation, Dec. 20, 2018, Texas and Oak View Group agree on a campus arena; 17. Lexington Herald-Leader, 2021, Kentucky's 2018 partnership with Oak View Group; 18. Knoxville News Sentinel, June 9, 2021, Tennessee's partnership with Oak View Group; 11. ArkansasRazorbacks.com, Metallica at Razorback Stadium, May 2027
19,000
Seats in Bud Walton Arena, the only indoor venue in Northwest Arkansas that holds a five-figure crowd. Dark most of the year.
Walmart holds its annual shareholders meeting in Bud Walton Arena and books major performers for it.
14. ArkansasRazorbacks.com, Jan. 30, 2026, the Oak View Group partnership; 15. 40/29 News, 2026, the Walmart associates celebration at Bud Walton Arena
January 30, 2026
Arkansas hires Oak View Group to secure live event bookings at Razorback Stadium and Bud Walton Arena.
Texas, 2018. Kentucky, 2018. Tennessee, 2021. NC State. Arizona State. Houston. UMass. Rhode Island. Saint Louis.
Yurachek said the partnership would give the department the edge it needs to bring concerts and events to its venues.
14. ArkansasRazorbacks.com, Jan. 30, 2026, the Oak View Group partnership; 16. Burnt Orange Nation, Dec. 20, 2018, Texas and Oak View Group agree on a campus arena; 17. Lexington Herald-Leader, 2021, Kentucky's 2018 partnership with Oak View Group; 18. Knoxville News Sentinel, June 9, 2021, Tennessee's partnership with Oak View Group
4 years
Behind South Carolina on stadium LED lights. Williams-Brice debuted 250+ LED fixtures and a new sound system in September 2022. Arkansas installed the same package in July 2026. Alabama and Georgia did it in 2019.
South Carolina was coming off its best season since 2018 when it did this.
20. WLTX, September 2022, LED lights debut at Williams-Brice Stadium; 21. ArkansasRazorbacks.com, July 24, 2026, the Razorback Stadium lighting system; 22. NBC Sports, 2019, Alabama's LED lighting at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Every figure above is a completed jackpot from the raffle's official winners page. The Tulsa raffle closes September 26 and will be added when it does.
In August 2024, Saracen Casino Resort, an Arkansas company and a Razorback athletics sponsor, said publicly it had a 50/50 raffle ready to launch with the athletic department, with half the proceeds going to Arkansas Edge, the NIL collective.
The department launched its raffle with BUMP 50/50, a subsidiary of Blast Gaming and Canadian Bank Note. The same operator runs Florida's.
The raffle money does not go to NIL. It goes to the Razorback Foundation and the athletic department at large.
47. Razorback Raffle, official winners page, completed jackpots for every draw; 48. ArkansasRazorbacks.com, May 2025, the Razorback Raffle launch; 49. Arkansas Razorbacks on Facebook, May 2025, the first raffle's $282,000 jackpot; 50. Arkansas Razorbacks on X, June 2025, the Super Regional raffle's $191,855 jackpot; 51. Sports Illustrated, 2025, the raffle ahead of the final baseball series; 52. Razorbackers, 2024, Saracen's proposed raffle and the NIL collective
What he took instead
3%
New fee on concessions, the “Student-Athlete Scholarship Enhancement Fee.”
2
Reseatings of Baum-Walker in four years. The most recent was announced after the annual donation deadline had passed.
Donors who would have given more to improve their football and basketball seats never got the chance.
The deadline passed on June 30. The reseating was announced on August 21.
See the full email
23. Pig Trail Nation, August 2026, the Baum-Walker reseating announcement
$20M
Raised from the Bud Walton Arena reseating plan.
3. CBS Sports, September 2026, on the Georgia loss, the reseatings and the trustees' review
$8.8M
Raised from the Baum-Walker reseating in its first 20 days, per Yurachek on Sept. 10, 2026.
He can raise money. He just keeps raising it from you.
Culture
We're not a school with a team.
We're a state with a team.
No NFL franchise. No NBA team. No MLB team.
30 years
Kevin Trainor spent three decades at the University of Arkansas. He was let go in June 2025. He now works for the Arkansas Alumni Association.
- Chief public relations officer
- FOIA coordinator
- Sport administrator for baseball
Former Razorbacks David Bazzel and Joe Kleine and former sports information director Rick Schaeffer all publicly criticized the decision.
32. Best of Arkansas Sports, June 2025, reaction to Kevin Trainor's dismissal; 33. Arkansas Times, July 25, 2025, Kevin Trainor joins the Arkansas Alumni Association
The decision came as the department reduced staff ahead of revenue sharing. 34. WholeHogSports, June 27, 2025, the department's staff reductions
Pieces of Arkansas athletics history have been stored in a unit in Rogers, not on public display.
David Bazzel, 2025. 35. David Bazzel, Little Rock Touchdown Club, Nov. 10, 2025, on video
Razorback Stadium opens a new Trophy Room and a reimagined All-American Alley honoring more than 65 first-team All-Americans.
University of Arkansas, 2026. 36. The Arkansas Traveler, 2026, Razorback Stadium upgrades including the Trophy Room and All-American Alley
The full segment, two minutes and thirty-seven seconds: Little Rock Touchdown Club Founder, David Bazzel, on November 10, 2025, on the pieces of Razorback history in a storage unit in Rogers. Full video at this moment.
Told The Athletic he spent roughly 75% of his first offseason fundraising. He has also said the 2026 roster payroll was set before he arrived.
28. WholeHogSports, Sept. 21, 2026, Ryan Silverfield on resources and fundraising; 29. Best of Arkansas Sports, September 2026, Silverfield's offseason fundraising
“We didn't have the resources, bottom line.”
Reporting credits this year's turnaround to Van Horn handling the fundraising himself.
30. WholeHogSports, June 25, 2026, Dave Van Horn on the previous roster's resources; 31. Best of Arkansas Sports, June 2026, Van Horn and the transfer portal turnaround
Raising resources is the athletic director's job.
A frame from the video Hunter Yurachek posted on March 28, 2024, captioned “You're still here?!”
Hunter Yurachek, March 28, 2024. 37. Frame from the video Hunter Yurachek posted March 28, 2024, captioned “You're still here?!”, archived on this site
Hunter Yurachek on the 1 Star Recruits Podcast, April 1, 2024, on Eric Musselman. From the 40-second mark to the end.
1 Star Recruits Podcast, April 1, 2024. 38. 1 Star Recruits Podcast, April 1, 2024, Hunter Yurachek on Eric Musselman, on video from the 40-second mark
ESPN, November 25, 2025: the College Football Playoff selection committee chair in a rankings-show interview.
Hunter Yurachek, chair of the College Football Playoff selection committee, in a televised interview with ESPN's Rece Davis on the November 25, 2025 rankings show. Eight seconds.
CFP, November 25, 2025. 39. CFP, Nov. 25, 2025 rankings show, ESPN's Rece Davis with College Football Playoff selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek, on video at the clip
Declined
DECLINED
In the club's 22-year history, Hunter Yurachek is the first Arkansas athletic director to decline the invitation.
44. Best of Arkansas Sports, Aug. 14, 2026, Yurachek and the Little Rock Touchdown Club; 45. Razorbackers, Aug. 15, 2026, Yurachek's Touchdown Club absence; 46. David Bazzel, Little Rock Touchdown Club press conference, Aug. 13, 2026, on video
Little Rock Touchdown Club Founder, David Bazzel, press conference on August 13, 2026 announcing the speaker lineup for the year. Fifty-three seconds. Full video at this moment.
Ryan Silverfield opened the club's 2026 series on August 24. The first-year head coach went to Little Rock. His boss didn't.
None of this was hard.
There's no bad luck in it, no bad break, nothing that took a genius to see coming.
It's the basics, and Hunter Yurachek can't do the basics.
None of this had to happen.
Fire Hunter Yurachek.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the athletic department, the university, published reporting, or the athletic director's own words. The sources are below.
- Arkansas football season records, Sports-Referencehttps://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/arkansas/
- Arkansas 2026 schedule and results, Sports-Referencehttps://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/arkansas/2026-schedule.html
- CBS Sports, September 2026, on the Georgia loss, the reseatings and the trustees' reviewhttps://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/arkansas-blowout-georgia-nil-issues/
- Arkansas Times, Nov. 11, 2019, the Chad Morris buyout termshttps://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2019/11/11/the-chad-morris-buyout-terms
- WholeHogSports, Sept. 29, 2025, department finances after the firingshttps://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2025/sep/29/arkansas-football-finances-under-the-microscope-after-firings/
- KARK, September 2026, on The Athletic's roster budget report of Sept. 16, 2026https://www.kark.com/pig-trail-nation/report-says-arkansas-has-cheapest-football-roster-budget-in-sec/
- Coverage of Hunter Yurachek's Sept. 15, 2025 Little Rock Touchdown Club remarks, including budget figureshttps://www.aol.com/articles/arkansas-ad-hunter-yurachek-implies-160351453.html
- Southwest Times Record, June 24, 2026, the new stadium naming-rights dealhttps://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/sec/2026/06/24/arkansas-announce-new-naming-rights-deal-for-football-stadium/90665131007/
- WholeHogSports, Oct. 6, 2025, Arkansas ends its relationship with Blueprint Sportshttps://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2025/oct/06/arkansas-athletics-ending-relationship-with-blueprint-sports-parent-company-of-arkansas-edge-nil-collective/
- Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Aug. 12, 2023, Hunter Yurachek, “Save college sports”https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/aug/12/save-college-sports/
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com, Metallica at Razorback Stadium, May 2027https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/metallica-rocking-razorback-stadium-in-may-2027/
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com, 2022, Garth Brooks at Razorback Stadiumhttps://arkansasrazorbacks.com/garth-brooks-set-to-play-dwrrs/
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com, 2026, Post Malone and Jelly Roll at Razorback Stadiumhttps://arkansasrazorbacks.com/post-malone-jelly-roll-bringing-big-ass-stadium-tour-part-2-to-razorback-stadium/
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com, Jan. 30, 2026, the Oak View Group partnershiphttps://arkansasrazorbacks.com/university-of-arkansas-selects-oak-view-group-for-event-bookings-at-razorback-stadium-bud-walton-arena/
- 40/29 News, 2026, the Walmart associates celebration at Bud Walton Arenahttps://www.4029tv.com/article/2026-walmart-associates-celebration/71499888
- Burnt Orange Nation, Dec. 20, 2018, Texas and Oak View Group agree on a campus arenahttps://www.burntorangenation.com/basketball/2018/12/20/18150656/the-university-of-texas-oak-view-group-agree-build-world-class-on-campus-arena
- Lexington Herald-Leader, 2021, Kentucky's 2018 partnership with Oak View Grouphttps://www.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article253879998.html
- Knoxville News Sentinel, June 9, 2021, Tennessee's partnership with Oak View Grouphttps://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/business/journal/2021/06/09/knoxville-jobs-area-professionals-getting-promotions-and-awards/5023475001/
- Sports Illustrated, November 2024, the concessions feehttps://www.si.com/college/arkansas/men-s-basketball/yurachek-razorbacks-fans-ole-miss-carter-tickets-revenue-sharing-sec
- WLTX, September 2022, LED lights debut at Williams-Brice Stadiumhttps://www.wltx.com/article/sports/led-lights-display-williams-brice-stadium/101-e171ce1b-7e58-4b88-96e0-a7a62340a4d3
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com, July 24, 2026, the Razorback Stadium lighting systemhttps://arkansasrazorbacks.com/razorback-stadium-adding-upgraded-lighting-system/
- NBC Sports, 2019, Alabama's LED lighting at Bryant-Denny Stadiumhttps://www.nbcsports.com/college-football/news/alabama-upgrades-to-led-lighting-at-bryant-denny-stadium-ahead-of-2019-campaign
- Pig Trail Nation, August 2026, the Baum-Walker reseating announcementhttps://www.nwahomepage.com/sports/pig-trail-nation/baum-walker-stadium-announces-reseating-plan/
- Best of Arkansas Sports, 2022, Hunter Yurachek's contract termshttps://www.bestofarkansassports.com/razorbacks-hunter-yurachek-gus-malzahn-new-salary/
- WholeHogSports, Sept. 10, 2026, the Baum-Walker reseating total and the Springdale luncheon remarkshttps://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2026/sep/10/arkansas-baseball-reseating-has-netted-88-million-in-new-funds-ad-hunter-yurachek-says/
- Hunter Yurachek, Hawgs Illustrated Sports Club luncheon, Sept. 10, 2026, on video at the quotehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D--hm3NeAS4&t=1381
- On3, September 2026, Hunter Yurachek on establishing a general manager position earlierhttps://www.on3.com/news/arkansas-may-have-a-football-problem-firing-hunter-yurachek-now-could-create-a-bigger-one/
- WholeHogSports, Sept. 21, 2026, Ryan Silverfield on resources and fundraisinghttps://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2026/sep/21/arkansas-football-notebook-ryan-silverfield-says-we-do-have-the-resources-to-be-competitive/
- Best of Arkansas Sports, September 2026, Silverfield's offseason fundraisinghttps://www.bestofarkansassports.com/arkansas-football-key-money-metric-engine-rattling-tulsa/
- WholeHogSports, June 25, 2026, Dave Van Horn on the previous roster's resourceshttps://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2026/jun/25/arkansas-baseball-coach-dave-van-horn-talks-offseason-additions-looming-draft/
- Best of Arkansas Sports, June 2026, Van Horn and the transfer portal turnaroundhttps://www.bestofarkansassports.com/arkansas-baseball-transfer-portal-dave-van-horn-tennessee-camp/
- Best of Arkansas Sports, June 2025, reaction to Kevin Trainor's dismissalhttps://www.bestofarkansassports.com/arkansas-football-letting-go-kevin-trainor-harder-to-stomach/
- Arkansas Times, July 25, 2025, Kevin Trainor joins the Arkansas Alumni Associationhttps://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2025/07/25/30-year-razorback-athletics-vet-takes-new-role-with-ua-alumni-association-following-staff-cuts
- WholeHogSports, June 27, 2025, the department's staff reductionshttps://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2025/jun/27/arkansas-athletics-department-makes-staff-cuts-in-preparation-for-major-changes-with-revenue-sharing/
- David Bazzel, Little Rock Touchdown Club, Nov. 10, 2025, on videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYpJqsUhxg&t=4470
- The Arkansas Traveler, 2026, Razorback Stadium upgrades including the Trophy Room and All-American Alleyhttps://www.uatrav.com/sports/arkansas-unveils-stadium-upgrades-ahead-of-2026-season/article_bf5e4a2b-b76b-4c4c-87fc-d6d52860e815.html
- Frame from the video Hunter Yurachek posted March 28, 2024, captioned “You're still here?!”, archived on this siteevidence/2024-03-28_youre_still_here.jpg
- 1 Star Recruits Podcast, April 1, 2024, Hunter Yurachek on Eric Musselman, on video from the 40-second markhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNhY_YqMqiA&t=40
- CFP, Nov. 25, 2025 rankings show, ESPN's Rece Davis with College Football Playoff selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek, on video at the cliphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHLReCrcHP4&t=23
- Hunter Yurachek, Little Rock Touchdown Club, Sept. 15, 2025, on video at the quotehttps://www.youtube.com/live/8YjFuGIhJiA?t=4016
- Hunter Yurachek, press conference, Sept. 29, 2025, on video at the quotehttps://www.youtube.com/live/z60gPJAIZ6o?t=1223
- Sports Illustrated, September 2026, on the Dec. 4, 2025 introductory press conferencehttps://www.si.com/college/arkansas/football/despite-yurachek-saying-otherwise-hogs-aren-t-close-to-top-half-of-sec-in-roster-spending
- Hunter Yurachek, Ryan Silverfield's introductory press conference, Dec. 4, 2025, on video at the quotehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvuwLfWCSpQ&t=134
- Best of Arkansas Sports, Aug. 14, 2026, Yurachek and the Little Rock Touchdown Clubhttps://www.bestofarkansassports.com/arkansas-football-hunter-yurachek-little-rock-touchdown-club-best-interests/
- Razorbackers, Aug. 15, 2026, Yurachek's Touchdown Club absencehttps://razorbackers.com/hunter-yurachek-little-rock-touchdown-club-absence
- David Bazzel, Little Rock Touchdown Club press conference, Aug. 13, 2026, on videohttps://www.youtube.com/live/oYRq79lOqt4?t=1626
- Razorback Raffle, official winners page, completed jackpots for every drawhttps://razorbackraffle.com/winners
- ArkansasRazorbacks.com, May 2025, the Razorback Raffle launchhttps://arkansasrazorbacks.com/razorback-foundation-launches-razorback-raffle/
- Arkansas Razorbacks on Facebook, May 2025, the first raffle's $282,000 jackpothttps://www.facebook.com/ArkansasRazorbacks/posts/-new-razorback-raffle-alert-raffle-open-now-until-400pm-on-sunday-this-raffle-wi/1103836265116562/
- Arkansas Razorbacks on X, June 2025, the Super Regional raffle's $191,855 jackpothttps://x.com/ArkRazorbacks/status/1931824425432653917
- Sports Illustrated, 2025, the raffle ahead of the final baseball serieshttps://www.si.com/college/arkansas/hogs-news/razorback-raffle-goes-live-ahead-of-final-baseball-series-of-school-year
- Razorbackers, 2024, Saracen's proposed raffle and the NIL collectivehttps://razorbackers.com/nil-game-changer-or-just-hype-pros-cons-razorback-raffle