Arkansas football fires more staff and negotiates Pittman buyout

• "I felt it was in our best interest to do what we did this morning for our players to improve individually, to get a little bit more motivated, and I think it'll help our team overall get out on the field and compete and find ways to win a game," Petrino said at a news conference.

Catch up quick: Arkansas (2-3) fired head coach Sam Pittman on Sunday and named offensive coordinator and former head coach Petrino interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

What they're saying: Athletic director Hunter Yurachek called the Razorbacks' performance during their 56-13 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday "unacceptable." He confirmed the loss combined with this season's losses to Ole Miss and Memphis led to Pittman's firing.

• "As you can imagine, Sam was incredibly gracious, incredibly thankful for the opportunity that he had had to be the head coach at the University of Arkansas and made a really tough day as well as it could for me as director of athletics," he said of his conversation with Pittman at Pittman's home on Sunday.

Zoom in: Pittman's contract states that if he is terminated "for convenience by UA" — as in, not for misconduct or violating policies — he is to be paid either 50% or 75% of his remaining annual salary and other compensation, depending on his winning percentage.

• Yurachek said during Monday's press conference the department was negotiating with Pittman to pay out 62.5%. A department spokesperson did not respond to Axios' request for confirmation on a specific dollar amount.
• Pittman, who was under contract until December 2027, will be owed about $7.7 million and is in line to receive about $999,000 in prorated deferred compensation, according to Whole Hog Sports.

• Pittman's annual salary and other compensation totaled $5 million, and he was eligible for other bonus pay ranging $250,000 to $750,000 depending on wins, plus three retention payments of $1.5 million, $2.7 million and $3.3 million.
• Pittman was hired in 2019 and signed a new contract in 2022.

The big picture: Petrino, who was head coach from 2008-11 before being fired in 2012, is vying to lead the Razorbacks again. However, he said his focus for now is the remaining nine weeks of the season.

• Yurachek does not expect Petrino to come in with "magic pixie dust" and win all seven of the remaining games but does want to see great leadership and a more competitive team, he said.

What's next: The athletic department will solicit search firms to find a permanent head coach, Yurachek said.