Official: Arkansas hires Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator

He’s baaaaccck.

The University of Arkansas makes it official – Bobby Petrino is the school’s next offensive coordinator. Reports surfaced on Tuesday afternoon that the school was looking into potentially hiring the former Razorbacks head coach before things really picked up steam.

After numerous reports that Petrino had agreed to a deal, the school made it official early Wednesday afternoon. An announcement was posted on Twitter (X) confirming the news.

The details of Petrino’s contract were also released. It’s a two-year deal worth a total of around $3.45 million that begins Dec. 3 and goes through Feb. 28, 2026. For the 2024 season, he will be paid $1.5 million and that increases slightly to $1.6 million for the 2025 season.

On top of the $3.1 million in salary, Petrino is getting an additional $350,000 for his first three months on the job – from Dec. 3 to Feb. 28. According to Andrew Hutchinson, Petrino’s salary is tied with John Chavis and behind Barry Odom for the second-largest ever for an Arkansas football assistant. If Petrino remains on Arkansas’ staff in 2025, he’d take the top spot from Odom.

Petrino returns to Fayetteville after his first tenure, as head coach from 2008-2011, ended with the infamous motorcycle scandal. In his four seasons as head coach, Petrino led the Hogs to a 34-17 overall record and three straight bowl appearances from 2009-2011.

Following the 2010 season where Arkansas finished 10-2, the Razorbacks made their only ever BCS bowl game, the 2011 Sugar Bowl. Despite losing that game to then-No. 6 Ohio State 31-26, they finished ranked No. 12 in the final AP Top 25 poll.

In 2011, Arkansas finished 10-2 for the second straight year under Petrino and earned a trip to the 2012 Cotton Bowl where the defeated then-No. 11 Kansas State, 29-16. With the win, Arkansas would jump up two spots to finish ranked No. 5 in the final AP Top 25 poll – their highest final ranking since 1977 when they finished 3rd.

Here’s what Bobby Petrino has done since 2012:

Petrino spent the 2023 season in College Station as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator where the Aggies offense averaged 403.8 yards per game (53rd in the FBS) and 34.2 points per game (25th in the FBS). Prior to the 2023 season, Petrino had accepted the UNLV offensive coordinator job under Barry Odom but, when offered the same position at Texas A&M, chose to leave after just 21 days in Las Vegas.

Before 2023, Petrino spent three seasons as the head coach at Missouri State, where he compiled an 18-15 record and led the Bears to two playoff appearances. In 2022, Petrino’s Bears came to Fayetteville in early September and nearly knocked off the then-10th-ranked Hogs, 38-27.

In 2014, Petrino returned to Louisville as head coach after spending just one season at Western Kentucky. Petrino had previously served as the Cardinals head coach from 2003-2006, so this was his second stint with the program.

From 2014-2018, Louisville went 77-35 and finished ranked inside the AP Top 25 twice. From 2015-2017, Petrino coached quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won the 2016 Heisman Trophy after throwing for 3,543 yards 30 touchdowns and just nine interceptions while also running for 1,571 yards and 21 touchdowns. In 2018, Lousiville finished just 2-10 on the year and Petrino was let go at season’s end.

Story originally appeared on Razorbacks Wire