Report: Arkansas 'vetting' bringing back former Missouri State coach Bobby Petrino as OC
Former Missouri State head coach Bobby Petrino could be headed back to Fayetteville, according to a national report.
ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel posted on social media on Tuesday afternoon that Arkansas is "vetting" hiring the school's former head coach as its next offensive coordinator.
Thamel said that Petrino has indicated while recruiting that he's in the mix for an SEC coordinator job.
Petrino was the head coach of the Razorbacks from 2008-11 where he led the Hogs to a 51-34 record, Cotton Bowl and Liberty Bowl victories along with a Sugar Bowl appearance.
Petrino was fired as Arkansas' head coach in April 2012 after he was involved in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in northwest Arkansas on the first day of the month. He initially told university officials he was alone on the motorcycle, but it eventually came out that he had a passenger — then-25-year-old Jessica Dorrell.
More: How time has healed wounds left by Missouri State head coach Bobby Petrino at Arkansas
In the coming days, it came to light that Petrino had an affair with Dorrell and he had hired the former Arkansas volleyball player to work in the athletics department after giving her a $20,000 gift. He had not previously disclosed his relationship with university officials.
By April 10, 2012, Arkansas fired Petrino with cause, as then-Athletics Director Jeff Long told reporters Petrino had "engaged in a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior" before and after the motorcycle crash.
Petrino reemerged on college sidelines after coaching at Western Kentucky in 2013 and then at Louisville from 2014-18.
Missouri State hired Petrino in January 2020. He coached the Bears for three seasons and went 18-15. In his first two years, the Bears reached the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 1990.
Petrino departed the Bears to accept the UNLV offensive coordinator job following the 2022 season. A month after accepting the job in Las Vegas, he left to take an offensive coordinator job at Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher.
During what will be his lone year at Texas A&M, the university fired Jimbo Fisher — giving him more than $75 million in his buyout. Petrino remained as offensive coordinator and called plays. The Aggies finished the regular season 7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play.
Arkansas fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos during the regular season. The school announced head coach Sam Pittman would return despite a disappointing 4-8 season.
Missouri State is scheduled to kick off the regular season at Arkansas in 2025.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Bobby Petrino could return to Arkansas as offensive coordinator
