Pittman deal to be new Hogs’ coach ‘all but signed,’ according to report

Chris Low at ESPN.com reported early Sunday afternoon he had emerged as the top candidate. 247Sports.com has said the deal is all but signed, according to “strong sources.”

Pittman is the associate head coach and offensive line coach at Georgia and is widely viewed as one of the best recruiters and offensive line coaches in the SEC.

Several former Arkansas players, some of whom have played in the NFL, sent letters of support to Arkansas officials expressing support for Pittman.

Pittman was promoted to Georgia’s associate head coach in February and is the highest paid offensive line coach in the FBS with an annual salary of $900,000.

Pittman has gotten most of the credit for recruiting and building an offensive line that helped the Bulldogs win the SEC East each of the last three seasons.

He was the assistant head coach, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Arkansas from 2013-15 before joining Kirby Smart at Georgia.

Pittman, 58, also coached at Tennessee and North Carolina before going to Arkansas in 2013. He is a native of Grove, Oklahoma, about 70 miles from the Fayetteville campus, and has said before coaching the Razorbacks was a “dream job” for him.

This story will obviously be updated as events progress