Sam Pittman makes watch list for top national coach’s award

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has been named to the preseason watch list for the Dodd Trophy.

Pittman is one of 20 coaches included on the watch list for the national award named after legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, who coached and mentored former Razorbacks legend Frank Broyles.

It is given every year to the top FBS coach.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc., taking into consideration each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the upcoming season and Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Pittman enters the 2022 campaign on the heels of one of the most successful seasons in program history.

The Hogs won nine games in 2021, including all three of the program’s trophy games for the first time in history in addition to the Outback Bowl, after totaling just eight wins in the three seasons prior to his return to The Hill.

Arkansas rose to as high as No. 8 in the AP poll, the highest since 2011, and checked in at No. 21 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, tying the Razorbacks’ highest-ever ranking from the committee and marking their first time finishing the season in the Top 25 since the CFP’s inception in 2014.

A midseason watch list that will add or narrow the field will be released in the fall.

A panel consisting of previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

The winner of the 2022 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Pittman and the Hogs open the season in Razorback Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, against Cincinnati on ESPN.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.