Finally, We Get Pittman’s Take on New General Manager for Razorbacks
Now we finally know how Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is viewing new general manager Remy Cofield and how he fits in with the football program.
It’s been a question we didn’t know the answer to because of the access during spring practice. Apparently, though, it’s going to be quite extensive involvement.
“Coming from the professional ranks, I think he’s seen and heard, regardless of the sport, exactly what we’re looking for,” Pittman said Thursday. “You know, more eyes, help understanding caps, all those things that he has great experience of.”
Cofield was hired in March as the general manager for all Razorback athletics. With a basketball background in the NBA, fans have wondered how that translates over to football, but Pittman isn’t looking at him for game plans and isn’t seeing it as a big deal.
He’s there mainly to deal with the world of how much to pay and who gets the money among the players.
“We need help in that category,” Pittman said. “I’m not talking about just the evaluations and all. I’m talking about all of it — the money, a way to talk to agents. Some things that can take that personal relationship between me and the kids, somebody can be a buffer, along with a lot of other things. I’m looking forward to working with him.”
If anything, Pittman sounded a little relieved. He spent nearly 40 years planning to be a head coach at the big-time college level and finally got the chance in December 2019. Everything changed by February with the COVID pandemic.
Dealing with the players has probably been the biggest adjustment for Pittman. He was doing the best he could figure out while doing it.
“You know, guys, a lot of times if you’re married, you need a little buffer,” Pittman said. “You go talk to your son and say, ‘Hey, go to mom and see what this idea would be’ I think you need a buffer. And to me, he’s that guy.”
He hasn’t had that and it’s put him in a really awkward spot with his players at times.
“Since we’ve been here, I’ve kind of been the good guy and the bad guy,” Pittman said. “Good, if you come in and you want X amount of money and all that and we feel like that’s the worth. They’re gonna go to [Cofield]. That buffering system is going to help me tremendously. It’s personal, you know. Guys gonna leave, you understand why, but then it becomes personal.
While Pittman is completely in favor of players getting all they can, him decideing who gets what is clearly not something he’s completely comfortable doing. He spent a career not having to deal with that kind of stuff.
“We need to take that part out of the game,” he said. “I’m all for these guys making money, all for it. But there are some that leave that it hurts ya. So I think, having him, I think that will help us and he can be a buffering.
“If you go in, and you tell him you want $400,000 and I’m going, I was planning on giving you four, then there’s a buffer in there where we can kind of figure out, between the two of us, along with the coaches, you know, what kind of money that we have in the budget.”
Now it’s just another chapter in the new world of doing things. Now Pittman is just trying to make it through spring practices and figure out who will be playing.
