“Building Smart: Coach Sam Pittman on Recruiting in the Age of Roster Limits”
By: [Fictional Sportswriter Name]
In the heart of Fayetteville, Arkansas, the early spring sun cuts across the practice field where Coach Sam Pittman stands with arms folded, eyes scanning every detail. The buzz of drills, the cadence of quarterbacks, and the sharp clap of shoulder pads blend into a rhythm that’s familiar but increasingly pressured by something newer: the tightrope of modern college football roster management.
“We used to recruit like you were stacking bricks—just get the best talent and stack ’em high,” Pittman says, leaning against a goalpost after the morning session. “Now? You’ve got to be a surgeon. You better know what you need, how much room you have, and what each guy brings beyond stars next to his name.”
Pittman, heading into his fifth season with the Razorbacks, isn’t just adjusting to roster caps; he’s redefining what it means to build a sustainable program in an era of constant movement. With the NCAA limiting rosters to 85 scholarships and tightening initial counters, the days of oversigning or simply “taking the best athlete available” are gone.
“We had to change our mindset,” Pittman says. “You can’t miss. You can’t take three defensive tackles and hope one hits. If you get three, you better believe in all three. That’s pressure—but it’s also opportunity. It forces you to be intentional.”
The Razorbacks’ recruiting operation now hums with precision. Pittman credits his staff—especially Director of Player Personnel Trent Davidson and Recruiting Coordinator Jimmy Smith—for bringing a surgical edge to talent evaluation. They’ve installed what they call the “5-by-5 Grid,” a system that maps out each position across five recruiting classes and five tiers of evaluation: physical traits, mental makeup, injury history, position versatility, and culture fit.
“Roster limits force you to know who you are as a team,” Pittman explains. “You can’t have five tight ends and no edge rushers. That used to happen. Now, every spot is gold. We got a board that breaks down every single scholarship player, by year, injury status, even redshirt probability. It looks like a CIA war room in there.”
Pittman chuckles, but there’s gravity behind his words. He knows a missed eval can linger on a roster for years. The COVID extra year and the one-time transfer rule have further complicated the calculus, making depth both a blessing and a burden.
“You want to give guys a chance to develop,” he says. “But you can’t sit on potential for three years if you’re tight on numbers. That’s where transparency matters.”
He’s talking about what he calls “The Conversation”—the hard talk every staff member is trained to have with current players.
“You owe it to them to be honest. If a guy isn’t in your two-deep and he’s a junior, you have to ask, ‘What’s your plan?’ Maybe he wants to stay and help in other ways. Maybe he wants to go somewhere he can play more. Either way, it has to be real.”
Recruiting, then, is no longer a yearly event—it’s a 365-day cycle of roster triage. Pittman describes it like playing chess with live pieces, constantly reevaluating the board.
“You take a linebacker in December and by February you find out a guy’s coming back for his sixth year, so now you’re overloaded,” he says. “Or a portal guy looks like a lock, and then he flips last minute. You have to be ready to pivot. It’s why character matters. It’s why your staff has to be aligned.”
One of those pivots came last winter when Pittman and his staff chose to hold two scholarships open after Early Signing Day.
“People thought we missed,” Pittman says, smiling. “But it was on purpose. We saw a kid at a JUCO, late riser, hadn’t even played football until his senior year of high school. Raw as hell, but the tape—man, he popped. We needed that flexibility to take a shot.”
That kid, now turning heads in spring camp, is part of what Pittman calls the “third wave” of recruiting—those overlooked or late-developing players who might get lost in the noise of stars and NIL deals.
“Look, the portal and NIL have changed the game,” Pittman admits. “But it hasn’t changed the heart of it. You still win with development. You still win with guys who love the grind.”
He pauses, watching a freshman offensive lineman struggle through a set of sled pushes. “That kid right there,” he nods, “he ain’t ready. Not today. But give him a year. He’s tough. He listens. That’s who we want.”
Pittman’s philosophy has always been rooted in authenticity. Recruits mention it. High school coaches talk about it. Parents, too.
“Coach Pittman’s never gonna promise you something he can’t back up,” says a high school coach in Little Rock. “He tells kids, ‘You’re gonna earn it. And if you don’t want to do that, Arkansas ain’t for you.’”
Back in his office, Pittman leans over a large touchscreen showing a color-coded breakdown of the current scholarship chart. There’s a careful balance—red for seniors, green for underclassmen, blue for portal additions.
“This is the puzzle,” he says. “You can’t fill every hole in one class. But if you’re consistent, if you hit more than you miss, and if you coach ’em up, you’ll be where you need to be.”
He points to a rising sophomore safety, a former three-star who now runs with the first team.
“Didn’t have a bunch of offers. But we knew. We watched every rep of him playing receiver, safety, even punt return. We knew he was a football player. That’s what roster limits force you to do—dig deeper.”
As practice winds down and the sun dips low, Pittman walks the length of the field, chatting with players, correcting technique, clapping backs. It’s clear this isn’t just strategy—it’s personal.
“We’re not just building a team,” he says. “We’re building a program. And in this new world, that means smarter recruiting, tougher conversations, and trusting your evals. That’s how you survive. That’s how you win.”
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