University of Arkansas football Coach Sam Pittman wants the Razorbacks’ 2023 4-8 season to become a distant memory.

He made that clear during his appearance as the first speaker of the season at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday afternoon at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Little Rock.

So much so, that when he realized he was wearing the same red and black tie that he wore during his 2023 appearance at the LRTDC, he proceeded to rip it off as soon as he took the podium, drawing laughter and applause from the packed crowd.

“I had this same damn tie on and I am not going to go through another season like that, so it’s going to start with taking this damn tie off,” Pittman said with a smile. “Number two, I get on that fancy bus they meet us with and my damn belt exploded. I didn’t forget it, it just exploded.”

There was a lot of laughter and good vibes during the roughly 15-minute speech by Pittman, but he also explained why he believes this year will be a much more successful campaign.

“Last year was tough,” he said. “The one thing we are trying to tell our team is that no matter what you did yesterday, it won’t have an effect on what you do today unless you use it as a positive or a learning experience. We’re trying to flush everything every practice. We’ve had 16 really good (practices).

With new players scattered all over the depth chart, starting with Boise State transfer Taylen Green at quarterback, the Razorbacks have moved on from the dismal 2023 season that just one SEC win. Green was brought to Fayetteville to replace KJ Jefferson, who left for Central Florida in the offseason.

With 22 transfers added to the roster, Arkansas will undoubtedly look different this season on the field. New offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is another major addition that Pittman said he will be leaning on to increase the offensive production.

“Y’all know I hired Bobby Petrino or no?” Pittman said in another moment that drew laughter. “It wasn’t a very popular move in the state and I’m going, ‘Damn, I should have hired somebody they wanted.’ Bobby has been super since he decided to come back to Arkansas. He’s very passionate about the state of Arkansas. It’s been great.”

Despite the large amount of turnover on the roster and another difficult SEC schedule, Pittman said he is confident that his team is ready to win now.

“Last year was hard because we lost so many close games,” he said. “We played better on the road than we did at home. There’s some things that we have to get fixed, but I want to say this: It’s a good football team. I want you to be excited about the football team. Believe in the Hogs. We’ve got a good football team and you’re going to enjoy watching the Hogs play.”

Pittman also spent time addressing the annual game in Little Rock that the Razorbacks play and the logistics that go into planning that game. The game at War Memorial Stadium has become a point of contention for some fans who feel the team should not be traveling away from Fayetteville for a “home game.” Arkansas opens the season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday, Aug. 29 at War Memorial Stadium with the kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.

“A lot of people want to have the night game here in Little Rock on Saturday night,” Pittman said. “Honestly, I did not and I didn’t because we would get back at 2:30 in the morning on a home game.”

“We thought that Thursday night might be a good deal. It would be good for us because then we would have two extra days to continue to work on the next opponent. I’m really excited to see how it goes. Having a night game here in Little Rock I think is going to be really fun.”

In his closing remarks, Pittman broke down the roster position by position and explained why he is so optimistic the 2024 version of the Razorbacks are going to be a fun team to watch. He also thanked the fans in attendance as he presented a strong case for his team.

“When you get up in front of wonderful fans like you are, you want to preach some positive things,” Pittman said. “You want to pump up the people in the audience, but hell, I’m just telling you the truth. We got a good football team and a good group of guys that are leaders in the locker room. They work extremely hard and I damn sure think they are going to make the state of Arkansas proud.”