The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees is calling for a comprehensive review of "the state of competitiveness of Razorback Athletics," signaling increased urgency surrounding the direction and competitiveness of the football program.
During its regular meeting at the Don Tyson Center for Agriculture, the board unanimously passed a resolution directing UA System President Jay B. Silveria to lead the review, local ABC affiliate KHBS reported, adding the initiative will examine the overall competitiveness of Arkansas athletics, with a specific emphasis on improving the resources available to football.
The University of Arkansas' board has commissioned a review of the school's competitiveness in athletics and to identify steps to improve resources for its struggling football program.
The Razorbacks hosted No. 2 Georgia on Saturday and were defeated, 42-17, to drop to 1-2 on the season. Arkansas has recorded just three winning seasons since 2016.
"We expect this review to be comprehensive, and we trust President Silveria to lead this effort to identify how we can improve our position, including identifying the necessary resources and empowering key people to be successful," board chair Randy Lawson said in a statement, as reported by ESPN.
Athletic director Hunter Yurachek said last September, following the firing of coach Sam Pittman, that Pittman "did not have the resources he needed to appropriately compete" in the SEC. Yurachek, who has served as AD since 2017, also told the Little Rock Touchdown Club before Pittman's dismissal that the football program was "not set up [financially] to win a national championship," ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported.
"Yurachek has since presented an improved outlook, recently telling WholeHogSports.com that Arkansas had risen from the bottom of the SEC 'closer to the middle' with its resources," Rittenberg wrote Friday.
"It's going to take a collective effort to put the university in a position where we can have the level of success that our fans so desperately want," Arkansas trustee Kevin Crass said in a statement, per ESPN. "It's a challenge that's daunting, but I think we have the people and the fans to meet the challenge. We all should rally around the cause here to solve this problem."
Trustee Steve Cox, who seconded the resolution proposed by Ashley Caldwell, said, "Failure is not an option. This has to succeed and I believe it will."
