Report: Bielema and lineman made a last ditch effort to keep Pittman

Published Dec. 12, 2015 3:54 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Arkansas coaching staff took a big hit Saturday with the loss of acclaimed offensive line coach Sam Pittman to Georgia. Pittman had been the only offensive line coach for the Razorbacks under head coach Bret Bielema and was solely in charge of recruiting offensive linemen to the school.

But Arkansas didn't let Pittman go without a fight, according to Whole Hog Sports.

Terrific hire by Smart & #UGA getting OL coach Sam Pittman. His last 4 OLines have led SEC in fewest sacks allowed: https://t.co/s5uLncdmpN
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 12, 2015

Bielema and seven offensive linemen showed up at Pittman's house Friday night in order to convince the line coach to stay in Fayetteville. While the ploy did not work, it goes to show how respected and loved Pittman is by those closest to him at Arkansas.

Being reunited with close friend offensive coordinator Jim Chaney appears to have been the deciding factor in Pittman's decision to join the Georgia staff.

Who Bielema gets to replace Pittman will be critical to the momentum of his program, as the Razorbacks are built around and serve as the identity of the program more so than just about any school in the country.

(h/t Whole Hog Sports)