The Razorbacks are shaping up for the coming football season. New head coach Sam Pittman has finished picking his on-field staff that will be leading the charge from the sidelines.
His most recent picks include four new assistants, Jon Cooper, Scott Fountain, Derrick LeBlanc and Jimmy Smith.
Cooper will head up the coaching for the team’s tight ends. He comes from Central Florida, where he coached tight ends for two seasons. During this time, Central Florida was ranked in the top 10 nationally for total offense.
He started his coaching career at Oklahoma as a graduate assistant. Cooper played in the NFL for four seasons, spending three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings after signing with the Tennessee Titans in 2012.
Special teams will be led by Fountain, who headed up Georgia’s special teams during 2019. Fountain previously was at Auburn for eight years, serving four years as player personnel director and four as the tight ends and special teams coach. He also led Auburn’s administrative and recruiting efforts from 2009-2012.
LeBlanc is coming back to Arkansas after coming over from Kentucky. He will be the defensive line coach for the Razorbacks. LeBlanc previously coached at Henderson State from 2001-04 and at Arkansas Tech in 2005.
The Hogs’ running backs will be coached by Smith, who coached Georgia State’s running backs last season. Before becoming a college football coach, Smith was the head football coach and athletic director at Cedar Grove High School in Atlanta.
Pittman’s coaching roster is filled by defensive coordinator Barry Odom, offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, offensive line coach Brad Davis, wide receivers coach Justin Stepp, linebackers coach Rion Rhoades and cornerbacks coach Sam Carter.
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