Bobby Petrino could be in line for a return to Arkansas (Update: It's official)

Who would've ever thought the motorcycle crash would not be the end of Bobby Petrino's story at Arkansas?

Forcibly ejected from his successful tenure as Arkansas's head coach in the spring of 2012, Petrino embarked on a coaching journey that now could bring him back to Fayetteville.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Arkansas is vetting the possibility of brining Petrino back as offensive coordinator.

The Hogs are on the hunt for their third offensive play-caller in as many seasons. Kendal Briles left after 2022 for the same position at TCU, and his replacement, Dan Enos, lasted less than a season.

Petrino is on the market after Jimbo Fisher was fired earlier this month at Texas A&M. 

He was the head coach at Missouri State through the 2022 season. There, his connection with Arkansas came full-circle in a way when he brought his Missouri State team to Fayetteville to play Arkansas; the Bears built a 10-point fourth quarter lead on the Razorbacks before falling 38-27.

Petrino was originally set to be Barry Odom's offensive coordinator at UNLV before accepting the same position at Texas A&M. At A&M, Petrino made it clear he was there to run Jimbo's offense. 

The 2024 season will be a win-or-else season for Pittman, who needed a public show of faith from AD Hunter Yurachek to return for a fifth season. After a more-impressive-than-it-looks 3-7 debut in 2020 and a 9-4 mark in 2021, Pittman's team slunk back to 7-6 in 2022 and went 4-8 this fall. Pittman is 11-23 in SEC games, and 4-12 over the past two seasons. 

Petrino, of course, arrived and left Arkansas in a cloud of controversy. He left the Atlanta Falcons 13 games into his tenure to take the job in 2007, and was fired April 10, 2012, after it was discovered he'd hired his mistress to work for Arkansas football.

In between, Petrino was the best coach Arkansas has employed this century. After a 5-7 debut, Arkansas improved to 8-5 in 2009, then went 10-3 with a Sugar Bowl berth and a No. 12 finish in 2010, and then 11-2 with a No. 5 ranking and a Cotton Bowl victory in 2011. The No. 5 finish was the Hogs' best since 1977. The 2012 team was set to be even better, until it wasn't. 

Petrino's firing set Arkansas football on a course to where they are today, with seven losing seasons in their past 12. If the new offensive coordinator doesn't inject massive improvement, Arkansas will likely employ a different head coach in 2025, its fourth post-Petrino.

Bobby Petrino threw Arkansas into the abyss all those years ago, and perhaps only Petrino can pull them out. 

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest. 

Wednesday Update: The move is official.