Former Hawgs talk about Sam Pittman
So, what does Georgia have on its hands in new offensive line coach Sam Pittman?
According to a few of his former players from Arkansas, Pittman is a father figure who not only will improve their play on the field, but make them better men off of it.
But it is the laughing they will remember the most.
Former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen grinned ear to ear when asked about Pittman.
"Coach Pittman is one of the funniest guys you'll ever meet," Allen said. "He is constantly cracking jokes but when it is time to be serious, he is serious. And it is like that [snaps fingers]. It is like he is two people becasue he can get after guys and in the next instant have us all laughing. Those guys at Georgia are going to love him."
Pittman's line again led the SEC in fewest sacks allowed so you can see why Allen is such a big fan. But the men who love Pittman the most are his Hawgs in the trenches.
“Coach Pittman, from my freshman year, we just had that bond. We had that bond since my recruiting visit. He always stayed the same, he never changed,” former Razorbacks offensive lineman Denver Kirkland said. “I see him as a father figure because I can go to him about anything, I can talk to him about anything. We can sit down and talk about anything, and that’s more important than football.”
Sebastian Tretola - who along with Kirkland spoke to UGASports.com at the NFL Scouting Combine - agreed.
“He’s the best coach I’ve ever had, in my life, hands down, and I feel a lot of his players will tell you the same thing,” Tretola said. “He is like a father figure to us and the way he coaches he doesn’t try to get you out of your mold. He’s going to coach around how you play and I think that just makes you that much better.”
Tretola wasn’t kidding.
When word got out that Pittman was leaving Arkansas to join Kirby Smart at Georgia, the entire offensive line for Arkansas went to their coach’s house, including the seniors. At first, Tretola said they went just to wish him farewell, but when you have a coach as popular as Pittman, there was certainly a big part of them that wanted him stay.
“We went there to tell him goodbye, but at the same time we were like, 'Mayyybeee you could rethink this?' ” Tretola said. “But he’s leaving, he’s gone but that just shows the importance that we felt he was to the program. We went there with every intention of wishing him well on his new journey, his new adventure, but at the same time we were like ‘Coach, you sure you don’t want to stay?’ But we’re behind him 100 percent.”
When Kirkland was weighing his options about whether or not to turn pro or return to Arkansas for another year, Pittman was the first person he called.
“I called him because I was stressing about making my decision, but he was like, 'What do you really want to do?' ” Kirkland said. “I told him what I really wanted to do and he said I should go for it. He told me he knew that I was ready and basically I should just take that step.”
Kirkland said he credits Pittman for everything – including making him a better player on the field and a better person on it.
“He made me a better player, he made me a better person and he made me a better man,” Kirkland said. “All three of those things are a key to success to me so to me he did his job very well.”
Tretola said playing for Pittman will be an experience Georgia’s offensive linemen won’t soon forget and soon they’ll feel the same about Pittman that he and Kirkland.
“I’m consistently laughing with Coach Pittman. I’m never not laughing, he’s so funny and he’s so funny when he’s not trying to be funny. He might yell at you, but you might start cracking up a little bit,” Tretola said. “You’ve got to take him seriously because now he’s pissed off but you’re like ‘Oh man, Coach.’”
Younger players typically get an earful.
“If you’re one of the younger guys, he’s really going to grill you,” Tretola said. “If you’re one of the ball players that’s doing your thing, he might pull you to the side and say ‘You $%@&ing #$%hole” and let you go on about your way.”