The Worst Human in Football is BACK

In a stunning turn of events, Bobby Petrino, a coach synonymous with scandal and betrayal, was named interim head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks on September 28, 2025, after Sam Pittman’s firing. With a career marked by winning football games and leaving chaos in his wake, Petrino’s return to Arkansas—where he was fired for cause in 2012—raises questions about desperation, redemption, and the price of victory in college football. This is the story of a man who keeps failing upward, now tasked with salvaging a faltering program despite a history that screams caution.

A Trail of Betrayal

Petrino’s coaching career is a saga of brilliance and deceit. Starting in 2001, he ghosted Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin to join Auburn as offensive coordinator, leaving without a word after a 6-10 season. In 2002, after one year at Auburn, he took the Louisville head coaching job. Just one season later, despite a 9-4 record, he secretly interviewed with Auburn boosters to replace Tommy Tuberville—his former boss—while denying it until Auburn admitted the talks. In 2004, after an 11-1 season, Louisville extended his contract, and Petrino publicly vowed to stay, saying his children would graduate high school there. Seven days later, he interviewed for LSU’s job. By 2007, after a 12-1 Orange Bowl season and a 10-year, $25.5 million extension, he left Louisville for the Atlanta Falcons, abandoning a 41-9 record.

In Atlanta, Petrino’s tenure was a disaster. Hired in 2007 to coach Michael Vick, he faced chaos when Vick’s dogfighting scandal broke, leaving Joey Harrington as quarterback. Players despised Petrino’s aloofness—he banned talking during team meals and ignored them in the locker room. After a 3-10 record through 13 games, he quit on December 11, 2007, leaving a laminated, four-sentence resignation note with a stamped signature in players’ lockers, fleeing to Arkansas less than 24 hours after promising owner Arthur Blank he’d stay. Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer called him a “gutless bastard” and “coward,” accusing him of ruining lives by abandoning the team.

The Arkansas Scandal

At Arkansas, Petrino’s coaching prowess shone. From 2008 to 2011, he transformed the Razorbacks, going 34-17, with a 10-win Sugar Bowl season in 2010 and an 11-2 Cotton Bowl campaign in 2011, ranking fifth nationally. But on April 1, 2012, his world imploded. Petrino crashed his motorcycle, suffering broken ribs and a cracked vertebra. He claimed he was alone, blaming wind for the accident. A police report revealed he was with Jessica Dorrell, a 25-year-old staffer he’d hired over 158 more qualified candidates, giving her a $20,000 cash gift. Their five-month affair involved 326 calls and 7,228 texts. Petrino tried to cover it up, asking witnesses not to call 911 and dodging questions about Dorrell. Athletic director Jeff Long, after giving him chances to confess, fired Petrino on April 10, 2012, for “misleading and manipulative behavior” that tarnished Arkansas.

A Cycle of Second Chances

Eight months later, Western Kentucky hired Petrino in December 2012. After a 8-4 season, he left for Louisville in 2014—the same school he’d betrayed twice—going 36-26 through 2018 with Lamar Jackson’s Heisman in 2016. But scandals persisted: his Twitter engaged with NSFW content, and he denied knowledge of leaked Wake Forest game plans despite a suspended assistant admitting sharing them. A 2-8 season in 2018, with blowout losses, led to a $14.1 million buyout. In 2020, FCS Missouri State hired him, reaching the playoffs in 2020 (5-4) and 2021 (8-3). In 2022, he left after a 5-6 season for UNLV’s offensive coordinator role, only to ditch it three weeks later for Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher. When Fisher was fired in 2023, Arkansas—desperate after a 4-8 season—rehired Petrino as offensive coordinator, despite needing special permission to bypass their policy against rehiring those fired for cause.

Arkansas’s Desperation

Pittman’s 32-34 record over five and a half seasons, including a 17-15 home record, ended with a brutal 2025 stretch: losses to Ole Miss (41-35), Memphis (31-32), and a 56-13 humiliation by Notre Dame, the fourth-worst home loss in stadium history. Both losses to Ole Miss and Memphis saw late fumbles squander comeback chances. Pittman’s firing on September 28, 2025, paved the way for Petrino, whose offense had Arkansas averaging 459.5 yards per game in 2024 (10th nationally) and over 500 yards early in 2025, including blowouts over Alabama A&M (52-7) and Arkansas State (56-14). Athletic director Hunter Yurachek named Petrino interim head coach, even considering him for the permanent role.

Why Does He Keep Getting Hired?

Petrino’s 137-71 head coaching record, including 34-17 at Arkansas with an 11-win season, explains his allure. Since his 2012 firing, Arkansas has gone 69-96 overall and 27-80 in the SEC, fueling nostalgia for his success. But his pattern—winning big, then leaving chaos—is undeniable. He ghosted Jacksonville, betrayed Louisville twice, abandoned Atlanta mid-season, and caused Arkansas’s 2012 scandal. At UNLV, he lasted three weeks; at Texas A&M, one year. Every stop ends in betrayal or failure, yet his play-calling genius keeps doors open.

A Ticking Time Bomb

Petrino faces a gauntlet: Tennessee (No. 15), Texas A&M (No. 6), LSU (No. 13), Texas (No. 9), and Missouri (No. 19). Even if he leads Arkansas to a bowl game, history suggests disaster looms. At 64, with 40 years of coaching, Petrino’s pattern of lies, abandonment, and scandal hasn’t changed. Arkansas, desperate for wins after a decade of mediocrity, is gambling on a man who humiliated them before. Prediction: if made permanent, Petrino will spark another controversy within three years, likely sooner, costing Arkansas more than wins. College football’s obsession with results over character keeps Petrino employed, but the question isn’t if he’ll implode—it’s when.