Arkansas

Pittman gives thoughts on new Arkansas GM

Published

1 year ago

April 3, 2025

Pittman gives thoughts on new Arkansas GM

Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman gave his initial thoughts Thursday regarding the university’s addition of Remy Cofield as deputy athletics director and general manager for Razorback Athletics.

Cofield’s hiring was announced March 24 by the UA. He joined Arkansas after serving as the Boston Celtics’ Director of Scouting since 2020. Cofield was with the Celtics dating back to 2013, and his most recent role saw him assists in roster construction, including trades, draft picks, free agency, salary cap management and strategy.

“I think coming from the professional ranks, I think he’s seen and heard, regardless of the sport, exactly what we’re looking for,” Pittman said. “You know, more eyes, help understanding caps, all those things that he has great experience of. I’m looking forward to working with him and using him every bit as much as he’s able to be used, because we need help in that category.

“I’m not talking about just the evaluations and all. I’m talking about all of it — the money, a way to talk to agents. Some things that can take that personal relationship between me and the kids, somebody can be a buffer, along with a lot of other things. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

The first day of work for Cofield was Tuesday (April 1) and he’s expected to lead player contract negotiations and collaborate with head coaches, recruiting coordinators and administrative staff in implementing each program’s strategic vision, per university release.

While Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek has yet to speak with media regarding the critical hire, Pittman was finally allowed to talk about the hire publicly Thursday.

“During this time, he’s going to be directly involved with everything,” Pittman said. “Meetings, evaluation on film, at practice, whatever it may be. After that, I think then he becomes part of (football chief of staff) Pat Doherty, part of the recruiting area. But he has to know our team, because he’s got to have an opinion. That’s why we hired him.

“I look for during this time, sort of like tax season, they have their on season and they have their offseason. A lot of us, we’re getting to know each other and all that. We have to be ready, like we’ve got guys in the portal. I’m watching five guys in the portal after this meeting between now and practice. He’ll do the same thing, and then we’ll come up with who we want and then of course the money becomes… is it affordable for us or not?”

Cofield will help oversee the strategic allocation of department and affiliate resources to support Razorback head coaches in the acquisition and retention of championship-caliber athletic talent, the UA said in a release. Along with his time with the Celtics, Cofield also served as the general manager of the Maine Celtics for two years.

“As we continue to position our sports programs for success, Remy Cofield will play an integral role in assisting our coaches in acquiring and retaining student-athletes to compete in the Southeastern Conference and nationally,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. “In his tenure with the Boston Celtics, Remy was a key front office player in building a championship franchise. His blend of experience both in sports and business makes him distinctly qualified to help lead our efforts in this new era of college athletics. Remy will work alongside our coaches and staff in all sports, to develop a strategic plan, prioritizing our rosters within the available resources. We look forward to welcoming Remy, his wife Tori and their three boys to Northwest Arkansas and into our Razorback Family.”

A Newton, Mass. native, Cofield was a collegiate men’s basketball player at the University of Pennsylvania in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. He was a McDonald’s All-America nominee and a runner up for the 2007 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.

With the basketball transfer portal currently in full swing and the football portal set to reopen April 16, Cofield should be a very busy man right now.

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Arkansas

Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

Published

52 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

A legislative panel rejected a proposal Tuesday that would have eliminated former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri’s job as an adviser to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

A top lawmaker also suggested that Profiri may return to his job overseeing the state prison system, two years after he was fired by the state Board of Corrections as part of a dispute with Sanders.

The proposal rejected by the Joint Budget Committee’s personnel subcommittee would have written into the appropriation for Sanders’ office language eliminating Profiri’s position from the Republican governor’s staff. Subcommittee members voted 9-6 against the amendment, with Rep. Lane Jean not casting a vote.

Republican Sen. Terry Rice introduced the proposal last week, a little over six months after Profiri didn’t appear at a hearing on the now-stalled Franklin County prison project before a committee that Rice co-chairs.

Rice called this a “major trust-breaker.”

“The Board of Corrections members asked Mr. Profiri to share his intended plans as secretary, and they would work with him. He ignored multiple attempts,” Rice said. “I was told during that meeting, he was in the Capitol, had been seen in the hall at the same time. He didn’t even reply and chose to snub legislators’ questions.”

Profiri was fired by the Arkansas Board of Corrections as the leader of the state’s prison agency in 2024, following months of increasing tensions between the constitutionally-independent board and Sanders over opening new beds when the Department of Corrections already struggled to find sufficient staffing. Those tensions eventually resulted in lawsuits, which are still unresolved, and Profiri’s firing.

After he was fired, the Republican governor hired Profiri as a senior advisor, making him the highest paid staffer in her office. Profiri is paid $183,699.98 a year, according to the Arkansas transparency portal.

Jean, a Republican from Magnolia who co-chairs the Joint Budget Committee, asked Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson and Board of Corrections member Lee Watson “what the timeline was” for Sanders to rehire Profiri as corrections secretary, pointing to the new makeup of the board.

“I don’t think there’s any objection to the board, or certainly a majority of the board, to hire him (again). What are we waiting on?” Jean asked.

“What I can say is Secretary (Lindsay) Wallace, she is the secretary, and she will continue as secretary until the governor decides she’s not secretary,” Hudson said. “In the interim, (Profiri) continues to do his job as an adviser to the governor.”

The ongoing lawsuit between the Board of Corrections and Sanders centers on who has the authority to fire the corrections secretary. A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge ruled last year that the board does. Sanders appealed the ruling.

The board’s new Sanders-appointed majority voted to accept a settlement agreement accepting her position that she is the one with firing authority earlier this month, though the lower court order remains in force until the Arkansas Supreme Court rules on the matter.

Sam Dubke, Sanders’ spokesperson, referred the Advocate to Hudson’s remarks when asked for comment on whether Profiri would be rehired as corrections secretary.

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Arkansas

TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

Published

13 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla –The Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, on April 19, 2026 at ONEOK Field and The Sporting Tribune’s Robert Sloter was there to capture the following TST Images.

Luke Fox #15 of the Tulsa Drillers throws a pitch during a game against the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field on April 19, 2026 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.