Arkansas Razorbacks

Kurt Anderson's resume suggests he may be an upgrade over Sam Pittman

Published Jan. 26, 2016 6:05 p.m. ET

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Arkansas was certainly dealt a blow when offensive line coach Sam Pittman bolted for Kirby Smart's new Georgia staff in December. Losing arguably the best coach and recruiter of the offensive line in the college game, and to a conference opponent no less, would hurt any staff. However it would appear the Razorbacks landed one of the better offensive line assistants in the NFL when they named Kurt Anderson as the team's new line coach. 

Is it possible Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema actually improved his staff by replacing Pittman with Anderson? There is some evidence that would suggest so. 

Coming from the Buffalo Bills, Anderson coached an offensive line that led the NFL in rushing in 2015 with an average of 152 yards-per-game. Pro Football Focus ranked the Bills as the No. 7 offensive line in the league last year, sixth in pass blocking, 13th in run blocking and fifth in penalties. Buffalo's ranking would have been higher, however starting a rookie who dealt with injuries all season long in John Miller held back the Bills overall rankings for the season. 

Two of Buffalo's starting offensive lineman, both Eric Wood and Richie Incognito, were named to 2015 Pro Bowl and singled out Anderson for his contributions to getting them to Hawaii:

Incognito's Pro Bowl selection is all the more impressive considering he did not play in the NFL in 2014 after being released by Miami during the 2013 season for his involvement in the Jonathan Martin hazing scandal. 

Under Anderson's guidance, Buffalo's starting right tackle Seantrel Henderson led the NFL in 2014 in performance-based pay. As a seventh-round draft choice out of Miami, Henderson never quite lived up to hype of his five-star status as a recruit until he was coached by Anderson. Henderson singled out Anderson as his best line coach of his career after he left to join the Razorbacks:

How Anderson fares on the recruiting trail remains to be seen, but aside from ripping his pants while recruiting, the new Razorback line coach has several linemen considering Arkansas as National Signing Day nears. If he can bring the same level of success from Buffalo to Fayetteville, the Hogs may just be happy Pittman jumped ship in the middle of the night.

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