Very honored and blessed to be a coach at The University of Arkansas. We have great people here. Thanks

— Coach Sam Pittman (@CoachSamPittman) February 26, 2013

There was a mild panic shortly after National Signing Day when rumors began swirling that Alabama was coming after Arkansas offensive line coach Sam Pittman after the Crimson Tide's previous coach at the position, Jeff Stoutland, left Tuscaloosa for a job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, we've repeatedly heard Bret Bielema say one of the main reasons he came to Arkansas was because of a commitment from the Arkansas administration that they would be willing to spend to keep top assistants, something that didn't happen at Wisconsin. And, oh did Jeff Long keep his word.

Arkansas nearly doubled Pittman's salary (putting him very close to the coordinators' salaries) and put two extra years on his contract. Not a bad deal. And Alabama eventually hired former Florida International coach Mario Cristobal for the position. This was Bielema's tweet from a couple of weeks ago when it's assumed Pittman agreed to stay at Arkansas but before deal specifics were put in place.

Can't say THANK YOU enough to UA administration & support to keep our staff together when others come calling to hire away. #WPS #GoHogsGo

— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) February 11, 2013

Just in case you're wondering why Arkansas wants to keep Pittman so badly, remember the recruitment of Dan Skipper and Denver Kirkland's dramatic announcement on Signing Day. Here's a picture of Pittman that UA released after Kirkland's announcement:

Here is OL coach Sam Pittman's reaction to Denver Kirkland's announcementtwitpic.com/c1dpw8

— Razorback Football(@RazorbackFB) February 6, 2013

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Doc Harper is the managing editor of Arkansas Expats and is a regular contributor to College Football News and Sporting Life Arkansas. You can email him here and follow him on Twitter.