Georgia begins its 2020 campaign this Saturday in Fayetteville against an Arkansas team that has some new faces. The Razorbacks have a new quarterback in Feleipe Franks. Kendal Briles is entering his first season as the offensive coordinator. Former Missouri head coach Barry Odom does the same on the defensive side of the ball. And former UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman will make his debut as a head coach.

Pittman was an integral member of Kirby Smart’s staff while at Georgia, and Smart couldn’t be happier that his former fellow coach will be on the opposite sideline this weekend.

“There are a lot of new faces that are going to get their first opportunity to compete at the SEC level,” said Smart. “We're excited to do that, going against a very good friend of mine in Coach Sam Pittman, who did just an unbelievable job while he was here. He and his wife, Jamie, meant so much to the community here in Athens and to so many of our kids. He helped build the foundation of what we have now.”

Prior to his exit, Pittman did a lot to leave his footprint in the Athens area—not only in his coaching, but in his recruiting as well. Pittman brought in the likes of Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson, and Solomon Kindley during his time at Georgia, not to mention the players on Georgia’s current O-line.

“As far as what kind of mark he left on our program, I think that’s evidenced by the offensive lines we have had,” said Smart. “He was a really good recruiter—a relationship-driven coach. His players just love him, and they all enjoy playing for him. .... That came to fruition for me when we hired him from Arkansas, because every offensive lineman he'd coached there prior to coming back here he had a really special relationship with, and they tried to keep him there.”

Jamaree Salyer, Georgia’s projected starter at left tackle, was one of the many talented players to have been brought in and mentored by Pittman. Salyer had nothing but positive words for his former position coach.

“He’s got a smile you can’t really hate on,” said Salyer. “He’s got good energy. He’s always been that way. He made me really happy; he made my mom really happy. Building relationships was what he was best at. I’ve got a lot of love for Coach Pitt. I’d tell him that right now if I could talk to him. He’ll always have a special place in my heart because he poured a lot into me while he was here and I got better. I’d love to see him have success, and all I can do is wish him the best. But I’m excited to compete against him.”

Salyer continued, “He’s a great person. One thing it takes to be a great head coach is to be a great person. He’s going to have that team ready to play, because it means a lot for him to be there.

Upon his introduction in Arkansas, Pittman went to work building his staff. Both Briles and Odom are well respected in the coaching sphere and are specialists in their respective domains.

“He’s got two really good coordinators on his staff,” said Smart. “I know Barry [Odom] obviously from the SEC meetings and the SEC experience, him being in the SEC East. Barry is a good friend, and a really good football coach. He did a great job at Missouri. His defense has always created a lot of problems. Then, obviously, Coach [Kendal] Briles is a really good football coach, and you have seen what he’s been able to do historically with offenses in terms of numbers. He does a great job. He presents a lot of problems and issues because of the pace at which they play and a quarterback (Franks) that we all know.”

When playing against a former staff member or player, the thought of familiarity working against you seems to be a common theme presented during the buildup. Smart was dismissive of such a notion.

“I look at it as they’re coaching their team, and we’re coaching our team,” Smart said. “There’s not a lot of trade secrets in football. You have to be able to block, you have to be able to tackle, you have to be able to communicate on the field. We have a different offense than we had last year and a lot of the connection to our program was through the offensive side of the ball with Coach Pittman. I’m not looking at it as those guys that were here last year being an issue for us there. They’re doing the best job they can to prepare their team, and we’re doing the best job we can to prepare ours. It usually boils down to what the players do on the grass, not what we do as coaches.”

When the game kicks off this weekend, at least one thing will be for certain. Georgia players and staff are thrilled that Pittman earned the opportunity presented to him, even if his departure was a great loss.

“He got the opportunity to go and a lot of our guys reached out,” Smart said. “They were hurt by it, but not hurt like they were mad at him. They were very thankful for his opportunity but they were going to miss that relationship.”