Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek called out ESPN by name in an open letter he posted to social media, criticizing the scheduling for two early-season games for the Razorbacks while “formally” requesting the network and the SEC to “aggressively pursue an alternative solution.”
Yurachek took issue with the fact that Arkansas is slated to play Utah on the road at 10:15 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Sept. 12 and then host Georgia at noon Eastern the following Saturday.
Yurachek complained that it puts the Razorbacks at a competitive disadvantage and risks the health of the athletes. He placed the blame on ESPN for scheduling the games, which are nearly a full week apart.
“I am extremely concerned and displeased about the recently released kickoff times for our football program in consecutive weeks this September and the impact it will have on the well-being of our student-athletes,” he wrote. “ESPN has set our game at Utah for 9:15 p.m. Central Time on September 12. We anticipate returning to campus at approximately 6 a.m. on Sunday, September 13 – followed by an 11 a.m. home kickoff against Georgia just six days later on September 19.
“This assigned schedule will cost our student-athletes nearly a full day of rest and recovery that they would otherwise have available to them. This is not simply a competitive disadvantage — it is a genuine welfare issue for the young men who represent our program and contribute greatly to the bottom line of our television partners.”
Yurachek went on to say that the situation was “unacceptable” and showed “neglect” toward the student athletes.
“I have formally requested that the SEC office and ESPN aggressively pursue an alternative solution for one or both kickoff times during these consecutive weeks. The focus must be on the well-being of the game’s participants — not the bottom line of our media partner,” he wrote.
It’s unclear if ESPN or the SEC will do anything to change the schedule following Yurachek’s airing of grievances.
And it didn’t seem like Yurachek had much support in the replies to his social media post sharing the letter.
“You really need to hire someone who isn’t afraid to tell you when something’s a bad idea,” one fan wrote on X. “This whiney ass letter is a bad idea.”
“Sir it sounds like Conference USA is more your speed,” another user wrote.
“It’s a Saturday followed by a Saturday for goodness sakes!’ a third person chimed in.
Arkansas is coming off a season in which it went 0-8 against the SEC.