FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (WTVA/AP) - Arkansas interim football coach John L. Smith will not return next season, the school's Athletic Director said Saturday.
Jeff Long says in a statement released by the university that he met with Smith on Saturday morning, a day after the Razorbacks' season-ending 20-13 loss to LSU, and told him the school "would be making a change in leadership within our program."
Smith was hired in April to replace the fired Bobby Petrino and signed a 10-month contract. Long says that once a new coach is hired Smith will be reassigned as a consultant through the end of his deal on Feb. 23, 2013.
Arkansas (4-8, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) began the season ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll, but quickly fell out of the polls after a stunning loss to Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 8.
