Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek “wasted no time in expressing displeasure” after the kickoff times for the school’s first three football games of the 2026 season were announced on Wednesday, according to Kyle Sutherland of ON3. Yurachek in a statement posted to X “specifically took exception” to Arkansas’ Sept. 12 matchup at Utah that is set to start at 9:15pm CT, then a “quick turnaround” to face Georgia at 11am on Sept. 19 (ON3, 5/27). Yurachek in his statement said, “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 added, “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” (X, 5/27).
Arkansas AD expresses concerns with football kickoff times
