FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas baseball and head coach Dave Van Horn have reaffirmed their commitment to one another. The university announced a new agreement between Van Horn and the Razorbacks on Monday, Aug. 17, raising Van Horn's annual compensation to $2.1 million, with potential bonuses for winning a College World Series championship and fulfilling the length of the contract. Under his previous contract, Van Horn was scheduled to make $1.6 million in 2027. According to D1Baseball.com, the new salary is the fifth highest in the country. "Over the past 24 seasons, Coach Van Horn has built and sustained one of the premier baseball programs in the country,” Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said. “He embodies Razorback Baseball, and this new contract is a well-deserved recognition of his extraordinary leadership and success." The 2027 season will be Van Horn's 25th in charge of the Hogs. He returned to his alma mater in 2003 and has helped turn Arkansas into one of the most consistent baseball programs in America. Arkansas has made eight College World Series appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2018.
For all of his efforts, Van Horn was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2024 and, most recently, selected for induction into the ABCA Hall of Fame as part of 2027 class. "I want to thank the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, Chancellor Robinson and our Athletic Department administration for their belief in and support of our baseball program,” Van Horn said. “All I ever wanted to do was coach at Arkansas, and I'm thankful to continue leading my alma mater for many more years to come." Arkansas baseball has only had two head coaches since 1970. Van Horn and Norm DeBriyn (1970-2002) have combined to lead the Hogs for the last 57 seasons, while amassing 2,135 victories and 12 College World Series appearances. Van Horn and Arkansas are coming off a 2026 season that ended in the Lawrence Regional, but he and his coaching staff reloaded the roster through the transfer portal. Expectations will once again be sky high for the Razorbacks next spring. Yurachek credited Arkansas "donors and stakeholders" for the uptick in Van Horn's salary and new resources for player acquisition. "We have made a nearly seven-figure investment of resources in Coach Van Horn and his staff over the past year, reinforcing our commitment to competing for championships and sustaining excellence in Razorback Baseball for years to come," Yurachek said. Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter. This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Dave Van Horn gets pay raise, signs agreement to coach Arkansas through 2031