Aug 29, 2024; Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks athletic director Hunter Yurachek prior to the game against the Pine Bluff Golden Lions at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek was brutally honest on Monday, Sept. 15, about where the Razorbacks stand in the current college football landscape.

Yurachek, making his annual appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in Little Rock, Arkansas, said the Razorbacks are built to win national championships in basketball and baseball, but not football, due to financial challenges.

"I think we're set up to win a national championship in men's basketball moving forward," Yurachek said. "We know we're set up to win a national championship in baseball moving forward and I think we're set up in several other sports to win a national championship.

"Football, where we are right now, we're not set up to win a national championship. I'll just be brutally honest with that, but I think we're set up to compete really well in the SEC, especially now with the new revenue-sharing model."

Yurachek claimed numerous other SEC athletics programs operate with budgets at $300 million or more. He said Arkansas' athletics has a $181 million budget, with $65 million in salaries and benefits. He said Arkansas is also working on adding a corporate sponsor to Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Yurachek also said Arkansas may explore a "third lane" of name, image and likeness in college sports, mentioning it's bad for college athletics but potentially necessary to remain competitive. Yurachek is likely referring to partaking in rule bending of sorts, given the current state of uncertainty and lack of stable enforcement in college sports surrounding NIL.

"Until we get our (NIL) enforcement agency up and running, you're going to continue to have schools operating in that third lane and that's a bad place to be in my opinion," Yurachek said. "It's bad for college athletics. I don't want to operate there, but to be competitive, we may have to figure out what that third lane looks like for the University of Arkansas."

Yurachek compared how Arkansas might operate in the future to how drivers obey the speed limit.

“Let’s all raise our hands,” Yurachek said. “If you’re driving down I-40 and the speed limit is 55, but you know a state trooper is not going to be out that day, how many of us are going to go 65?”

Arkansas is coming off a 41-35 loss to Ole Miss at home in its SEC opener, despite Rebels backup Trinidad Chambliss getting the start. The Razorbacks haven't won double-digit games since 2011, and have achieved eight wins or more twice since 2015.

Sixth-year coach Sam Pittman has a 32-32 record at Arkansas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek implies need to live in 'third lane' under current NIL model

Reporting by Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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