ATHENS — Georgia has added one the most respected offensive line coaches in college football.

Sam Pittman was officially announced by Georgia on Saturday as its new offensive line coach. Pittman will be coming along with Jim Chaney, who he worked with at Arkansas before Chaney left earlier this year for Pittsburgh. Pittman has been at Arkansas for the past three seasons.

“Jim and Sam are highly respected nationally as individual coaches, but together we have a tandem that has worked along side each other before in the SEC and been extremely productive and successful,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement.

Arkansas, in its online bio of Pittman, refers to him as “universally considered one of the nation’s best offensive line coaches and recruiters.”

Pittman was earning $525,000 this year at Arkansas, where he also held the title of assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. He also has a $250,000 buyout until Feb. 15, 2016, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Earlier this week Smart called Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema to inquire about offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who has a no-compete clause, Bielema said. So Smart evidently moved on to other candidates, including Chaney.

But Pittman does not have a no-compete clause, according to the Democrat Gazette, just the buyout clause.

Prior to Arkansas, Pittman spent one year as Tennessee’s offensive line coach, and five years as North Carolina’s offensive line coach.

He has also coached the offensive line at Northern Illinois (2003-06 and 1994-95), Kansas (2001), Missouri (2000), Western Michigan (1999), Oklahoma (1997-98) and Cincinnati (1996).