Jaheim Thomas. Gone.
Chris Paul Jr. Gone.
Antonio Grier. Gone
Jordan Crook. Gone.
The top four tacklers at linebacker for Arkansas in 2023 will not return in 2024. Three of them headed to the transfer portal (Paul landed at rival Ole Miss) and one is off to the NFL.
Even in an era of the transfer portal, the blow is significant. What remains are a bunch of second-year players and walk-ons, plus Georgia transfer Xavian Sorey. And while Sorey is a former five-star recruit, he was largely a special teams player for the Bulldogs last year.
Besides, no team in the country plays just one linebacker all the time.
The good news is that Arkansas has some solid options. The bad is that those options are largely unproven.
Let’s examine where the Razorbacks stand at linebacker as of Tuesday morning, Jan. 2.