Tag: Arkansas football

Bishop leaving Arkansas football to reunite with Odom in Vegas

LaDarrius Bishop is the latest former Arkansas defensive back to decide on UNLV for 2024.

LaDarrius Bishop was looking for a change of scenery, and decided to settle on Sin City.

The Ashdown native, who played under Barry Odom for three seasons before Odom took the UNLV head coaching job, will be joining the Rebels for the 2024 season, it was announced Wednesday.

Bishop is a part of a small nucleus of former Arkansas defensive backs who have elected to rejoin Odom in the desert after he won 9 games in 2023 and made it to the Mountain West Championship game before losing to Boise State and then losing to Kansas in a bowl game.

Malik Chavis and Jalen Catalon have both made their intentions to transfer to UNLV as well.

In 2023, Bishop only saw snaps primarily on special teams after battling injuries for much of 2022.

He only has the one year of eligibility left that was awarded to him because of being on the Razorbacks during the 2020 COVID campaign.

Arkansas lands former Florida safety out of transfer portal

Arkansas’ secondary was already a strength. Miguel Mitchell makes it even deeper.

Arkansas’ depth in the secondary increased Friday.

Former Florida safety Miguel Mitchell chose the Razorbacks out of the transfer portal days after visiting Fayetteville. Mitchell started eight games and finished sixth on the team in tackles last year.

Mitchell will likely slide right into Al Walcott’s place in the secondary. Walcott was Arkansas’ third leading tackler last year after transferring to Baylor but had just one season in Fayetteville.

The defensive backfield was already considered a position of strength for the Razorbacks. Jayden Johnson, Snaxx Johnson and Jaylon Braxton will all return as likely starters.

Arkansas’ defense as a whole had its best season since 2014 as the Razorbacks gave up just 249 yards per game, 47th in FBS.

Bryce Stephens exits transfer portal, will stay with Arkansas

Bryce Stephens’ removal from the transfer provides Arkansas with even more depth at wideout next year.

The man who saved Arkansas’ proverbial bacon against Bobby Petrino will be back.

Wide receiver/return specialist Bryce Stephens withdrew his name from the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday, signaling a return to the Razorbacks for the 2024.

Stephens was Arkansas’ primary kick and punt returner two years ago. His 82-yard punt return against Missouri State with less than 10 minutes left allowed the Hogs to overtake the Bears en route to an eventual 38-27 win.

But Stephens lost that gig to Isaiah Sategna in 2023. He also did not factor into the passing game, going from nine catches in 2022 to zero last year. He entered the transfer portal on December 7.

Stephens’ return provides Arkansas with the return of scholarship wide receiver on the roster last year, though wideout Tyrone Broden has not yet officially announced.

Green finds new home in Stillwater for 2024

Arkansas will see former running back AJ Green in Week 2 next year, as the Tulsa native chose Oklahoma State out of the portal.

AJ Green landed on a destination just a week and a half into the 2024 calendar.

It just so happens to also be Arkansas’ Week 2 opponent next season.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys earned Green’s services, it was announced on his social media Wednesday.

Green, who starred at Tulsa Union before signing with Arkansas prior to the 2021 season, will have two years of eligibility with the Cowboys.

He ends his Razorback career with 201 carries for 953 yards and six touchdowns, but was never the feature back with Raheim Sanders and Dominique Johnson and Rashod Dubinion also splitting carries with him, along with Trelon Smith his freshman year.

The four-star recruit in high school had actually committed to Tulsa earlier in the week, but decommitted on Monday and ultimately settled on Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State.

It’s unlikely he has any chance of being the starter unless something happens injury-wise to Ollie Gordon, who is returning and will likely be a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Arkansas football officially welcomes Bobby Petrino disciple as wide receivers coach

Arkansas officially welcomed Bobby Petrino disciple, Ronnie Fouch, as the program’s next wide receivers coach on Monday.

[autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag] officially welcomed their new wide receivers coach, Ronnie Fouch, to the coaching staff on Monday evening.

Fouch was announced with a post from the team’s official Twitter (X) account with the caption, “Let’s get to work!!!”

The news comes after reports surfaced last week that Fouch would be in line for the vacant position at Arkansas. While Fouch is a relative unknown on a national level, he previously worked with Razorback offensive coordinator [autotag]Bobby Petrino[/autotag] at Louisville and Missouri State.

Fouch joined Missouri State’s staff in 2020 where he coached running backs. Before that he was a quarterbacks coach in the AAF and quality control assistant at Louisville from 2015-18. During college, he played quarterback at Washington and Indiana State.

The move comes after former Arkansas wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton left to take the same position at Wisconsin under Luke Fickell.

This marks the final hire for [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag]’s staff ahead of a critical 2024 season in which the fifth-year head coach is firmly on the hot seat.

One of Sun Belt’s better cornerbacks picks Arkansas on Friday

Arkansas’ cornerback depth was already good. It’s even better now.

Just before Arkansas picked up one of the best defensive ends in the transfer portal, the Hogs received a bit of good news for their secondary.

South Alabama cornerback Marquise Robinson committed to Arkansas out of the transfer portal, a year after becoming a regular in the Jaguars defense.

Robinson will join a cornerback unit that returns potential AllSEC selection Jaylon Braxton and regulars Jaheim Singletary and Kee’yon Stewart. Arkansas had previously added Tennessee transfer Doneiko Slaughter from the portal, as well.

At USA last year, Robinson had 36 tackles with three interceptions and three pass break-ups. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Arkansas’ defense was good in 2023. The Razorbacks were especially solid at stopping the pass, ranking 32nd in FBS upon allowing 202 yards per game.

Four spots in front of Arkansas in those rankings? South Alabama with Robinson.

Razorbacks land pass rusher to go opposite Landon Jackson

Anton Juncaj registered 15 sacks last year, the most in FCS.

Arkansas’ defensive line might have been the team’s strength heading into the 2023 season even before the weekend started.

It became even stronger Friday.

The Razorbacks landed Albany defensive end Anton Juncaj from the transfer portal that afternoon, giving Arkansas an experienced and proven pass rusher to play opposite Landon Jackson next year.

Juncaj led FCS with 15 sacks and had 55 tackles in the fall. Of those 55, 21 1/2 went for-loss and he added 12 hurries, five forced fumbles and three pass break-ups. All for a team that went to the FCS seminfinals.

In other words, established.

The last FCS defensive line transfer who played to significant effect for the Razorbacks was defensive tackle John Ridgeway. Ridgeway transferred from Illinois State and ultimately had 39 tackles, with four for-loss, in his one season at Arkansas before getting a shot in the NFL.

Arkansas has landed 12 players via transfer portal so far in the offseason.

Arkansas football lands top running back transfer in portal

Arkansas football got a major boost to the running back room on Friday in the transfer portal.

The transfer portal taketh, but it can also giveth.

On Friday, the running back room got a little better, as Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson chose Arkansas as his destination.

 

On3.com tabs him as the No. 5 running back transfer and the No. 109 overall transfer this offseason.

The 6’2, 228-pounder rushed 161 times for 797 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2023 to go along with 9 catches for 53 yards. His 129 yards were a career high against Baylor last September.

Jackson joins a running back room that includes Isaiah Augustave, Rashod Dubinion and Dominique Johnson.

Of course, it was made emptier with the departures of Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders and AJ Green to the portal in December.

Sanders has since committed to South Carolina, while Green has yet to announce a destination.

Thomas reunites with old coach at Wisconsin

Recently departed linebacker Jaheim Thomas decided on Wisconsin as his destination on Thursday.

Jaheim Thomas, who recently entered the transfer portal from Arkansas, has already decided on his newest destination.

Thomas, a linebacker, chose Wisconsin, where he will play for Luke Fickell, who was his coach at Cincinnati when the Bearcats made a run to the College Football Playoff during the 2021 season.

His position coach at Cincinnati also followed Fickell to Madison, so Thomas will reunite with him as well.

The 6-4, 240-pounder led Arkansas with 90 tackles in 2023 but fell out of favor with the defensive coaching staff allegedly.

He was a member of the Bearcats from 2020-22 and will likely be a fit playing in the Big Ten.

Kenny Guiton, Arkansas’ ex-wide receivers coach and interim offensive coordinator, also decided to head to Wisconsin this offseason.

Arkansas tabs Petrino disciple as next wide receivers coach, per report

Ronnie Fouch is reportedly set to become Arkansas’ next wide receivers coach.

Bobby Petrino appears to bringining in his guy.

Arkansas is reportedly set to hire Missouri State co-offensive coordinator Ronnie Fouch as wide receivers coach for the Razorbacks. Fouch worked Petrino, Arkansas’ offensive coordinator, both with the Bears and at Louisville.

The hire was needed after Wisconsin reportedly hired Arkansas wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton in late December. Guiton played for Badgers head coach Luke Fickell when Fickell was an assistant at Ohio State. Guiton’s hiring in Madison has not yet been made official.

Nor is Fouch’s at Arkansas. The initial news was first reported by 247Sports.

Fouch joined Missouri State’s staff in 2020 where he coached running backs. Before that he was a quarterbacks coach in the AAF and quality control assistant at Louisville from 2015-18. He played his college football as a quarterback at Washington and Indiana State.

Petrino was named Arkansas’ offensive coordinator just after the 2023 season ended. Head coach Sam Pittman will be going into his fifth year.