Tag: Ty’Kieast Crawford

Report: These super seniors are expected to return to Arkansas football in 2024

According to reports, Arkansas football is expected to return these nine super seniors for 2024. Here’s a closer look at each of them.

Arkansas football is expected to return nine super seniors for the 2024 season. Best of Arkansas Sports’ Andrew Hutchinson first broke the news on Thursday Morning.

Of those nine, four are on the offensive side of the ball and five are on the defensive side. For the Razorback offense, wide receivers [autotag]Andrew Armstrong[/autotag], [autotag]Isaac TeSlaa[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyrone Broden[/autotag] are set to return. Offensive lineman [autotag]Ty’Kieast Crawford[/autotag] is also returning to the Hogs.

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive backs [autotag]Hudson Clark[/autotag] and [autotag]Kee’yon Stewart [/autotag]are set to return, as are defensive linemen [autotag]Eric Gregory[/autotag], [autotag]Keivie Rose[/autotag], and [autotag]Jashaud Stewart[/autotag]. It’s worth noting that Stewart is still indefinitely suspended from the program following an arrest in December. Because of this, his status is still technically undecided despite the expectation being that Stewart will return.

There are currently only three super seniors who haven’t announced a decision, but will not be returning to the Hogs in 2024. Offensive lineman Brady Latham has NFL Draft aspirations, while tight end Francis Sherman and defensive tackle Marcus Miller are moving on after each spent one season at Arkansas.

According to Hutchinson, the Razorbacks are at 83 scholarship players for 2024. The roster limit is 85, so there should be more movement as we get closer to spring practices.

For now, let’s take a closer look at the nine super seniors expected to return next season.

Arkansas freshman lineman Su’a opts to enter transfer portal

Former Bentonville offensive lineman Joey Su’a has decided to leave Arkansas and enter the transfer portal.

After redshirting at Arkansas this past season, without seeing any time on the field, former Bentonville offensive lineman Joey Su’a has decided to enter the transfer portal.

Su’a is the 13th Razorback to enter the portal since it opened on Dec. 4.

The 6-foot-4, 346-pounder enrolled early last spring, after being a consensus 3-Star prospect. He was rated the No. 3 player in Arkansas for the Class of 2023, and the No. 22 offensive guard nationally, by Rivals.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman entered the offseason committed to shoring up an offensive line that proved ineffective for most of the year.

Su’a’s departure drops the Razorbacks’ offensive line scholarship total to 16, and drops the overall scholarship number to 81. That does clear the way for four more additions, from either the portal, or the high school or junior college ranks. The Razorbacks are expected to host several transfer offensive linemen in the coming days.

The early signing period for college football is Dec. 20-22, with the regular signing period to begin Feb. 7, and continue through April 1.

Devon Manuel already entered the portal on Dec. 4. Ty’Kieast Crawford has announced that he plans to be back for a super senior season. Rising senior Joshua Braun is still on the roster, and Brady Latham could opt to return for his super senior season.

Arkansas has already added 6-foot-5, 315-pound Keyshawn Blackstock, a portal find from Michigan State.

Su’a, who did not allow a sack during his senior year at Bentonville, and registered 56 pancake blocks, chose Arkansas over BYU, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan State, Oregon and others.

Arkansas offensive linemen Ty’Kieast Crawford and Andrew Chamblee announce plans for 2024

Two Arkansas offensive linemen, Ty’Kieast Crawford and Andrew Chamblee, announced their 2024 plans on Monday afternoon. The news came after the Hogs added transfer QB Taylen Green.

Arkansas received some good news on Monday afternoon as highly-touted quarterback transfer Taylen Green announced his commitment to the Hogs. Given his impressive size, athleticism and passing ability, Green’s addition generated excitement for a large majority of Razorback fans.

However, Hog fans saw firsthand last season that the individual talent of a quarterback can easily be overshadowed and neutralized by the deficiencies of his offensive line. If the offensive linemen can’t block, it doesn’t matter if you have [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag], Lamar Jackson or Tom Brady – your offense is going to struggle.

New offensive line coach [autotag]Eric Mateos[/autotag] has his hands full next year, as the offensive line was easily the worst it has been in a long time. A large part of that was due to inexperience and lack of depth. Luckily, the Hogs got some good news in both of those departments shortly after Green’s announcement.

Senior [autotag]Ty’Kieast Crawford[/autotag], one of Arkansas’ most experienced offensive lineman, and redshirt freshman [autotag]Andrew Chamblee[/autotag], one of Arkansas’ most talented young prospects, both announced that they would be returning to the Razorbacks next season.

The pair each posted to Twitter (X) to confirm their plans. Crawford tweeted a picture (above) with the caption, “let’s run it back” and tagged the official Razorback Twitter (X) account. Chamblee quote tweeted new offensive line coach Eric Mateos (below) saying, “So ready to get the 2024 season started!! Can’t wait to show the world.”

While the news isn’t the biggest needle-mover for Arkansas’ offseason, it gives the Hogs some quality depth up front. Chamblee, in particular, showed some flashes of brilliance in his playing time this season, but his youth and inexperience were both unmistakable as well.

[autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] and Eric Mateos still need to hit on a few high-level portal targets up front before anyone gets too excited for next season.

Ty’Kieast Crawford looks like the future of the offensive line

Even at 360ish pounds, Arkansas offensive lineman Ty’Kieast Crawford is all athlete.

Ty’Kieast Crawford has a little old-school and a little new-school to him.

At 6-foot-5 and 347 pounds, Crawford, a junior on the Arkansas offensive line, doesn’t quite stake claim to being the biggest player on the Hogs front, but he’s not far from it. The era of size-over-all on football offensive lines has passed a bit as teams shifted more to the run-pass-option game, which requires blocker who are fleet of foot.

But don’t think for a second that Crawford can’t move. It’s his footwork that has made him Arkansas’ No. 1 reserve on the line this fall. And not just at one position, but four.

“I can play any position they want me to play,” Crawford said. “‘ll go out there and do it for them,” Crawford said. “I’ll be on any side they want me to. I’m comfortable. I get in there and do my job. Do my assignment. That’s it.”

The Texas native worked his way into a reserve spot last year, but with a couple players ahead of him in the hierarchy, he didn’t see the field often. But as the top back-up this year, he’s likely to get plenty of time. Whether it’s swapping in on series to give guys a break – something that is also more common now than it used to be – or filling in for an injured player, Crawford should have plenty of opportunity to prep himself for a starting role next year.

His teammates know he can do it. Dalton Wagner, a three-year starter at tackle, sees it every day.

“He’s taken a much more veteran mentality approach to this stuff,” Wagner said. “He’s not going into it, I don’t know, not lackadaisical, but he’s going into it with a lot more fire than he had before. And intent. Yeah, that’s a better word for it. Intent. And he’s done a really great job all camp so far.”

Top prospect out of Texas Ty’Kieast Crawford will take junior college route

One of the bigger targets for national champion LSU won’t be going to Baton Rouge or any other four-year school … for the time being. “I would like to announce I will not be attending a four-year university,” Ty’Kieast Crawford of Carthage HS in …

One of the bigger targets for national champion LSU won’t be going to Baton Rouge or any other four-year school … for the time being.

“I would like to announce I will not be attending a four-year university,” Ty’Kieast Crawford of Carthage HS in Texas said Wednesday. “I will be going the JUCO route, so I would like to announce I’ll be attending Kilgore College.”

There was no heavy favorite to land Crawford, who had offers from LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama and many other college programs.

Per 247Sports:

Crawford also made multiple visits to Baton Rouge for games this past season, and had he been in position to enter the FBS ranks immediately out of high school, the Tigers were considered the team to beat. LSU had held predictions on his 247Sports Crystal Ball, but all five picks went “foggy” when Crawford revealed he was unsure of where things stood with JUCO vs. a four-year program as the next step.

In the short term, the offensive lineman will work on boosting his GPA and test scores.

Expect plenty of coaches to keep a sharp eye on Kilgore College in 2019.