Burks on first team, four others get All-SEC recognition from media

Five Arkansas standouts, led by wide receiver Treylon Burks, have picked up preseason All-SEC recognition.

Burks was the Hogs’ lone first-team representative, while Ricky Stromberg, Grant Morgan and Jalen Catalon earned second-team honors at center, linebacker and defensive back, respectively.

Offensive lineman Myron Cunningham, meanwhile, grabbed third-team recognition.

The Razorbacks were predicted to finish sixth in the SEC West and received one first-place vote in the media poll, which was released Friday morning along with the preseason All-SEC teams.

Burks has racked up numerous accolades this preseason, including spots on the watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Biletnikoff Award. The wideout led the Razorbacks in catches last season, hauling in 51 passes for 820 yards and seven touchdowns.

He finished third in the SEC in receiving yards per game (91.1) and fifth in total receiving yards, logging six games of 90+ receiving yards and four games of 100+ receiving yards as a true sophomore.

The Warren native, who earned second-team All-SEC honors after the 2020 campaign, was one of only two FBS receivers to log 800+ receiving yards and 70+ rushing yards on the year.

Stromberg, named to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, played in nine games with eight starts last season, lining up at center in all of them.

He played 628 offensive snaps on the year — the fourth most on the team and third most among offensive linemen — and played every offensive snap of a contest seven times during the campaign.

The junior from Tulsa, Okla., totaled a 69.7 run-blocking grade for the season, ranking second among Hog offensive linemen. He allowed only one sack on 355 pass-blocking plays, posting six games with a pass-blocking grade of 70-plus.

Morgan, a candidate for the 2021 Bednarik Award, was one of the best players in all of college football last year after producing one of the greatest seasons in Arkansas history. The Greenwood, Ark., product, who was named a Walter Camp and AFCA Second Team All-American at the year’s end, posted a team-best 111 total tackles, including 7.5 for loss, with 2.0 sacks in 2020.

The linebacker finished tied for the nation’s lead in tackles per game (12.3) while intercepting one pass, breaking up five and registering one quarterback hurry.

Originally a walk-on, Morgan joined Martrell Spaight (2014) as the only two Razorback defenders to garner both AP and Coaches All-SEC recognition in the last 10 seasons.

Catalon, also named to the watch list for the Bednarik Award, was tabbed to the All-SEC First Team by the AP and named a Freshman All-American by the FWAA last season after logging 99 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, four pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles as a redshirt freshman.

The Mansfield, Texas, native was the first Razorback defensive back to earn All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches since Michael Grant (2007).

Cunningham anchored Arkansas’ offensive line at left tackle last year, starting all 10 games while playing 705 snaps — the most of any Razorback.

The redshirt senior from Warren, Ohio, produced four games with an 80-plus passing grade, allowed only two sacks and was flagged just four times during the 2021 campaign.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

RAZORBACK FOOTBALL

Sat, Sep 5vs North AlabamaW 31-14
Sat, Sep 12@ UtahL, 43-10
Sat, Sep 19Georgia11:00 AM
ABC
Sat, Sep 26Tulsa7:00 PM
SECN+
Sat, Oct 3@ Texas A&MTBA
Sat, Oct 10TennesseeTBA
Sat, Oct 17@ VanderbiltTBA
Sat, Oct 31vs MissouriTBA
Sat, Nov 7@ AuburnTBA
Sat, Nov 14South CarolinaTBA
Sat, Nov 21@ TexasTBA
Sat, Nov 28vs LSUTBA

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

OVERALLRecordPts
1.Bentonville (12)2-01651
2.Conway2-11352
5.Shiloh Christian (3)3-01275
4.Bentonville West (1)3-01094
3.Benton1-1733
6.Bryant (1)0-3696
8.Searcy2-0658
7.Joe T. Robinson2-0647
9.North Little Rock3-0599
10.Fayetteville2-120
Others receiving votes: Greenwood 11, Sylvan Hills 9, Springdale Har-Ber 5, Farmington 5, HS Lakeside 5, Pulaski Academy 4, Mountain Home 3, Greenbrier 2, Sheridan 2, El Dorado 2, Stuttgart 1.
CLASS 7A
1.Bentonville (12)2-0801
2.Conway2-1562
5.Shiloh Christian (3)3-0464
4.Bentonville West (1)3-0393
3.Bryant (1)0-3233
Others receiving votes: North Little Rock 10, Pulaski Academy 1.
CLASS 6A
1.Benton (9)1-1731
Searcy (8)2-0732
3.Sylvan Hills2-1373
4.El Dorado3-024
5.Mountain Home2-1235t
Others receiving votes: Sheridan 13, Van Buren 10, Jonesboro 2.
CLASS 5A
1.Joe T. Robinson (14)2-0811
2.Greenwood (2)1-2522
3.Greenbrier2-0433
5.Farmington3-0334
4.Hot Springs Lakeside (1)2-124
Others receiving votes: LR Parkview 12, Valley View 6, Jacksonville 4.
CLASS 4A
1.Stuttgart (12)3-0721
2.Elkins (3)2-0512
3.Nashville (1)3-0493
4.Gosnell3-0185
5.Gravette (1)2-017
Arkadelphia2-117
Others receiving votes: Ozark 12, Fountain Lake 7, Hamburg 7, Bauxite 3, Lonoke 1, Pottsville 1.

CLASS 3A
1.Fordyce (10)1-1671
2.Bismarck (1)2-1444
3.Rivercrest (1)2-036
4.Smackover (2)2-025
5.Glen Rose1-2233
Others receiving votes: Mansfield 21, Prescott (3) 18, Walnut Ridge 14, Palestine-Wheatley 3, Quitman 2, Newport 1, Cedarville 1.
CLASS 2A
1.Mount Ida (14)3-0811
2.Junction City1-2401
3.Baptist Prep (1)2-0313
4.Bigelow2-117
5.Gurdon2-1135
Others receiving votes: Earle (1) 12, East Poinsett County (1) 12, Hector 12, Dierks 11, Poyen 8, Hazen 6, Des Arc 6, Marked Tree 3, Carlisle 2, Bearden 1.
8-MAN SANCTIONED
1.Cedar Ridge (5)3-0252
2.Corning (6)3-0221
3.Magazine (1)1-07
Woodlawn1-173
Others receiving votes: Izard County 5, Rose Bud 4, Strong 3.