FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Kam Shanks, a transfer wide receiver and return specialist from UAB, is expected to play a big role for Arkansas this fall.
The hope is he’s bringing speed and versatility to both the offense and special teams.
Shanks, a 5-foot-9, 168-pound redshirt sophomore, led the nation in punt return yards last season with 329, averaging 20.6 yards per return and scoring two touchdowns.
He was named first-team All-AAC as a return specialist and third-team All-AAC as a receiver, finishing the 2023 season with 62 receptions for 656 yards and six touchdowns for the Blazers.
On Nov. 5, Shanks produced 311 all-purpose yards in a 59-21 win over Tulsa, earning Hornung Award National Player of the Week honors. He also caught five passes for 31 yards and a touchdown against Arkansas in a 37-27 loss at Razorback Stadium.
Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino said Shanks’ skill set allows him to outperform his size.
“He’s little, but he doesn’t play little because he can elevate and turn his body,” Petrino said Tuesday. “Short guys that can’t jump and turn in the air are hard targets to hit, but you can actually throw him open and he’s able to elevate and turn and make those catches.”
Petrino said the coaching staff is working to integrate Shanks into the offense, focusing on timing and chemistry with the team’s quarterbacks.
“It’s nice to have him back out there because we need the time with the quarterbacks working with him to understand where he’s going to be, what his quickness gives us, because he’s super quick, and he’s a hard matchup because of that quickness,” Petrino said.
Shanks has earned several preseason honors, including spots on the Jet Award and Hornung Award watch lists. He was named preseason first-team All-SEC by Phil Steele, and first-team All-American by The Sporting News and Athlon Sports, all as a return specialist.
Arkansas special teams coach Scott Fountain said the decision to pursue a dedicated punt returner in the transfer portal was a priority this offseason.
“If you watch Kam’s film last year, he had three house calls in one season. One got called back, so it got annulled, but he was impressive and did some good things,” Fountain said. “He had no returns in our game, so that was a good thing. But we were worried about him going into the game, concerned about him.”
Fountain said he hopes the addition of Shanks will improve a special teams unit that has struggled in recent seasons.
“I love to return punts. I’ve had a lot of good punt returners in my career, and I really hope this would be an exciting year for us in that area,” Fountain said.
Petrino compared Shanks to former Arkansas standout Joe Adams, who won the first Jet Award in 2011 after scoring four punt return touchdowns.
“His quickness as a receiver and his toughness, that would remind me a lot of Joe,” Petrino said. “Joe was unbelievably quick, change-of-direction, stop and go, and then tough and enjoying running the ball. When you’ve got that mental toughness, it helps a lot.”
Shanks’ transfer to Arkansas was part of a larger effort to retool the Razorbacks’ offense. After his successful season at UAB, he attracted interest from several Power Five programs before choosing Arkansas. Hogs coach Sam Pittman and the staff have emphasized Shanks’ potential role in a more dynamic offense.
Shanks has spent the offseason developing rapport with Arkansas’ quarterbacks and learning the Razorbacks’ system. The team hopes his quickness and ability to create separation will provide a needed spark to the offense, which struggled with consistency last season.
The Razorbacks are coming off a 7-6 season. The addition of Shanks is expected to boost both special teams and offensive production. As the season approaches, Shanks will be watched closely as he transitions to SEC competition.
It could fill a big hole in something the Hogs have been missing for awhile on a consistent basis.
