The Razorbacks aren’t slowing down on the transfer market this offseason.
Arkansas added a new arm Wednesday when right-hander Connor Udland confirmed his move from Houston to Fayetteville on social media.
Udland is a Katy, Texas, native who didn’t venture far from home for his freshman year of college ball. That changes now as he trades the Big 12 for the SEC.
He’ll bring three seasons of eligibility with him and a fastball that touched 92 to 94 mph last fall, a trait that turned heads among the Houston coaching staff.
Scouts also liked his breaking pitch, calling it advanced for someone so early in his career.
A freshman season with mixed results
Udland split time between starting and relief work for the Cougars, taking the mound 15 times with seven starts.
He closed the year 3-3 with a 5.87 ERA over 38.1 innings, racking up 44 strikeouts against 22 walks.
His sharpest performance came in an April 2 win over Texas Tech, where he worked five innings, allowed three runs and struck out five while issuing only one walk.
This addition pushes the Hogs to eight transfer portal pickups this cycle, with 10 new names joining the roster overall.
Pitching has been the clear priority for Van Horn’s staff as they retool for 2027, and Udland slots into that effort as a developing power arm rather than a finished product.
Where exactly he lands in the rotation or bullpen mix remains to be seen.
For now, Arkansas gets another live arm with multiple years left to grow, and Udland becomes draft-eligible for 2028 once his college clock runs out.
Key takeaways
- Udland is Arkansas’ eighth transfer portal addition of the offseason
- His fastball sat in the 92-94 mph range as a Houston freshman
- He finished with 44 strikeouts and a 5.87 ERA across 38.1 innings
