Boyd named preseason second team by Athlon in preseason magazine

FAYETTEVILLE — Three Arkansas players were named to the Athlon Sports SEC Football 2020 Preseason All-Conference Teams, including a pair of multi-year honorees.

Senior running back Rakeem Boyd landed on the second team offense, while sophomore offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg was placed on the fourth team unit.

Senior De’Vion Warren rounded out the group with fourth team specialist honors. It’s the third-straight year Warren has appeared on an all-conference squad from the outlet, while Boyd is making his second showing on the list.

Boyd, from Houston, Texas, was the team’s leading rusher for the second consecutive season, totaling 1,133 yards on 184 carries, scoring eight times in 2019.

He ranked fourth in the SEC and 27th nationally with an average of 94.4 rushing yards per game and ninth in the conference with 6.2 yards per carry. He ran for 100+ yards in five games, posting a season-high 185 yards against Western Kentucky on Nov. 9, his most rushing yards as a Razorback.

His five 100+ yard performances brought him to a total of eight over two years, making him one of 16 Arkansas running backs in school history to do so. Boyd also hauled in 160 yards through the air on 19 catches in 2019.

Stromberg, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, played in all 12 games as a freshman last year, moving into the starting position at guard, with each of the last nine games coming at the right guard slot.

He totaled 741 snaps in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus, participating in every offensive play in five games. Stromberg did not allow a sack in 417 pass protection plays, recording three grades over 80.0 from PFF in the category.

He blocked for an offense that scored 28 times and racked up 4,081 total yards, including 2,315 passing yards, 1,766 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns both through the air and on the ground last season.

Warren, from Monroe, Louisiana, appeared in nine games for the Razorbacks in 2019, seeing time as a regular on both offense and on Arkansas’ special teams units.

He returned a team-high 16 kickoffs for 326 yards, averaging 20.4 yards per turn. His longest of the year came on a 37-yard return at Ole Miss on Sept. 7, coming a yard shy of it the following week against Colorado State with a 36-yard play.

Warren finished the year with nine of his 16 returns going for 20+ yards. He also caught four passes for 19 yards, while also rushing five times for 51 yards, providing a threat every time he touched the ball.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.