Tye & Tommy on more guys coming back, Muss update, Austin Allen joins and more!
Franks likely not coming back, but has shown younger guys a real leader
Feleipe Franks probably won’t be drafted until the third day of the NFL Draft whenever it’s held, but he did what was expected of him at Arkansas.
Plus maybe a little more.
When the graduate transfer from Florida accepted a Senior Bowl invitation last week, the foregone conclusion is the Texas Bowl in Houston on Thursday night is his last college game.
There’s no complaining from Razorbacks fans … or coaches.
“I don’t anticipate him coming back,” Sam Pittman said Monday in his press conference before the team leaves Tuesday.
Coaches can say that and mean several different things. There are times coaches don’t want a player coming back, but that’s not the case with Franks.
He walked into a new team at a position with no stability, calmed things down and been an example to a team that really hadn’t seen a true leader in uniform what that looks like.
“Feleipe has done everything he can do for us,” Pittman said.
He’s not finished, yet. Maybe that shows every player on the team what a leader is. It’s not quitting with a couple of weeks left to prepare for the NFL Draft when you’re probably not even going to be picked like running back Rakeem Boyd did in November.
“I want to finish what I started,” Franks said last week. “I came here to compete for a season and that’s what I’m going to do. At the end of the day, I feel like I’ve gone to work week in and week out with these guys for 10 straight games, so why stop on the 11th?”
Unless something changes and he leaps up the draft boards, Franks won’t be an early pick. Most projects are fifth to sixth round and you don’t see many teams gambling on a pick at quarterback.
For a position that is often the face of a billion-dollar company, NFL teams look at more than how good of an arm quarterbacks have. History shows winning Super Bowls is often a lot more than arm strength.
Franks has those intangibles. His teammates of one year have noticed it.
“It says a lot about his leadership and his want-to,” offensive tackle Myron Cunningham said Monday. “He wants to be here and wants to play with us and finish the season the right way.”
Coming back for another season with the Hogs would probably boost him in the NFL Draft more than playing in the Senior Bowl, but that’s a decision for Franks to make. Pittman sounded confident in the future at quarterback.
Most of that’s because K.J. Jefferson had a big day against Missouri in his only start when Franks couldn’t go because of a rib injury and Malik Hornsby has a ton of potential.
“We feel we’re in good shape there at quarterback,” Pittman said.
Plus, those guys have seen what a leader is at that position.
That’s also why whatever he does after the Texas Bowl, the guess is he’ll be successful. He’s got a key ingredient for that.
“That shows a lot toward his character,” Pittman said of Franks staying with the team all the way through the season. “I’m really proud of him that he decided to play in the Texas Bowl.”
Catalon says Razorbacks ‘on a mission’ against TCU in Texas Bowl
Hogs’ safety Jalen Catalon told the media Monday the team “is on a mission” in bowl game as it’s “like our college football playoff.”
Hammonds’ roller-coaster with Hogs will continue for sixth year
T.J. Hammonds has almost lasted long enough with the Arkansas football program to qualify for retirement benefits … and he’s not leaving.
Hammonds announced on social media Monday he will be coming back for his sixth season with the Razorbacks.
“After talking to my family and the man up top. I feel its best if I return for another year.”
He does add an element of speed to an offense that looked for a couple of years like it was moving in slow motion most of the time.
Hammonds’ time with the Razorbacks has had ups and downs after signing as a four-star recruit from Joe T. Robinson in Little Rock.
He’s bounced between running back and wide receiver, but his big plays have come when he could get in the open field and use his speed. For whatever reasons he never found much stability on offense through three coaching staffs.
But he has gotten a degree … and he’s apparently not in any particular hurry to leave.
Hammonds has 544 yards and two touchdowns on only 79 carries. His career 6.9-yard average would rank second only to Felix Jones’ 7.7 in UA history if he had enough touches to qualify. He’s also caught 13 passes for 221 yards and two scores, for an average of 17.0 yards per reception.
He was able to return to school for a sixth season because of a rule change by the NCAA. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, all football players have been granted an extra year of eligibility, regardless of how much they played this season.
Pittman glad to have returning seniors coming back for another year
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman met with the media Monday afternoon ahead of leaving for the Texas Bowl and said more seniors coming back.
Pool glad to have ‘one of closest friends’ in Morgan coming back
Razorbacks linebacker Bumper Pool talked with the media Monday about how glad he was to get the news Grant Morgan was returning.
Cunningham ‘felt it was in my best interest’ to return to Hogs for another year
Razorbacks offensive lineman Myron Cunningham talked with the media Monday about the process on his decision to come back.
Morgan’s return biggest one for Razorbacks, says Pig Trail Nation’s Orange
Alyssa Orange of Pig Trail Nation feels Grant Morgan deciding to come back for another year the biggest of the older guys returning.
Smith says Texas Bowl matchup with TCU is ‘a huge deal’ for Razorbacks
Running back Trelon Smith has played in NRG Stadium before in a high school playoff game and the bowl game is important to season.
Kern adds name to list of seniors coming back for another season
Add tight end Blake Kern to the growing list of seniors coming back for another year with the program Sam Pittman is starting to build at Arkansas.
Kern, apparently not a big social media guy, let his decision become known when tight ends coach Jon Cooper sent out a tweet Monday morning.
Big Kern! Coming back for another year to represent Lamar, and the state of Arkansas! Proud of what you’ve done, can’t wait to see what you can accomplish! Let’s get to work! #WPS ? pic.twitter.com/z2SBnwbPnN
— Jon Cooper (@Jcoop50) December 28, 2020
Kern will be 24 years old when next season kicks off and the Lamar native started as a walk-on and had his most playing time and success this past season.
Kern started five of 10 games and played more than twice as many snaps as Hudson Henry this past season after playing mostly as a blocker in 2019 and sparingly before that.
He made his first career reception in the opener this season against Georgia and ended the regular season with 20 catches for 201 yards. That total includes touchdowns against Tennessee and Missouri.
Kern’s return to the Razorbacks in 2021 will provide some much needed depth at a position that is pretty young and thin.
