Democrat-Gazette writer Tom Murphy thinks the battle for the starting quarterback job for the Hogs will be big, plus returning players helping.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast – THE BOYS ARE BACK
Tye & Tommy on seniors coming back, Heisman finalists, Tom Murphy and more!
Warren next in parade of players announcing another senior year
De’Vion Warren’s announcement Monday morning that he’s coming back to Arkansas was expected and it was the fourth day in a row for a player to say he’s back.
Blessed to play one more year with my teammates and coaches! Best is yet to come 1️⃣0️⃣ @RazorbackFB @coachjstepp pic.twitter.com/jKSBoFEbfc
— devion (@devionwarren) December 28, 2020
The recruiting pitch to the returning players is obviously things will be better with more of them taking advantage of the NCAA’s eligibility relief granted in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Warren had started to become more involved in the offense of Kendal Briles that needs speed, speed, speed and Warren, a native of Ouachita Parish in Monroe, La., has that in bunches.
We had seen it mostly on special teams for three years, though.
After hauling in one pass for 28 yards in the opener against Georgia, Warren stepped up when Treylon Burks went down with an injury.
He caught four passes for 100 yards and a touchdown in the win at Mississippi State and then had five receptions for 95 yards and a pair of scores in the near upset win at Auburn. That earned him a spot in the starting lineup even after Burks returned.
A torn ACL on a kickoff return against Florida ended Warren’s season. In seven games, he caught 15 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 35 yards on four carries.
Now he’s giving wide receivers coach Justin Stepp a deeply talented and experienced room and Briles has multiple options with playmakers to do his thing.
The Hogs are starting preparations for the Texas Bowl on Thursday night in Houston against TCU, but more announcements could be coming from other players after Grant Morgan, Myron Cunningham and Ty Clary announced over the weekend they are returning.
Hogs will have 18 players wearing graduate patches in bowl game
A total of 18 Arkansas football players are eligible to wear the SEC Graduation Patch in the Mercari Texas Bowl, signifying that they have earned their college degrees.
They are part of over 130 Southeastern Conference student-athletes eligible to wear the patch in postseason bowl games.
The SEC introduced the patch in 2016 season for student-athletes in all sports who have already earned their degree, but have not exhausted their eligibility.
The SEC logo patch on their uniforms is replaced with a special patch with the word “Graduate” underneath the conference logo. The patch is similar in design for all conference schools, but it is school-specific in color.
Razorbacks eligible to wear the patch in the Mercari Texas Bowl:
• Ty Clary
• Shane Clenin
• Myron Cunningham
• Deon Edwards
• Feleipe Franks
• Dorian Gerald
• Elias Hale
• T.J. Hammonds
• Hayden Henry
• Xavier Kelly
• Blake Kern
• Jack Lindsey
• Jonathan Marshall
• Grant Morgan
• Tyson Morris
• A.J. Reed
• Micahh Smith
• Dalton Wagner
The Razorbacks will play their first bowl game since 2016 on Thursday, Dec. 31, against TCU in the Mercari Texas Bowl in Houston. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. and air on ESPN.
You can also listen to the game online HERE at HitThatLine.com or on the radio with ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Clary announces he’s coming back and Pittman probably not finished
Arkansas’ offensive line will return intact for 2021 with Ty Clary’s announcement Sunday evening he’ll be back and Sam Pittman’s recruiting starting to pay off.
Make no mistake about it, Pittman is recruiting the seniors he wants to come back just as hard as he’s chasing high school players and it’s starting to show results.
Honored for the chance to play one more year for this State, my brothers, and my Coaches! Unfinished Business! @CoachSamPittman @coachbraddavis pic.twitter.com/HF9XUYNBZD
— Ty Clary (@ty_clary) December 28, 2020
The message from players announcing they’re coming back for another senior year makes it clear the Razorbacks have bought into what Pittman is building.
Clary’s return means the offensive line will come back with all the players they had this past season, barring any injuries, of course. Myron Cunningham announced his return Saturday.
There will likely be more. The coaches already know who’s coming back and who’s not. The announcements are coming via Twitter and they are well-planned with graphics done by the graphics people in the athletic department.
It’s another indication of how Pittman has locked down the information flow out of the football program similar to what you see out of the better programs. There aren’t a lot of leaks that end up being made public until Pittman wants it out there.
All we know now is there won’t be any more announcements from offensive linemen because they are ALL coming back and this will be a very experienced unit.
The guess is that if they didn’t know, it’s been pointed out to them how many players Pittman puts into the NFL.
And they haven’t had a lot of quality coaching in the Hogs’ offensive line the last few years. The equivalent of an NFL graduate assistant and another guy who was simply in over his head sort of obscured the talent level.
Make no mistake about it, Brad Davis is the offensive line coach, but Pittman is around and after decades of developing into one of the top line coaches in college football, the boss keeps an eye on that position group.
Clary started as a blueshirt 2-star recruit out of Fayetteville High in 2017 that Bret Bielema took at the end of the cycle.
He ended up starting in 2017 at right guard and center, then all of 2018 (giving up just three sacks) and was the only offensive line starter in 2019 that didn’t give up a sack.
That’s more remarkable than you probably think. Over a two-year period where everybody but the cheerleaders hit the Hogs’ quarterbacks in games, Clary did not give up a single sack.
He missed time early in 2020 but ended up starting at right guard and graded the highest of anybody on the line.
Pittman wanted that back and now he’s got every contributor back on the position group that rewards experience and cohesiveness more than any other on the field.
There will likely be more announcements this week as the Hogs get ready for a Texas Bowl matchup with TCU on Thursday night in Houston.
Announcements from defensive lineman Jonathan Marshall, quarterback Feleipe Franks and wide receiver De’Vion Warren will probably be coming this week … one way or the other.
Pittman is proving to be as good at recruiting the players he inherited to stay on board for another year after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to everybody, including seniors, due to the covid-19 pandemic.
For bigger results quicker, the older guys may be more important than the high school players.
Former All-American, Outland Trophy winner Phillips dies at age 75
Arkansas All-American and Outland Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Loyd Phillips died Sunday from complications from a stroke.
He was 75.
Phillips, who grew up in Longview, Texas, was one of the greatest football players in Razorback history, a consensus two-time All-American for Arkansas from 1964-66.
He is one of only two Outland Trophy winners in school history (Bud Brooks is the other), an award annually given to the best interior lineman in college football.
“The Razorback family and college football has lost one of its true legends,” athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in a prepared statement. “Loyd Phillips was a ferocious competitor for coach Frank Broyles in what was a truly golden era of Razorback football.
“As his accomplishments attest, he established himself among the best to ever play college football. However, away from the field, Loyd was a humble gentle giant who made a meaningful difference in the lives of generations of young people in our state through his dedicated service in secondary education.
“He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Betsy, their son Mackenzie, their daughter JoAnn, the entire Phillips family and all those impacted by the extraordinary life of Loyd Phillips.”
Phillips played defensive tackle for the Hogs in the mid 1960’s and helped the Hogs win a version of the National Championship in 1964.
He was a two-time All American (1965 and 1966) and winner of the 1966 Outland Trophy, recognized as the country’s most outstanding interior lineman.
Philips was a three-time All-Southwest Conference selection (1964-66). Phillips earned 304 career tackles (100 in 1965, 97 in 1966). He played on Razorback teams that compiled a 29-3 record from 1964-66 including a 11-0 1964 national championship season.
As a sophomore, Phillips helped lead a stifling Razorback defense that blanked opponents in the final five games of the 1964 regular season.
He was a first-round draft choice, the No. 10 draft pick overall, by the Chicago Bears and also played for the New Orleans Saints during his NFL career. After pro football, Phillips returned to Arkansas to finish his degree in health education and obtained his master’s degree in administration.
Phillips had a distinguished 37-year career in secondary education, working as an assistant principal and administrator in both the Springdale and Rogers school districts. After retiring, Phillips volunteered his time working with Horses for Healing, a program designed to provide therapy for special needs children.
Phillips was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992. He is also a member of the University of Arkansas All-Century team, the 1960s All-Decade Team, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame, the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Phillips is survived by his wife Betsy, and their son Mackenzie, who also played football for the Razorbacks from 1988-91.
He is also survived by his younger brother Terry Don Phillips, who played for the Razorback from 1966-69 and is a former administrator with Razorback Athletics and the Razorback Foundation.
Catalon, Morgan named to media’s All-SEC first team Saturday
Barry Odom’s defense won’t be able to sneak up on anybody next season after Grant Morgan and Jalen Catalon were named to the first team AP All-SEC team Saturday.
Both of those guys are coming back and nothing grabs attention faster than returning all-league players.
Treylon Burks and Jonathan Marshall were named to the AP’s second team.
Morgan is one of only two Razorback defenders in the last 10 seasons to garner AP and coaches’ All-SEC first team honors, joining Martrell Spaight in 2014.
Morgan is tied for the nation’s lead, averaging 12.3 tackles per game while ranking second in the FBS and tops in the SEC with 111 total tackles. He also added five passes broken up, two quarterback hurries, one interception return for a touchdown, 2.0 sacks and a team-leading 7.5 tackles for loss to his season stat line.
The former walk-on recorded two 19-tackle games against Ole Miss and LSU, becoming the first SEC player to do so in a single season since LSU’s Kevin Minter in 2012.
Against Ole Miss, Morgan became the second FBS player since 2000 to total 15 or more tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss and an interception return for a touchdown.
He is the only FBS player this season to record six games of at least 12 tackles. Yesterday, he was named All-SEC first team by the league’s coaches.
Catalon becomes just the second freshman in school history — and first defender — to be named All-SEC first team; the first since running back Darren McFadden in 2005 (AP and Coaches).
He is the only FBS player to make 95+ tackles with three interceptions this season and the first SEC freshman since Tennessee’s Eric Berry in 2007 to have at least 86 stops and three picks.
The dynamic defensive back leads all FBS freshmen with 99 total tackles while also posting 2.0 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His 9.9 tackles per game lead all FBS freshmen and rank fourth among all SEC players.
He made a career-best 16 tackles against LSU, and totaled five games of 12 or more tackles, second in the country behind Morgan. Catalon became the first Hog to intercept passes in back-to-back games when he did so against LSU and Florida.
He has also been named to The Athletic’s Freshman All-America first team. Earlier, Catalon was selected All-SEC second team by the coaches, the first Arkansas defensive back to earn All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches since Michael Grant in 2007.
Burks is the first Arkansas wide receiver to earn All-SEC recognition by both the AP and coaches since Cobi Hamilton in 2012. Burks is ranked fourth in the SEC and 18th nationally with 820 receiving yards, placed sixth in the league with 5.7 receptions per game and seventh with seven touchdowns.
Against Missouri, Burks had 10 catches for a career-high 206 receiving yards, the third-best single-game mark in program history.
The sophomore is tied for sixth in the FBS with six games of 90+ receiving yards. Burks scored a touchdown in three straight games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Tennessee, totaling four during that stretch, catching two TDs against the Aggies.
This season, Burks is one of just four FBS players to post 130+ receiving yards and 40+ rushing yards in the same game when he made 11 grabs for 137 yards and ran four times for 46 yards against Ole Miss.
As a freshman last season, Burks was named to the Coaches’ second team as a returner.
Marshall is Arkansas’ first All-SEC defensive lineman since Darius Philon in 2014.
The redshirt senior captain was the only Hog defender to start all 10 regular season games, totaling 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble and four quarterback hurries.
According to Pro Football Focus, Marshall led the SEC in both run-defense grade (80.8) and run stops (20). His 633 snaps played led SEC interior defensive lineman.
Marshall made all 6.5 tackles for loss in six consecutive games and forced a fumble against No. 1 Alabama.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Cunningham makes choice to come back to Hogs for another year
Sam Pittman apparently isn’t recruiting just high school players these days, living up to what he said months ago about wanting several seniors back.
Offensive lineman Myron Cunningham announced Saturday afternoon he’s coming back, similar to what linebacker Grant Morgan announced on Christmas Day.
These past two years have been nothing short of a blessing. I just wanna thank the Hog fans for all the support these past two years but we aren’t done yet. #OneMoreYear #WooPig pic.twitter.com/9SYpVmTqcC
— Myron Cunningham (@CunninghamMyron) December 26, 2020
Part of it is Pittman’s linemen go the NFL. Another part is they are buying into what he’s building at Arkansas.
“If we can keep him another year, we could really up his draft stock even higher,” Pittman said last month. “He’s gotten much bigger and can handle bull rushes better and things of that nature.
“He’s gotten better. If he came back, he’d get a lot better.”
Cunningham probably won’t be the last player and it’s a pretty good bet the coaching staff already knows who’s going to come back for another year and who’s not. The graphics accompanying the Twitter announcements appear to be done by the UA’s graphics team.
He does provide a huge piece to the revolving door that has been the Razorbacks’ offensive line the last few years. Experience is huge and his return may give the Hogs their most experience in the line in a few years.
Arkansas had 19 seniors this past season, three opted out and with two seniors’ announcements they are returning for another year, there could be a steady stream of announcements over the next few days.
Under Pittman, Cunningham bulked up from 290 to 325 pounds this season and drew some preseason attention as a possible NFL Draft prospect, but the reality is he was likely looking at being a third day pick.
Cunningham was one of only two players in the SEC who didn’t miss a single offensive snap this year, as he cemented himself as the Razorbacks’ left tackle.
With this season, plus a spring practice and another season, Cunningham could move up considerably in the draft.
Morgan leads SEC in tackles, announces he’s coming back
Few single players have embodied what Arkansas fans want in their Razorbacks more than linebacker Grant Morgan and his decision Friday confirmed that.
Merry Christmas! I’m not done being a Hog. My work here is unfinished. The best is yet to come. 31 is back! pic.twitter.com/lc3LmO1fil
— Grant Morgan (@grantmorgan15) December 25, 2020
An original walk-on from Greenwood, Morgan started out on special teams and progressed to this season where he was All-SEC and led the nation in tackles with 111 … before suffering a knee injury against Missouri in the third quarter.
After missing the Alabama game the next week to end the regular season, he finished second nationally behind Troy’s Carlton Martial (113). His 12.3 tackles per game are tied for the most nationally.
Morgan was not asked about coming back for another season in Tuesday’s press conference and most in the media didn’t really expect him to come back as his future plans may include medical school, which wouldn’t surprise anybody.
The guess is Morgan is like what fans want all their Hogs to be like .. they would do just about anything to get one more season of playing when their eligibility is done.
Under a normal season, he could not come back. But with covid-19 changing just about everything in the world, all seniors can come back for another season and everybody was, basically, given an extra year.
Morgan’s return gives the Hogs a powerful 1-2 combination at linebacker with Bumper Pool of experience and leadership.
Barry Odom may be the happiest guy in Northwest Arkansas on this Christmas Day. Having those two back in uniform helps the continued rebuild of a defense that had flashes of success this past season that was balanced with struggles at times.
Morgan is expected to be able to play in the Texas Bowl on New Year’s Eve against TCU in a game that starts at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN in addition to being available here at HitThatLine.com and on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Henry on Franks’ arm, maturity will be positives for NFL teams in evaluations
Hawgs Illustrated’s Clay Henry said Feleipe Franks’ decision to play in Texas Bowl another example of his maturity, which could help in draft position.
King doesn’t think expansion a ‘magic elixir’ for college football playoffs
Nashville Sports Radio’s Bill King is not in favor of expanding the college football playoffs because it won’t come without different complaints.
