Tye & Tommy on Franks’ confidence at QB, best gameday songs, LSU being winnable and more!
Hogs should find some sort of ‘ambassador’ role for D-Mac now
As Arkansas tries to dig a football program out of a monumental hole having Darren McFadden around and visible is something they need to figure out how to do.
Don’t look here for a title. I’m sure there are rules and regulations as to what they can and cannot do. It would probably violate every recruiting rule there is to have him in front of high school players as often as possible.
And don’t start with the coaching talk.
“Coaching may be a little above my head,” McFadden said Tuesday morning with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas. “I put those hours in so long playing football, I have two young kids at home and I missed a lot with my older boys growing up while I was on the road traveling a lot and all that.”
But Florida has done the ambassador type thing with Steve Spurrier, who is one of the icons of the Gators program. They basically wag him out before every game, he does some interviews and just talks about the program.
McFadden just wants to do something connected with the Razorbacks.
“To be able to come around, to be able to do something around the program and help out the guys, pass along some of my knowledge,” he said. “I’d love to be able to do that.”
Few former players stirs as many positive reactions in fans as McFadden. Two runner-up finishes for the Heisman Trophy, the Doak Walker, Maxwell Trophy are all hardware nobody else has won in their time.
Plus, he’s a home-grown talent, which is why the announcement last week of him joining the UA Hall of Honor is particularly special to him.
“Being an Arkansas kid, growing up in Arkansas, bleeding Razorback red (the Hall of Honor) is something you have to put up there at the top,” McFdadden said. “A lot of people might not look at it the same.
“When you look at the College Hall of Fame, Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, but just going into the Hall of Honor at the University …,” he said. “Growing up and wanting to be there my whole life, just be able to get in there is great.”
You would think the Hogs would find some way to get that kind of enthusiasm — and history of success wearing the uniform — around the program as much as possible.
It shouldn’t be that hard.
Former Razorback Darren McFadden joins The Morning Rush
Former Razorback Darren McFadden joins The Morning Rush to discuss being inducted into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor, if his 2006 team would beat the 2010 team, if he would play this 2020 season during the pandemic, and much more! Check it out now!
Neighbors adds current WNBA player, former college star, to staff
Mike Neighbors has added Kelsey Plum, a current WNBA Player for the Las Vegas Aces and former college basketball star, to the Arkansas women’s basketball staff as a graduate assistant.
Plum will assist current and future Hogs with professional player transition.
“We promise every Razorback and their families that we will surround them with the best possible resources on and off the court during their time in Fayetteville,” Neighbors said. “Today’s addition of Kelsey Plum to our staff is evidence of keeping that promise.
“As a graduate assistant, Kelsey will be responsible for preparing our players for their transition from life as Division I athletes to life as professionals, whether that will be in basketball or in another chosen career path.
“Using her own experiences, as well as those she’s witnessed in her career, Kelsey will give our student-athletes a rare look into the behaviors and habits of one of the best players on the planet.
“I cannot wait to catalog how many ways Kelsey’s addition will positively impact the lives of our players, both for the next four years and the next forty that follow.”
Plum, who in 2017 swept all 10 of college basketball’s national player of the year awards, authored one of the greatest collegiate careers of all time.
The Poway, California, native was a scoring machine in college, as she still holds the NCAA record for most points scored in a career, finishing with 3,527 points.
For her efforts, Plum racked up numerous awards during her four collegiate seasons, being named an All-American by the WBCA and USWBA in both 2016 and 2017, an All Pac-12 performer in all four of her collegiate seasons, while also winning the conference’s Freshman of the Year honors back in 2014.
She finished her career with a staggering stat line, averaging 25.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, all while shooting .443 percent from the field, .382 from deep and .880 from the free throw line.
Plum’s stats were anything but empty, though, as she also impacted winning, helping the University of Washington qualify for the NCAA Tournament three times, including trips to the 2016 Final Four and 2017 Sweet Sixteen.
She becomes the third member of Neighbors’ staff to play on a Final Four team. Assistant coach Chantel Osahor and former graduate assistant Heather Corral also reached the Final Four in their playing careers.
After her college career was over, Plum was selected No. 1 Overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars.
Over the course of her three-year career, both with the Stars in San Antonio and with the Aces after the franchise’s relocation to Las Vegas, Plum has averaged 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in just under 25 minutes per game.
She was named to the league’s All-Rookie team following her first season, and in her second season in Las Vegas, Plum helped guide the Aces to the WNBA Semifinals, where they would fall to the eventual WNBA Champions, the Washington Mystics.
Plum has also played professionally overseas, joining Fenerbahce in 2017-18. She would play two seasons with the team, helping her squad win back-to-back Turkish League Championships, and the Turkish Cup in 2018-19.
Plum also has experience representing the United States on an international stage, as she played for the U19 Team in 2013 and played on the Pan American team in 2015.
Plum is also set to represent the United States in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she will play in the three-on-three event.
Additionally, Plum has also made several appearances on television as an analyst for college hoops. She has done analytical broadcast work for both the Pac-12 Network and for the SEC Network.
Career honors
• All-time NCAA scoring leader with 3,527 points
• Broke single-season NCAA scoring record with 1,109 points in 2016-17
• Broke 33-year-old NCAA career free throw record (912)
• UW all-time three-point leader, second all-time in Pac-12
• Pac-12 all-time single-season scoring leader
• Pac-12 record holder for free throws made (season and career)
• Pac-12 single-game scoring record of 57 points vs. Utah
• AP Player of the Year (2017)
• espnW Player of the Year (2017)
• Pac-12 Player of the Year (2017)
• Won the Dawn Staley, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Nancy Lieberman awards, Naismith and Wade Trophy (2017)
• WBCA and USWBA All-American (2016, 2017)
• Unanimous first team All-American by AP (2017)
• Unanimous first team All-American by espnW (2017)
• Finalist for Senior CLASS Award (2017)
• Seattle Female Sports Star of the Year (2017)
• Wooden Award All-American (2016)
• AP Third Team All-American and Naismith Award Semifinalist (2016)
• Lexington Regional All-Tournament Team (2016)
• Second Team All-American (2016)
• Two-time WBCA All-Region Team (2015, 2016)
• Four-time All-Pac-12 Team (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
• 2014 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Franks pleased with progress Razorbacks’ offense making during fall camp
Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks met with the media for the first time Monday afternoon on the state of the offense during fall camp.
Sights & Sounds from Razorbacks’ practice after taking a break over weekend
Sam Pittman said last Friday this would be another work week and it got started Monday afternoon as Hogs continued fall camp practices.
Marshall says he’s still strongest in weight room for Hogs, but has competition
Razorbacks defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall talked with the media Monday afternoon and said he’s still tops in weight room, but offensive lineman Beaux Limmer getting close.
ON HALFTIME: Wilkerson on Jefferson’s good scrimmage, impressions of fall camp
Curtis Wilkerson of HawgSports gave his impressions of Arkansas’ fall camp including K.J. Jefferson’s apparent good showing in the first scrimmage with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas Monday.
ON HALFTIME: SDS’ Marler on Boyd, Franks being big weapons for Hogs’ offense
Saturday Down South’s Chris Marler with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis Monday afternoon on college football, Hogs’ offensive weapons.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast – First scrimmage, Big 10 news, Matt Barrie
Tye & Tommy on the first football scrimmage, Big 10 football news, Matt Barrie and more!
