Phil Elson and Tye Richardson hit on Connor Vanover coming home, interview Hayden Balgavy, and more!
Ezell on getting more comfortable with switch to first this year
Arkansas first baseman Trevor Ezell says team just focused on one game at a time at end of season.
Kenley: ‘Every W counts the same’ as Hogs leave for A&M
Razorbacks second baseman Jack Kenley said they aren’t looking ahead, but taking every game as it comes because all the wins count the same.
Hicks among top quarterbacks to be counselor at ‘Manning’ camp
Arkansas quarterback Ben Hicks is among the 24 college quarterbacks expected to be counselors for the Manning Passing Academy on June 27-30.
The academy, which has been working with high school quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and wide receivers, was started 24 years and works with players in grades 8-12 on the fundamentals and techniques.
Other quarterbacks expected to attend the camp are Tennessee’s Jarrett Guarantano, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, South Carolina’s Jake Bentley, Stanford’s KJ Costello, Notre Dame’s Ian Book, Ole Miss’s Matt Corral, Southern California’s JT Daniels and LSU’s Joe Burrow.
The full list will be announced at a later date.
Hicks is a graduate transfer from SMU who is the odds-on favorite to be the Hogs’ starter in the first game, but the quarterback room is getting crowded.
Nick Starkel arrived Tuesday from Texas A&M as a grad transfer, Connor Noland will be there when the Razorbacks complete their postseason baseball run and incoming freshman KJ Jefferson will join John Stephen Jones, Daulton Hyatt and Jack Lindsey.
Hicks holds several SMU passing records for yards, attempts, completions and touchdowns. In 2017 under Hogs coach Chad Morris and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock, Hicks threw for over 3,500 yards and 33 touchdowns.
“He knows our offense and he knows us and he knows what to expect,” Morris said back in the spring. “He’s been a great addition to our program.”
Vanover officially commits to joining Musselman with Razorbacks
Connor Vanover left Arkansas to play at California, but Wednesday morning announced the 7-foot-3 center with an outside shot is coming back and will be Eric Musselman’s second committed transfer.
Excited for the next step in my journey to help me grow and fulfill my dreams. I am grateful and blessed to have the opportunity be an Arkansas Razorback. I'm Coming Home!! WPS!! @RazorbackMBB @EricPMusselman pic.twitter.com/iZT34YRpci
— Connor Vanover (@Vanover_Connor) May 15, 2019
He played for Baptist Prep in high school, leading them to a state championship in 2016.
Initially Vanover chose Memphis over Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss and others, but de-committed when Tubby Smith was fired, then chose Cal-Berkeley.
He started 15 games as a freshman, playing in 28 and averaging 7.5 points, 3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He was 46.9 percent from the field, including a 35.5-percent average on 76 3-point attempts.
He had a career-high 24 points in the last regular season game against Stanford, going 9-of-12 from the field.
He will sit out a season, then have three years left starting in 2020.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Wednesday
John & Tommy discuss why the regular season doesn’t matter, who they want to taze, plus Hutch talks Hog baseball!
Knee injuries force Hogs defensive lineman to give it up
Arkansas defensive lineman Briston Guidry has been forced to quit playing after seven knee injuries have taken a toll, he announced via Twitter on Tuesday.
#Forever7️⃣ signing out ???????? #wps pic.twitter.com/HPPt8dMFOl
— Bman (@bristonguidry7) May 14, 2019
He will forever be the answer of a trivia question around Razorbacks football.
Guidry scored the first touchdown of the Chad Morris time at Arkansas, recovering a fumble in the end zone against Eastern Illinois for the second touchdown of his career.
At times, Guidry flashed the potential he had as a four-star recruit from Metairie, Louisiana, in 2016, turning down offers from LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma and others.
He redshirted his first season and had 36 tackles over his two season with six for loss, 2.5 sacks, a couple of pass breakups and quarterback hurries with three fumbles recovered and one fumble forced.
Originally a four-star signee out of Metairie, La., Archbishop Rummel, Guidry was the No. 133 overall prospect in the Class of 2016. He turned down offers from Alabama, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others to play for the Razorbacks.
After redshirting his first year on campus, Guidry was mostly a rotation guy in the middle of the defensive line, making 36 tackles over the last two seasons. He also had six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Although there were several times he showed the talent that made him a 5.9 four-star recruit, the aforementioned injuries prevented him from fulfilling his full potential.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 76.8 grade on 155 snaps last season, which was the second highest on the defense among players with at least 100 snaps. That came after he earned a 73.0 grade on 280 snaps the year before.
Another knee surgery kept him out of the final two games of the 2018 season and also prevented him from being a full participant in spring practice. Without him, the Razorbacks relied on McTelvin Agim and T.J. Smith as their primary first-team defensive tackles, with Jonathan Marshall and Isaiah Nichols backing them up.
Guidry’s departure also opens up another scholarship for the Razorbacks. It does not mean they can bring in another transfer, but they could give it to a walk-on who has been on campus at least two years or hang on to it for the 2020 class.
Razorbacks in fifth place after second round at NCAA regional
AUSTIN, Texas — Arkansas shot a second-round score of 291 and stands in fifth place with a two-day total of 573 at the NCAA Austin Regional.
Three Razorbacks — Julian Perico, Mason Overstreet and William Buhl — are among the individual top 21.
Arkansas, one stroke behind fourth and five strokes from second, dropped one spot to fifth but have a five-stroke lead over sixth-place Southern Cal (578) with 18 holes remaining on Wednesday.
The top five teams after Wednesday’s final round will advance to the NCAA Championship, hosted by Arkansas at Blessings Golf Club.
NCAA Austin Regional host Texas leads the field with a total of 552, followed by Pepperdine (568), Clemson (568) and TCU (572).
Perico continues to lead the Razorbacks. The freshman is -3 for the Regional (67-72=139), in sixth place and one stroke out of a five-way tie for first. Perico was 2-under-par and leading through 12 holes before settling for a 1-over-par 72.
Overstreet climbed 20 spots into a tie for 15th, shooting a 2-under 69 Tuesday and posting a 36-hole score of 143. Only three golfers had a better round on Tuesday as leader Steven Chervony was -5 and two others were -3.
Overstreet raced out to a birdie three of his first eight holes before dropping a shot on his ninth hole. He offset two bogeys with two birdies on his back nine to shoot his 69.
Buhl turned in a round of 73 Tuesday and is tied for 21sth (144). He carded 16 pars and two birdies. Buhl is second in the field with 28 pars through 36 holes.
Leading the field in pars is teammate Tyson Reeder. The junior has 30 through 36 holes, getting 17 in round one and 13 today. Reeder is tied for 33rd after rounds of 70-77 for a total of 147. Luis Garza is tied for 51st with a score of 152 (74-78).
???? Tuesday Halftime Pod — featuring Connor Noland
Phil Elson & Tye Richardson hit on Starkel arriving in Fayetteville, interview Connor Noland, and more!
Fassi named to watch list for women’s golf player of the year
CORAL SPRINGS, Florida — The WGCA has announced its watch list for the 2018-19 PING WGCA Division I Player of the Year and 2018-19 Division I Freshman of the Year.
Both awards will be announced after medal play at the upcoming NCAA Championship.
The PING WGCA Player of the Year Award is awarded annually to the best player in Division I women’s golf. The top 60 players from the Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings are considered.
Each player must complete a minimum of 15 rounds during the competitive year including NCAA Regional Championships.
Player of the Year watch list
• Jaravee Boonchant, SO, Duke University. Averaging 71.48 and has placed in the top-10 in 6 tournaments, including a tie for third at the NCAA Auburn Regional.
• Jennifer Chang, SO, University of Southern California. Scoring average of 71.24. She has eight top-10 finishes, including a win at the NCAA Cle Elum Regional.
• Maria Fassi, SR, University of Arkansas. Scoring average of 71.18. Has four top-five finishes, including a win at the SEC Championship. She finished runner-up at the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
• Frida Kinhult, FR, Florida State University. Leads Division I with a 70.48 scoring average. She has five top-five finishes, including wins at the Jim West Challenge and Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.
• Jennifer Kupcho, SR, Wake Forest University. Averaging 70.87 and has four top-10 finishes, including two wins. Won the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
• Andrea Lee, JR, Stanford University. Averaging 71.41 and has five top-five finishes, including two wins. She won the Northrop Grumann Regional Challenge and tied for first at the Ping-ASU Invitational.
• Olivia Mehaffey, JR, Arizona State University. Has a 71.68 scoring average. She placed first at the Bruin Wave and the Pac-12 Championship and tied for first place at the NCAA Norman Regional.
• Emilia Migliaccio, SO, Wake Forest University. Scoring average of 70.76 and has five top-three finishes. She won the Tar Heel Invitational, Bryan National Collegiate and the ACC Championship.
• Patty Tavatanakit, SO, UCLA. Has a 71.28 scoring average and five top-five finishes, including wins at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and NCAA East Lansing Regional. Tavatanakit won the 2018-19 WGCA Freshman of the Year Award.
• Albane Valenzuela, JR, Stanford University. Averaging 71.73 and has three top-three finishes, including a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championship.
The WGCA Freshman of the Year Award is awarded annually to the top Freshman in Division I, II and III women’s golf. Freshman must have competed in a minimum of 15 competitive rounds to be considered.
Freshman of the Year Watch List
•Hailee Cooper, FR, University of Texas. Averaging 71.96. Won the Betsy Rawls Invitational and tied for first at the Bruzzy Challenge.
•Auston Kim, FR, Vanderbilt University. Scoring average of 71.84. Has seven top-10 finishes, including a win at the NCAA Auburn Regional.
•Frida Kinhult, FR, Florida State University. Leads Division I with a 70.48 scoring average. She has five top-five finishes, including wins at the Jim West Challenge and Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.
•Malia Nam, FR, University of Southern California. Averaging 71.90 and has three top-three finishes, including a runner-up finish at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.
•Natasha Andrea Oon, FR, San Jose State University. Averaging 71.89 and has six top-five finishes, including two wins and a runner-up finish at the Mountain West Championship.
•Aneka Seumanutafa, FR, Ohio State University. Scoring average of 71.69. She has five top-10 finishes, including a win at the Westbrook Spring Invitational.
