Odaefe Oruru has flipped his commitment from Arkansas to Oklahoma State.
It's a pretty tough blow for a class that already lacked star power. He was one of the Hogs' highest-rated commits for 2027.
Now down to 23 players, the class is sitting at No. 42 on Rivals/On3, No. 40 in the 247Sports Composite and No. 36 in the 247Sports-specific rankings.
Here's his post:
As you've probably seen by now, the SEC announced yesterday that it wouldn't allow professional athletes to return to college. A lot of the attention has been on LSU and Lane Kiffin, but there's a chance a challenge could happen much closer to home.
Little Rock native Bryson Warren was granted a TRO to play college basketball...but he checks all three boxes of the kinds of players the SEC explicitly outlawed yesterday. He declared for the NBA draft and didn't withdraw, he signed a G League contract and he was on a G League roster.
Will the Aggies try to challenge the SEC by insisting on playing him? Or will he drop down to a smaller league that doesn't adopt that ban? Grab your popcorn, folks!
The SEC has followed in the Big Ten’s footsteps by banning players from returning to college who:
~Previously declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA draft, and did not “appropriately withdraw” from those drafts.
~Signed a contract with an NFL or other professional league, NBA or G-League, or WNBA or affiliated team.
~Been listed on a roster by any of those professional teams.
I’m trying to figure out whether or not this applies to players who participated in an NFL rookie minicamp — because that’s the situation for Caleb Wooden, Sean Williams and Brylan Green, the trio of 5-for-5s who’ve committed to/signed with the Hogs.
What I’m told is that it’s not believed to apply to them, meaning that they should be fine…but I was told the UA is still waiting for further clarification. And I was cautioned that this all could change tomorrow. Basically, no one knows anything still.
Arkansas can’t seem to keep the track athletes on the roster.
First it was Jordan Anthony who left to focus on track. More recently, it was Maurice Gleaton Jr. Now, it’s up to Jelani Watkins to buck the trend.
Can he actually be a true two-sport guy?
A source has indicated to BOAS that there is mutual interest between Arkansas and former Liberty safety Brylan Green. He's one of those 5-for-5 guys who is still eligible because he was granted a TRO in Louisiana.
We wrote more in depth about Green here:
To me, this raises an obvious question: Are the coaches concerned about their safeties?
As you know, the Hogs also brought back Caleb Wooden and landed Dartmouth transfer Sean Williams last week. Their eligibility is up in the air still after a stay was granted in the Colorado case that originally gave ALL Class of 2022 players that extra year, but the fact the Hogs got them makes me wonder about how they feel about their safety depth.
I mean, Wooden could be written off as bringing back basically the only 5-for-5 guy that was a possibility, plus he has extensive SEC experience. But going after an FCS dude and now the guy from Liberty? And both are safeties? It certainly makes me wonder...
Looks like the former Arkansas running back, who had success with Dowell Loggains at App State last season, is pursuing a fifth season via the courts.
Don't think the Hogs need a RB, but I always like R-Dub. It'll be interesting to see if/where he ends up.
Just saw where the Rockies are calling up Blake Adams from Triple-A.
I know some of y'all might not consider him a "former Hog" because he transferred out and finished his career at Kansas State, but he was with the Razorbacks in 2020 and 2021. It just didn't work out.
But still cool to see the Springdale Har-Ber product getting called up.
He'll join a growing list of Arkansas transfers who've reached the MLB. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Jackson Rutledge and Colin Poche. I'm sure there are others, too.
After plenty of speculation, Arkansas has officially named junior KJ Jackson as its starting quarterback for the season opener against North Alabama on Sept. 5.
How y’all feeling about it?
Raider running back Ashton Jeanty went down today with a knee injury at practice and had to be helped off the field.
If the 6th overall pick’s injury is serious, it could mean that Mike Washington will be RB1 to start the season. The former Razorback has shone throughout the preseason, including a 56-yard gain in one of the first touches of his career.
https://x.com/contendrsmedia/status/2091642113347785206?s=46&t=BKis5uGIU0hTj_EfhJFP6g
Hopefully he’s okay!
Carted off the field in the Eagles’ preseason game tonight:
John Calipari has put together another loaded non-conference slate:
Nov. 8 - vs. Virginia (Washington D.C.)
Nov. 17 - vs. Indiana (NYC)
Nov. 26 - vs. Michigan State (Detroit)
Dec. 1 - at North Carolina
Dec. 19 - vs. Arizona (Phoenix)
On paper, that’s four neutral site games and one road game…but I see four road games and one neutral site game.
I know Coach Cal said he tried really hard to get a marquee home game and no one wanted to travel to BWA…so I guess I’ll cut him some slack there (even though I think it really sucks for fans). But why’s he gotta play neutral site games in the opponent’s backyard?
Does this bother anyone else?
Coaches like to claim they’re solely focused on their own team this time of year…but nearly 100 head coaches and assistants participated in a CBS poll about who they think will spend the most time at No. 1 this season. 🤔
What do you think of the results of the poll?
Pretty good interview with Houston Nutt here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-razorback-daily/id1531535478?i=1000784492587
Houston has been around a lot lately and I’m hearing a lot of interest in him officially joining the staff in a fundraising capacity. Do you want Nutt to come on in this role? Would he be well suited for it?
When I became a sportswriter, I had no idea I'd have to become conversant in legalese. If I wanted that, I woulda become a lawyer, but I digress...
It looks like a stay has been issued in the Colorado case that initially granted all Class of 2022 athletes their bonus "5-for-5" year via a TRO. That's how Caleb Wooden was able to return to Arkansas and how the Hogs picked up Sean Williams from Dartmouth. Now they are ineligible and must wait for the actual ruling in that case before learning if they can play in 2026. When will that happen? No clue. (Side note: This also impacts Malique Ewin at Oregon and Danny Saili at Oklahoma.)
Worth noting that this does not override the individual cases done at state levels. So the folks in the Louisiana case, for example, are still eligible...for now.
Another day, another lawsuit... This time, it was a Louisiana judge who granted 16 football players a TRO their bonus "5-for-5" year. This judge also explicitly allowed them to enter the transfer portal (unlike the Colorado ruling). It looks like eight of them have done so:
Dae'Quan Wright — Ole Miss — TE
Zxavian Harris — Ole Miss — DT/DL
Wydett Williams Jr. — Ole Miss — S
Jack Pyburn — LSU — EDGE
DQ Smith — South Carolina — S
Trent Hendrick — James Madison — LB
Junior Tuihalamaka — Notre Dame — DL
Anthony Hankerson — Oregon State — RB
So it begs the question... Would you want any of these guys suiting up for the Razorbacks?
In our opinion, Hendrick makes the most sense. The Hogs could use a linebacker who has more career defensive snaps at the FBS level than Bradley Shaw, Ja'Quavion Smith, Wyatt Simmons, Ben Bogle, Phoenix Jackson and Jeremy Evans combined.
Hankerson was a very good player for the Beavers, rushing for 1,000+ yards each of the last two seasons, but do the Hogs really need another running back?
The SEC guys would be intriguing, but the league still has a rule prohibiting intra-conference transfers outside of the NCAA's window. That could get overruled, but would be a headache.
Then there's this question: Does Arkansas even have any roster spots available? They were able to add Caleb Wooden and Sean Williams because J'Lynn Allen and Maddox Lassiter went down with season-ending injuries. It's hard to know for sure if they're 100% full because we don't know how many of these guys are "DSAs" who don't count toward the 105-man limit (we know there are quite a few because the roster was at 120 players before Wooden/Williams).
So a looooooot of uncertainty still.
Reports around this year’s Kansas City Chiefs training camp is that Andrew Armstrong is making a strong push to make the team.
Armstrong has consistently gotten open and made catches at camp. The Chiefs also like him as a blocker. Check out this block from the first preseason game.
According to most experts Armstrong is in a battle with Nikko Remigio and Jalen Royals to make the squad. The Chiefs are likely to keep 6 receivers and the general consensus is the three are barking for the last two spots.
Based on receiving alone Armstrong has outperformed both of those candidates. Despite that he might be behind both of the other players.
Remigio was the Chiefs punt returner last season and played that same role in their first preseason game. The Chiefs have long since valued special teams contributions and unless they can find someone to take his place Remigio is likely to make this team despite not adding much value as a receiver.
Royals on the other hand only adds value as a receiver and Armstrong has seemingly outplayed him this training camp, but the Chiefs may be reluctant to move on from him. They drafted Royals just last year in the 4th round and he was injured most of the year. The Chiefs might believe Royals has more upside and they’ve certainly got more invested in him.
The most interesting angle on this story might be that former LSU quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier might be the reason Armstrong doesn’t make the team. The Chiefs have gone into the season with 7 receivers before. However, they are unlikely to do that if they keep 3 quarterbacks. Most think that Nussmeier is actually a better thrower than the Chiefs 2nd string quarterback, Justin Fields, but it is extremely unlikely that the Chiefs would cut Fields and just keep Nussmeier.
They’re also afraid that another team would claim Nussmeier if they tried to just keep him on the practice squad. A fear that they likely don’t have with Armstrong.
Even with all this I’d say it’s about a 40/60 split between journalists and ex players that Armstrong will make the team.
NOTE: This kind of thing will appear in the forthcoming BoAS premium channel, but just want to give you an idea of what to expect in that area...
Here's what we're hearing re: John Calipari's recruiting efforts in the 2027 class:
~Beckham Black -- who will play his senior year with OTE -- remains Arkansas’ top priority, with the staff pushing to land him in the early signing period. Hogville’s Kevin McPherson reported that the five-star point guard will visit Arkansas this fall alongside North Carolina and Texas.
~BYU is no longer pursuing five-star small forward DeMarcus Henry, which could open the door for Arkansas. The Hogs and Cougars made his list of top eight schools alongside Kansas, Ohio State, UConn, North Carolina, Kentucky and Louisville. He is a legacy recruit with the Buckeyes through his brother, Chris Henry Jr., a freshman wide receiver.
~Arkansas and UConn are viewed as the favorites for five-star combo guard King Gibson, and the Razorbacks have a solid chance of closing the deal if they continue to make him a priority.
~In the frontcourt, Calipari is targeting five-star big men Lewis Uvwo, Paul Osaruyi and Yann Kamagate, the latter of whom is a 2028 prospect considering a reclass.
I had a chance to chat with North Alabama head coach Brent Dearmon near the start of fall camp. During our 1-on-1, he told me about his current team (and I'll write a separate story with that stuff), but the most interesting thing was all of his ties to Arkansas...despite being an Alabama native who has spent the majority of his life in the Yellowhammer State.
Really appreciate his time and hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Ryan Silverfield has already added a pair of newly-eligible, fifth-year seniors to Arkansas' secondary. John Calipari is reportedly exploring adding a veteran big man into the fold. When it comes to the Diamond Hogs, though, there's one standout player made eligible by recent court injunctions.
NOTE: This kind of thing will appear in the forthcoming BoAS premium channel, but just want to give you an idea of what to expect in that area...
Arkansas Football Practice Notes – Aug. 19
The Razorbacks held their second morning practice – and 12th overall – of the preseason Tuesday morning and the first 25 minutes or so were open to the media. Best of Arkansas Sports was there and here are a few notes on what we saw:
~The high temperature in Fayetteville is expected to be 104 degrees, so the Razorbacks were likely thankful to be starting shortly after 9 a.m. again. Still, it got into the 90s even in the morning hours.
~Practice opened up with a “team compete” period in which they did a modified version of the Oklahoma drill. A ball was placed on top of several pads stacked on top of each other and an offensive and defensive player lined up across from each other at the 3-yard line. At the start of the drill, the offensive player grabbed the ball and tried to get in the end zone. There were three groups (OL vs. DL, RB/TE vs. LB and WR vs. DB), but BoAS only got a good look at the latter group – and even then it was difficult to see because the players were huddled around and the winning side was usually immediately swarmed by celebrating teammates. However, here are a few reps we did see:
---Chris Marshall threw Kyeaure Magloire off of him like he was nothing en route to the end zone.
---Jahiem “Joker” Johnson absolutely planted CJ Brown in what might have been the most impressive “win” by the defense during the drill.
---A close second was Ian Williams destroying Jelani Watkins.
---Donovan Faupel used a nice stiff arm to get La’khi Roland off of him en route to the end zone.
---Despite being listed five inches taller, Antonio Jordan got lower than Miguel Mitchell and used that leverage – and strength – to drive him into the end zone. He then flexed toward the group of reporters watching it all unfold.
---Tyler Scott did a nice job of standing up Courtney Crutchfield and keeping him out of the end zone.
---Jamari Hawkins ran right through Carter Stoutmire for a touchdown.
~An 11-on-11 team period immediately followed. The first, second and third units each went live for a red zone possession and the offense failed to score each time. Ball security was an issue for each unit, too.
---With the 1s, KJ Jackson couldn’t handle a bad snap from Caden Kitler on the first play, putting them behind the sticks. Chris Marshall made a nice contested catch with Shelton Lewis all over him for a 5-yard gain, but on third down, Jackson threw to Jaden Platt in the flats and Joker Johnson made a tremendous open field tackle to get the tight end down well short of the line to gain.
---It looked like the 2s were going to score a touchdown when AJ Hill rolled to his right and, with no one open, turned up the field. He pump-faked to keep a defender away from him, but when he brought the ball back down, he lost his grip and it went out of bounds. Had he simply held on to the ball, he appeared to have a clear path to the end zone.
---Freshman cornerback Brandon Ford was the star of the third unit. On first down, Hank Hendrix threw a quick screen to Jelani Watkins, but Jude Hall missed a critical block and Ford tackled him for a loss. The next play, Hendrix tried throwing a pass to Hall over the middle, only for Ford to dive in front and break it up. Finally, on third down, Hendrix was a little late getting the ball out to an open receiver in the end zone (walk-on Ben Pupplo) and, to make matters worse, severely under-threw him – making for an easy interception by Ford.
~Another tidbit from that 11-on-11 period: The defense rotated heavily up front. Xadavien Sims, Caleb Bell, David Oke, Antonio Sandel-Bascomb, Trajen Odom, Danny Beale III and Charlie Collins each got work with the second unit. Based on that, it seems like the Arkansas staff feels good about its depth in the trenches.
~Sean Williams, the safety transfer from Dartmouth, is still not practicing with the team. According to a team spokesperson, he is going through all of the procedural/paperwork stuff you have to do before being able to participate in practice.
And we're not just talking about college baseball coaches.
Dave Van Horn's new $1 million bonus for winning a national championship puts him in rare air among all college coaches -- regardless of sport!
Check it out here:
NOTE: This kind of thing will appear in the forthcoming BoAS premium channel, but just want to give you an idea of what to expect in that area...
With classes getting underway Monday, Arkansas has officially concluded the “camp” portion of the preseason. However, it still has three weeks of practices leading up to the Sept. 5 opener against North Alabama. Those started Tuesday, with the media allowed to watch the first 35 minutes or so. Here are a few notes Best of Arkansas Sports took:
~Because classes are in session, the Razorbacks have moved practice to the morning. They got started shortly after 9 a.m., so it was easily the coolest day yet this preseason. That said, it was still in the 80s and the heat index crept well into the 90s throughout the morning.
~Running back Sutton Smith and nickel Khmori House were in green non-contact jerseys on Tuesday, but for precautionary reasons. Both of them participated in practice.
~As BoAS reported Sunday, safety Caleb Wooden has rejoined the team by taking advantage of the “5-for-5” injunction by the Colorado judge. He has been assigned jersey No. 32 — his previous No. 22 is now worn by freshman Tay Lockett — and was at Tuesday’s practice, albeit in helmet only. While his teammates were in full pads, he still has to go through the NCAA-mandated acclimatization period that includes two days of helmet-only and three days of half-pads (shoulder pads and helmet).
~During the special teams period of practice, the gunners and long snappers on punt team worked on downing punts close to the goal line.
~The Razorbacks did only one 11-on-11 team period during the portion of practice open to the media and it was not live tackling. The major takeaways from all three units is that the offense continues to utilize a largely dink-and-dunk philosophy. Of the eight total passes thrown, seven were either screens behind the line of scrimmage or thrown into the flats. The lone pass somewhat down the field was an incompletion from KJ Jackson to tight end Ty Lockwood, but linebacker Phoenix Jackson was in tight coverage.
--On that note, it’s worth pointing out that Memphis running backs combined for 62 receptions last season. However, they totaled only 363 yards — an average of just 5.9 yards per catch.
~Here’s a look at the order of appearance during that team period:
(NOTE: This is not a depth chart, but rather a reflection of how the first, second and third units lined up during one period of Tuesday’s practice.)
Offense
Defense
Over his last 28 games, Charles Davalan is slashing .384/.465/.830. That's a 1.296 OPS! 🔥
Incredibly, he has more home runs (12) than strikeouts (11) over that stretch.
He's done all of that with High-A Great Lakes... I'd say it's probably time for the Dodgers to move him up to Double-A. (Which, btw, would mean there's a chance for him to play in NWA again because the Tulsa Drillers end the regular season playing the Naturals in Springdale from Sept. 8-13.)
John Calipari has been a vocal opponent of the "30-year-olds with beards and two kids" in college basketball, so you'd think he wouldn't be interested in bringing in one of the "5-for-5" players recently granted an extra year of eligibility by a Colorado judge.
Besides, Arkansas' roster is full...or is it?
Our sources have indicated that Coach Cal and his staff are at least kicking the tires on adding a player. Here's a look at five who'd make sense for the Hogs:
BoAS has learned that safety Caleb Wooden is returning to Arkansas. He tells us he signed his scholarship papers Saturday and will be in Fayetteville on Monday, which is also the first day of classes for the fall semester.
While he didn't grade out particularly well on PFF (56.7), Wooden is a solid addition to the Hogs' secondary. He started 11 games last year and brings extensive SEC experience to a position that desperately needs it.
What do you think about the 11th-hour addition?
Check out our full story about his return:
A space for fans to chat all things Razorbacks and Arkansas sports alongside the BoAS staff.
