You want to win big? Get the best players. Now that it’s legal - pay the most money. When it was illegal, the teams that bought the best players won the most, period. You can talk about coaches all you want but how many guys are getting drafted off of this years team? Not many, if any. Great players make coaches look amazing.
Now that revenue share can go to the players, open the checkbook. Just think, If we made the decision to pay the most in the SEC just watch the players we would get. And then the wins will start stacking up.
I don’t care if Saban is coaching, if there aren’t any NFL talent on the roster he’s not winning.
Open the checkbook!!!

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Sam Dubwig will transfer. Cabot native. Was an All-American in HS.

On a scale from 1-10, 1 being not at all, 10 being an absolute must win. In terms of making it to the tournament.

This is a running list, but here's who we can confirm will be in the house Saturday when Arkansas takes on UAB at 3:15 p.m.

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Guys without Rivals profiles:

2025 Greenwood WR Grant Karnes
2026 Clinton OL Alec Huie
2026 Quitman OL Jeremyah Green
2026 Conway RB Trey Harris

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From @masonchoate:

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks (6-6, 3-5 SEC) left Columbia, Missouri, on Friday night still winless at Memorial Stadium with after 28-21 loss to the 24th-ranked Tigers in the Battle Line Rivalry on a frigid and snowy afternoon.

The Hogs took a 21-20 lead via Ja'Quinden Jackson's third rushing touchdown of the game with 4:19 left in the fourth quarter, but that didn't last long. Missouri regained the advantage on a 30-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Brady Cook that was followed by a Cook pass to Luther Burden III on the two-point conversion to make it a 28-21 lead for the Tigers.

Even after all of that, the Razorbacks still had 1:47 left on the game clock with the football and one timeout in their pocket.

It's important to note that Pittman, who will have surgery for a broken hip Tuesday, was not on the sideline Saturday. Instead, he was in the coaches box, while offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, defensive coordinator Travis Williams and special teams coordinator Scott Fountain were on the sideline with the responsibility of calling timeouts for their respective groups.

"Operation, I thought, went really good," Pittman said of being in the coaches box. "I thought about it, starting as early as Monday or Tuesday because I knew I was coming off some of my medication that I couldn’t take for the surgery, but the decision was just what I felt like was best for the team.

"So, the bottom line is Bobby had the timeouts when offense was up, and T-Will had them when he was on defense, and Scott had them when we were on special teams, and I just told them. It seemed to work out fine."

VIDEO: Postgame press conferences - Missouri 28, Arkansas 21

Considering that information, it was Petrino's option to call a timeout if needed on the final drive.

Arkansas ran into 4th and 12 fairly quickly after an intentional grounding by quarterback Taylen Green — which resulted in a 10-second runoff on the game clock — but Green then completed an 18-yarder to receiver Isaac TeSlaa to keep the drive alive with 50 seconds to play.

Two plays later, Green found Andrew Armstrong for a 25-yard completion down to the Missouri 32-yard line with 25 seconds to go. After taking 19 seconds to run the next two plays — a pair of incompletions to Isaiah Sategna — the Hogs were left with just six seconds and 32 yards to go.

Asked postgame if there was a convenient time to call that final timeout, Pittman said there was not. The first two timeouts were burned on the previous Missouri possession to ensure the Hogs had time on offense.

"I called timeout when Missouri had the football and was trying to use the two-minute (timeout) as well on that," Pittman said. "I didn’t want them to run a touchdown down the middle. I was hoping that they might miss a field goal.

"But no, as I look at that last drive, it just happened and it really wasn’t a time because it was a first down and you know so there really wasn’t a time until it got down and I even told Bobby there I said, 'There’s six seconds left I can use a timeout if you want me to.' He said, 'No no no I got the play I want.' Yeah you hate to go home with one but I didn’t really feel like there was another time I could use one."

The reality is, Arkansas had two turnovers and Missouri scored 14 points off of those. According to the SEC Network broadcast, the Hogs' 28 fumbles this year lead the nation. The Razorbacks also had 10 total penalties that combined for a loss of 72 yards Saturday.

"It’s very frustrating," Pittman said of turnovers. "We work ball security every week and put an emphasis on it. It’s part of our ways, the keys… Our ways we can win. Especially, we knew today with the weather how it was, whoever turns the ball over less is going to win, and that’s kind of exactly what happened."

Arkansas will now await its bowl destination, which will be revealed Sunday, Dec. 8.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman provided a health update for senior defensive end Landon Jackson following the Razorbacks' 28-21 loss to Missouri on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Jackson, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound pass-rusher from Texas, went down at the 1:07 minute mark in the second quarter after assisting on a routine tackle. Jackson was seen moving both of his legs on the TV broadcast, but remained relatively still for around 12 minutes until a cart removed him from the field.

On his way out, Jackson gave a thumbs up to his teammates. The veteran had notched five total tackles against Missouri up to that point. SEC Network sideline reporter Alyssa Lang gave a positive update on Jackson from Arkansas Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek early in the third quarter.

"(Landon) has movement in his extremities, he was talking and the hospital visit is because he was feeling pain in his neck," Lang reported. "Using the word precautionary to get all of that checked out."

Following the game, Pittman said Jackson had been released from the hospital and was back with the team.

"I did want to say that Landon Jackson is back in the locker room and doing well," Pittman said after the game. "He's been released, so that was great news."

In 12 games, Jackson totaled 49 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and three defended passes. His best performance came against Texas A&M on Sept. 28, when he was credited with eight total tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

The Arkansas Razorbacks (5-2, 0-0 SEC) will hit the road for the SEC/ACC Challenge against the Miami Hurricanes (3-4, 0-0 ACC) on Tuesday night.

The Razorbacks have had their struggles against high-major teams with losses to Baylor last month and Illinois last week, but the Hurricanes have had an even rougher go of it recently. Miami is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, with the most recent loss coming at the hands of Charleston Southern on Saturday.

This will be the second year in a row that Arkansas head coach John Calipari will face off against Miami, as Kentucky beat the Hurricanes 95-73 with Calipari at the helm in Lexington last year.

This is only the second meeting between Arkansas and Miami, as the two last squared off in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, with Miami taking home the win 75-71 despite a furious comeback effort by the Hogs, who were led by legendary head coach Nolan Richardson.

Miami has an almost-entirely new group of players in the 2024-25 season, with only two players returning from Jim Larrañaga's squad last season. The Canes rebuilt their roster with several key transfers that we'll talk about below.

Here's HawgBeat's preview of what you need to know about the Miami Hurricanes ahead of Friday night's contest, including analytics, potential starting lineups and more...

Miami personnel preview​

Fifth-year guard Nijel Pack is a main cog for the Hurricanes, but it's worth noting his status for Tuesday's game is up in the air because of a lower-body injury. He missed the Canes' game against Charleston Southern and could miss the tilt with the Razorbacks as well.

Pack's unavailability could lead the way for extended minutes from Jalil Bethea, who was the No. 7 player in the nation in the class of 2023 according to Rivals. He committed to the Hurricanes over offers from Kansas, Alabama, UCLA and others.

Bethea has seen an uptick in minutes in the last two games and has played in 18 each of the last two games. He scored seven points against Virginia Commonwealth and six against Charleston Southern. He averages just 6.3 points per game but he's only shooting 5.6 field goal attempts as well.

The other returner from last season is forward Matthew Cleveland, who transferred in from Florida State before last season. He's averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds so far this season, which is lower than they were a year ago, when he put up 13.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Out of the transfer portal, Larrañaga' grabbed center Lynn Kidd from Virginia Tech, forward Brandon Johnson from East Carolina, guard Jalen Blackmon from Stetson and guard A.J. Staton-McCray from Samford.

All of those transfer players have been utilized heavily, but Johnson has been the most relied upon. He averages the most minutes with 31.1 per game and is the third-leading scorer on the team with 11.4 points per game. He's also effective on the glass, and leads the team in rebounds with 8.7 per game.

In Miami's loss to Charleston Southern last Saturday, Johnson led the team with 23 points on 53% shooting to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Kidd has started every game at center for Miami this season and is averaging 11 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He's shooting 71.7% from the field this season, but he's not a threat from deep and hasn't attempted a three at all this season.

The other two guards — Blackmon and McCray — have done their best to step up with Pack sidelined. Blackmon is averaging 11.6 points per game, which is second on the team behind Pack, and McCray scores 6.9 points per game. McCray had his best scoring game the last time out for the Canes with 13 points on 50% shooting, which included two threes.

One player who might see more playing time for Miami is Austin Swartz, a true freshman shooting guard out of Concord, North Carolina. He hadn't played much this season until the last two games, when he was on the floor for 17 minutes against VCU and 22 minutes against Charleston Southern. He had a season-high 15 points last Saturday and was 3-of-4 from deep.

Analytics preview​

Arkansas' KenPom ranking has steadily dropped since the start of the season and now ranks No. 43, an 18-spot drop from where the Hogs started at No. 25. Miami's ranking is over twice as low, though, and the Canes rank No. 93 headed into the game.

Miam's KenPom standing is intriguing though, because while the Canes have the 276th-ranked defensive efficiency, their offense is No. 24. They're an extremely slow team as far as tempo goes, as they rank 275th in the nation in adjusted tempo.

That's a stark difference from what Arkansas is ranked. The Razorbacks' offensive efficiency is ranked 75th and their tempo is at No. 54 on the year, which means it would be best for the Hogs if they can speed up the pace of the game, get out in transition and keep the Miami defense on their heels.

On the offensive side of the ball, because Miami has struggled to score (the Canes are averaging 73 points per game in their last four) it would behoove the Razorbacks to do what they've done best this season and force turnovers. Miami doesn't turn the ball over much, only 9.3 times per game, but that's an area the Hogs have been strong in, as they force 12.3 per game.

Looking closer at the advanced stats for the Hurricanes, Arkansas can exploit the Hurricanes game by bullying them on the boards. Miami ranks 287th in total rebounds, 259th in defensive rebounds and 253rd in offensive boards. They've lost the rebound battle in two of their last four games, and every one of those teams were able to have success on the offensive glass.

Johnson is the Hurricanes' best rebounder and boasts a 17.4% rebounding rate, which is higher than any Razorback. Trevon Brazile is first on the Razorbacks with a 15.5% rate and Jonas Aidoo is second at 13.3%, but given the lack of playing time due to injury for those two, the other guys like Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic will need to step up.

There will be an interesting battle between Johnson and Thiero. Johnson is strong inside with a 3.2% block rate, but he also turns the ball over at a high clip with a 16.5% turnover rate. Thiero leads the Razorbacks with a 2.9% steal rate, so if he can cause some problems in that area, it bodes well for Arkansas.

Potential starting lineups​

Possible Arkansas Starting Lineup

Arkansas has rolled out the same starting five for every game this season and there's no indication things will look any different. However, there could be a slight change depending on the availability of center Jonas Aidoo.

Aidoo missed the last three games headed into the Illinois matchup but made his return on Thanksgiving Day. He only logged 11 minutes in the game, though, so for now we'll stick with predicting Zvonimir Ivisic to get the start.

Possible Miami Starting Lineup
Miami has run a three-guard lineup with Pack, Blackmon and Cleveland until its most recent game, when the Canes started Bethea, Blackmon and Staton-McCray. Larranaga said Monday Pack's status is still unknown because of injury, and Cleveland "needs to play better" to get more minutes.

Wrapping it up​

Miami has been down on its luck recently, but Arkansas hasn't looked unbeatable either. The Hogs are in need of getting back on track with a win after they got shot to death by the Illini, who hit 15 threes in the game and shot 52.6% from the field.

Arkansas has been strong defensively throughout the season and the Hogs will need to keep that up Tuesday. Miami's offense is struggling and the last thing fans want to see at this point is defensive lapses that the Hurricanes capitalize on.

Arkansas and Miami will tip off at 6 p.m. from Watsco Center in Miami, Florida on Tuesday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

We burned 2 TO’s on Mizzou’s final drive, right before Cook ran untouched for the go ahead score, but never on our last drive did we find a time to take our final TO?

Why can’t teams put in some sort of performance clause? In real life you have that

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I wasn't aware of this but now baseball players who graduate can transfer at semester and be eligible for the Spring. In the past the NCAA had a no same year eligibility policy. I saw a kid from USC-Upstate transferred to Vandy and is now transferring down to Winthrop. I don't see how this impacts us this year, but say we lose a kid next Fall to injury, we could go pluck a grad from another school to take his spot. The majority of time it will be kids getting cut or losing a starting spot dropping down a level but it is something to watch.

Could’ve been 10-2, but we led the nation in turnovers.

So thrilled to continue this.

Felt like this deserves its own thread. I’m simply just sharing what D.J. said, as he’s a Razorback legend and had some interesting comments.

——

D.J. Williams says he heard Barry Odom is in convo of being next HC and he'll keep Petrino on if Pittman decides to retire.

"I would not be shocked at all if he decided to retire after this year. He's got a great lake house in Hot Springs. He's a big family guy. I know he wants to spend time with family. Quite frankly, I think he's just tired of all this BS day in and day out of what comes with the new landscape of college football.

"If he sticks around, he sticks around. It is what it is and we'll see what happens with that. Do I think we can continue to grow on the offensive production and defensive production that we've had? Yes. But you just need somebody also in place that will embrace this new era of NIL and really, unfortunately, have to get away from these old school things of 'I'm going to grow and develop a player.' You have to get to it now. That's just a decision he has to make.

"As far as speculation of me saying should he or should he not be the coach, that's just a game that I don't like to play. We'll just see how things pan out and then we'll talk about it as soon as we hear something. Once again, would not be shocked if that's what happens and the thing about it, stuff like that happens sooner than later. I would expect this week to maybe hear something when it comes to a statement being said that he's going to continue to be our head coach, or they're moving on. That's how quickly all these things happen."

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The Arkansas Razorbacks got good news on Monday as defensive lineman Cam Ball announced on social media he is returning to the program in 2025.

The 6-foot-5, 324-pound pass rusher will return for his fifth season with the Razorbacks in 2025 and will be a much-needed piece to an Arkansas defensive line that will need a veteran presence.

This past season, Ball started all 12 games on the defensive line and registered 42 total tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He graded out with a 66.5 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus — 70.6 in rush defense, 58 in pass rush and 71.5 in coverage.

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Ball came to Arkansas as a three-star prospect in the class of 2021 out of Tri-Cities High School in Atlanta, Georgia. He redshirted his first season and played mostly in a reserve role for two seasons before he became a full-time starter this past fall.

Arkansas will now await its bowl destination, which will be revealed Sunday, Dec. 8.

For all of the mouth breathers for the university (Bo, Chuck, Wally, etc) to talk down to the fanbase and tell us we should be happy to be going to the Elmers Glue Bowl, and that Arkansas shouldn’t expect more.

The next hire may not do anything. But I’d rather take another shot, then continue with proven mediocrity.

The Arkansas Razorbacks lost a commitment from 2025 three-star defensive tackle JaQuentin Madison on Monday, as he flipped his pledge to the Memphis Tigers.

A product of Alpharetta High School in Alpheretta, Georgia, Madison was committed the Razorbacks since June 16.

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According to his X page, Madison tallied 54 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a senior this fall. He took a visit to Memphis over the weekend, so the flip comes at an understandable time.

Arkansas is now down to 23 total commitment in the 2025 recruiting class, which ranks 28th nationally on Rivals. HawgBeat also detailed other commits who could be on flip watch earlier Monday.

I would like to officially welcome Brody Lusk to the HawgBeat staff as a social media specialist and recruiting insider.

Brody has recently been working with the Oklahoma Rivals site — OUInsider — running their socials and YouTube, plus he covered basketball and some recruiting.

We have a need to grow our brand following on social media — and Brody has done a great job with that at OUInsider (just look at their X page). We also have more than 11,000 subscribers on YouTube and we need to take advantage of that following more with improved and consistent video content — which is for YOU.

As we enter into the portal season and basketball season continues to roll along, there’s no other place you’ll find better coverage than here. I truly believe our content is high-quality and more carefully created than anyone you’ll find.

We take the time and effort to put out good written content with quality photos from our many great photographers. We provide coverage that is as non-biased as possible and as plugged-in as you’ll find (as much as some might not think so…)

With Brody being located in Northwest Arkansas, this hire is another step towards ensuring the coverage on this website is as good as possible. Very excited about this addition, so please welcome him!

You can follow him on X here:

Did he ever play? Was he hurt? How was he originally a 5-star? Did we play a bunch of NIL to him after he left Georgia?

Good afternoon members of The Trough! Arkansas will look to finish its regular season strong with a win at Missouri in Columbia. Kick off is at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

@masonchoate is on-scene at Memorial Stadium, and we'll be bringing you live updates ITT and plenty of postgame coverage.

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The Arkansas Razorbacks are set to host one of the top defensive backs from the junior college ranks in December.

Northwest Mississippi Community College cornerback Keshawn "LockDown" Davila announced Monday that he will visit Arkansas from Dec. 9-10.

A 6-foot-1, 170-pound Florida native, Davila has already visited Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Michigan State, Iowa and Boise State. His planned visit to Fayetteville will be his last before a commitment.

This season for Northwest Mississippi C.C., Davila totaled 23 tackles, one tackle for loss, six pass breakups and three interceptions in eight games. As a freshman in 2023, Davila played in nine games and made 35 total tackles, six tackles for loss, two pass breakups and two interceptions, plus a fumble recovery and a sack.

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Keshawn Davila Bio:​

2023 [Freshman]: Helped Northwest to a 7-3 overall record and an appearance in the MACCC Playoffs...played in nine games for the Rangers, totaling 35 tackles (21 solo), 14 assists, six tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups, one fumble recovery and a sack...collected a season-high eight tackles against East Mississippi October 5...notched one interception in a road victory at Mississippi Delta on October 12 and another in a home win over Coahoma on October 19.

High School: Played for head coach Earl Garcia, Jr. at Hillsborough...helped the Terriers to a 10-3 record and the quarterfinals of the FHSAA Class 6A playoffs in his senior season...totaled 40 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, four sacks, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal as a senior...collected a season-best nine tackles in a 33-27 victory against Pinellas Park on November 12, 2021...also caught three passes for 37 yards...received team award for Defensive Back of the Year...as a junior, helped HHS to an 8-2 record and the quarterfinal round of the FHSAA Class 6A playoffs...racked up 51 tackles, seven passes defended, three TFLs, three interceptions and a fumble recovery...had a career-high 10 tackles in a 23-16 win against Auburndale on November 20, 2020...also caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown on the offensive side of the ball, with his score coming in a 52-18 victory against King on October 23, 2020...helped the Terriers to an 8-3 record and the Class 6A, District 10 title in his sophomore season...caught five passes for 63 yards...also competed in track at HHS, winning district titles and state runner-up finishes...received recruiting interest from UCLA, UAB, Middle Tennessee and Georgia State.

Personal: Son of Lashunda Davila...enjoys playing Madden in his spare time...studying business...nickname is "K-DOT"...born October 23, 2003.

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Was at a restaurant in Fayetteville and the entire Hawgball entourage came in to entertain a recruit. Even the Chicken Man was hovering nearby. Anybody have insight on the recruit? We couldn't tell due to the hoody.