Transfer tight end planning Arkansas visit
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Arkansas football still has a game left to play Saturday at Missouri, but that's not stopping head coach Sam Pittman from recruiting the transfer portal.
Zach Atkins, a tight end transfer out of Division II program Northwest Missouri State, told HawgBeat on Wednesday that he'll be visiting the Razorbacks from Dec. 11-12.
Standing at 6-foot-5, 245-pound, Atkins caught 18 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns across nine games in 2024. In 2023, he made 12 grabs for 181 yards and one score.
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The sophomore out of Olathe, Kansas, has already received offers from programs like South Carolina, West Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ole Miss and others since entering the transfer portal.
Originally an unranked prospect out of Blue Valley Southwest High School, Atkins started his playing career as a wide receiver before making the transition to tight end in college.
Arkansas is in need of serious help at the tight end position this offseason, especially after Tyrus Washington and Var'Keyes Gumms were removed from the team in October for a violation of team rules, so landing Atkins is likely high up the priority list for the Hogs.
Be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for more updates on Arkansas' recruiting action this offseason.
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Arkansas lands 2025 kicker out of Texas
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From @masonchoate:
Arkansas landed its potential kicker of the future Tuesday with a commitment from 2025 kicker Scott Starzyk out of The Woodlands, Texas.
Starzyk was formerly committed to Iowa before he de-committed Monday. He replaces former commit Evan Noel, who flipped to Florida on Nov. 11.
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Current kickers Matthew Shipley and Kyle Ramsey, who have both started at times this season, are both out of eligibility after this year.
Kohl's Professional Camps list Starzyk as a five-star and the No. 1 kicker in the nation for the 2025 class.
“At Kohl's National Scholarship Camp in July of 2023 he showed great improvement in punting and kicking,” according to the Khol’s Kicking website. “His punt score of 108.74 points, kick-off score of 109.82 points, and field goal score of 31 were all at the D1 level. We are so excited for Starzyk's future! At the March Ranking Event, he graded out in the top 10 as both a kicker and punter. His kick-offs and punt distances were different compared to the other campers on the windy day.
“He was able to kick multiple 80 yard kick-offs. At the Texas Showcase in May of 2022 he had a perfect charting of field goals at the event with 11 points made out of 11 and hit multiple 69+ yard kickoffs with over 3.8 seconds of hang time. His punting was also at the elite level with a 50-yard, 4.78 second hang time hit during the charting portion of camp. Starzyk is one of the most talented specialists in the 2025 class and we expect big things from him in college.”
The 2025 recruiting class for Arkansas is nearing completion, if it isn’t already finished. The class features 24 commitments and it ranked 28th nationally on Rivals before Starzyk’s pledge.
Hoops HawgBeat Hoops Mailbag: 11/27/24 - responses
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HawgBeat Hoops Mailbag: 11/27/24
HawgBeat analyst Jackson Collier takes reader questions in November's Hawg Hoop Mailbag
Through six games of the John Calipari era, Arkansas boasts a 5-1 record, with the lone loss being a neutral court defeat against Baylor in Dallas.
So far, the Razorbacks have yet to be at 100% health this season, with transfer forward Jonas Aidoo only appearing in three games and missing each of the last three games. Additionally, lone returnee Trevon Brazile missed two games with a turned ankle injury, but he returned for the 109-35 route of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Monday.
The Arkansas fanbase and coaches alike are not quite sure what the team will look like when fully healthy and when the group develops chemistry. The sooner Aidoo is back, the better, as the Razorbacks have tough non-conference matchups against Illinois, Miami and Michigan looming.
HawgBeat ran our regular hoops mailbag series, where we answer reader questions, and team health was a hot topic of discussion, along with questions about recruiting and even the future. We take submissions from social media and on The Trough premium message board at HawgBeat.com.
Every question posed on The Trough is answered completely, while only a select few are answered on social media. Be sure to subscribe to have your questions answered.
What do you think - after watching the team now for a month - should be the breakdown of minutes after Aidoo comes back? - HawgBeat user @Hogs1988
It might be a slow build with integrating Aidoo back into the lineup, so I'll just jump to what I think it could/should look like when he's fully back:Starters:
Jonas Aidoo: 26
Adou Thiero: 28
Johnell Davis: 30
DJ Wagner: 34
Boogie Fland: 34
Bench:
Billy Richmond: 16
Zvonimir Ivisic: 12
Trevon Brazile: 10
Karter Knox: 10
How many guys go in the first round from this club? How many drafted overall? - HawgBeat user @P1Hawg
If the level of play continues, I'd say:
First round:
Thiero, Fland
Drafted:
Wagner
Knox could work himself into a draft pick - he had largely been viewed as one before the slow start.
Brazile is dependent upon how he performs. Teams know his skillset and athleticism are enticing but another injury is another strike against him. I think he's more of a free agent signing and two-way guy.
Ivisic is tempting with how he's shooting, and the League loves unicorns, but he's also pretty bad defensively and not super quick, so it's hard to see a team taking a chance on him.
Richmond hasn't really been viewed as a one and done but could play himself into one.
Essentially, it's early and a lot of variables are in play.
Do you see an expanded role for Billy Richmond and if what will be that new role? - X (formerly known as Twitter) user @UnitedHogs
Yes, I definitely do, especially the way he's been playing of late. Richmond is just so energetic with a super high motor and explosivity. Of late, his talent and efficiency have both started to catch up with his effort.
Remains to be seen if that will continue as competition gets tougher, but as long as he maintains that effort, it'll be hard to keep him off the floor. He still has some things to work on. He needs an outside shot and to be a little more comfortable in his role against teams that aren't MD-Eastern Shore, but he's definitely caught my eye and I'm sure the attention of the coaching staff, as well.
Based on our performance and what you’ve seen from other SEC teams where do you predict us to finish in conference? - X (formerly known as Twitter) user @p_birdsong
It's tough to say right now because Arkansas still isn't healthy and teams are playing such an array of competition. I think given the performances so far, Auburn is my favorite to win the league and Alabama is a close second.
From there, things get a bit murky. I'd say Arkansas is in the tier ahead of the middle of the pack, but there could also be a lot of teams in that tier, as well. If I had to put teams in order right this second, I think I'd go:
1) Auburn
2) Alabama
3) Tennessee
4) Kentucky
5) Arkansas
6) Texas
7) Florida
8) Mississippi State
9) Ole Miss
10) Texas A&M
11) Georgia
12) Missouri
13) LSU
14) Oklahoma
15) Vanderbilt
16) South Carolina
Is that how I envision things finishing? Not at all, just how I see things sitting right now. There are too many factors and uncertainties to make a prediction of order of finish at this juncture, so I'll kind of squeeze by this question with somewhat of a power ranking instead of predicted order of finish.
Do you think we’ll add another recruit to this class or are we going to focus on the portal? Also, do you think Cal is going to increase his playable scholarship players to 10 or 11 next year or stick with 9? - HawgBeat user @Corporal Upham
They're looking to add another piece. Some names being mentioned for that final one or two spots are Nate Ament, Miikka Muurinen (reclassification candidate), Mo Sylla, and Keiner Asprilla (reclassification candidate). They've been connected with Ament and Muurinen for a long, long time now, and should be in a good spot for each. These guys will all most likely wait until the spring to decide, so just keep them on your radar.
As far as the playable scholarship players go, I don't think he's really going to go beyond 9 or 10 (an argument can be made that Chavis is a playable piece this year), but I think it will start to look different. Right now, your 10-13 pieces plus walk-ons are Blake, Watkins, Kelley, Sanchez, Karuletwa and Chavis. Blake and Watkins are seniors, so that opens two walk-on spots.
So, say for instance those two walk-on spots are then given to Kelley and Karuletwa without impacting their financial situation. Then you have Chavis and Sanchez as two of your 10-13 spots - a three-star recruit and a D-II transfer. The quality of that group is already better than in year one.
Then you have the roster building around it. It's a bit of guesswork since we don't know who will leave versus return for next season, but you lose Davis and Aidoo, most likely will lose Wagner, Thiero, and Fland, and currently have three, and up to four incoming freshman.
Say you return:
Brazile
Chavis
Knox
Richmond
Ivisic
And add:
Darius Acuff Jr.
Meleek Thomas
Isaiah Sealy
Nate Ament/Miikka Muurinen
That gets you to nine already, without any portal additions. Of course, more people could leave and in this era someone or multiple will most likely transfer out.
That's a long-winded way of saying there's a shot your 10-13 next year includes Chavis, Sealy, Sanchez, and another lower-tier portal guy or HS recruit. On paper, at least, it would seem more talented with more depth and more playable guys, even if the plan is still to only keep a core rotation of nine.
Football What Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said about Arkansas
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Arkansas football continues its 2024 season against No. 24 Missouri in just four days at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri, and Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke to the media Tuesday to preview the matchup.
Missouri hasn't quite had the year it hoped for entering the season, but the Tigers still sit with a 9-3 (4-3) overall record with wins over teams like Boston College, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Oklahoma and Mississippi State.
Under Drinkwitz's leadership, Missouri has accumulated a 36-24 (21-20 SEC) overall record in five seasons. This year, the Tigers boast the No. 61 total offense (393.4 YPG) and No. 73 passing offense (224.6 YPG) in the country.
This will mark the 16th meeting between the two teams, as Missouri leads the series 11-4. The Tigers have won the last two meetings, which includes a blowout last year in Fayetteville, 48-14. Arkansas last won in 2021, a 34-17 victory at Razorback Stadium. The Hogs have never triumphed in Columbia.
Here's everything Drinkwitz had to say about Pittman, the Razorbacks and the game this weekend:
On Arkansas and and its coaching staff:
Drinkwitz: "Now to the game this week, Arkansas, the Battle Line Rivalry. It's a great rivalry and a really good football team. I think Coach [Sam] Pittman has done a tremendous job at the University of Arkansas. I just saw a stat today where I think he's the first coach in their history that's gone to four bowl games in the first five seasons that he's been there. He's done an excellent job recruiting and reshaping that roster from last year.
"They're very talented, went into the transfer portal, got the right pieces, continually makes great hires. When you look at the hires that Coach Pittman has had in his coordinator positions since he's been there, he's done an excellent job. Coach [Barry] Odom, who did a tremendous job while he was there as the DC and obviously now at UNLV. Coach [Kendal] Briles while they were there.
"Coach [Scott] Fountain, his special teams coordinator, who I worked with at Auburn, has been consistently good. Travis Williams, now the defensive coordinator. They play fast, they play physical, they play inspired football. They beat Tennessee at home, a top-10 team this year. They did an excellent job. Then obviously Coach [Bobby] Petrino on the offensive side of the ball. One of the best play callers in college football, one of the best offensive minds in college football. There's really not a scenario or situation that's going to be new or unique to him. So, it's a really, really challenging football game."
On possibly playing in snow against Arkansas:
Drinkwitz: “Well, the first thing we do is we practice in the weather that we play in. So, we'll be outside all week instead of in the indoor (practice facility) and try to get used to the bodily temperature. There are two different types of snow. There's dry snow (and) wet snow. Wet snow sticks and compacts (and) makes it a little bit more difficult to throw, catch, make a slicker ball.
"You have to be more cognizant of the way that you're utilizing your cleats and running because the snow will clamp and be a factor in route running and slippage. So, there are some things as a staff that we've already put in place to prepare for, but the reality of it is, that's just part of the game."
On Arkansas' best players:
Drinkwitz: “They've got a really good quarterback, Taylen Green, running back Ja'Quinden Jackson, the tight end Luke Hasz, the wide receiver Andrew Armstrong. I mean, really, really good skill positions, and Coach Petrino uses them in the right way. Defensively, Landon Jackson is one of the best defensive ends in our conference. I think the linebacker group plays really well downhill. Xavian Sorey is a guy that bounces off the tape at you.
"In the back end, Hudson Clark, we've played him for five-straight seasons. I remember playing him as a true freshman out here during the COVID season. A lot of these guys, similar to South Carolina, we've played a lot and have a lot of respect for them as a football team and as a program."
On how Drinkwitz has seen Arkansas' program change through the years:
Drinkwitz: “Obviously, last year they were going through some coordinator stuff and changes within their team. But I do think the defensive identity under Coach [Sam] Pittman has been consistent. Relentless pursuit to the football. They're playing a little bit more of a three-safety defense the last three games, which is very similar to what they did with Coach [Barry] Odom. So, you can tell there's a program style, complimentary football. Coach [Travis] Williams does a tremendous job getting those guys playing hard, playing fast.
"Since I've been here coaching, Arkansas has had really, really good linebacker play, and that's consistent through Coach Williams, who was an elite linebacker himself at Auburn, and so those guys really stand out. Their defensive line has continued to improve. They retained some really good players and then added some players, so they've got more depth there.
"On the offensive side of the ball, Coach Petrino is well known for his quarterback prowess, and he's done a tremendous job with their quarterback. And Ja'Quinden Jackson – Coach Petrino has always believed in having a big [running] back. They really establish the run and then are explosive in the passing game. So, it's complimentary football."
On containing Andrew Armtrong:
Drinkwitz: "I think contain is the wrong word. I think you've got to limit yards after catch. I think he is an explosive route runner. Obviously, he's got great length and can get over the top. So, you've got to do a great job of keeping on top of the routes and then we need to do a good job of tackling. They do a really good job of creating yards-after-catch through some of their crossing schemes.
"So, we're going to have to do a really good job of tackling. The weather could be an intriguing factor in this game. I haven't played in a snow game and it's looking like we might get one of those. I don't know if anyone here is a weather person but it's looking like that, right? So, it'll be interesting to see how it plays out."
