Social media reacts to Arkansas' win over LSU
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Coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks (15-9, 4-7 SEC) got back in the win column Wednesday night after defeating the LSU Tigers, 70-58, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Arkansas started the game a little sluggish, but some big buckets by Zvonimir Ivisic settled things for the Hogs against LSU, who were tied up, 9-9, at the first media timeout following a Johnell Davis steal.
LSU continued to dictate the flow of the game, especially with Ivisic and Thiero sitting on the bench. With 11:55 minutes to go in the first half, the Razorbacks trailed 14-13 and were shooting 6-of-14 from the field.
The Razorbacks' defense stood tall, though, and held LSU to a 2:09 scoring drought, in which Arkansas scored eight points to take a 21-16 lead at the 7:58 minute mark.
Over the next stretch, LSU really looked like a team with a 1-9 SEC record, but Arkansas matched the Tigers' sloppiness and only lead 28-26 with 3:50 minutes left in the half. A good sign was the shooting emergence of Davis, who hit two pullup midrange jumpers to keep the offense flowing.
Following a Karter Knox three and Vyctorius Miller triple, LSU held a 35-34 advantage over Arkansas at the half.
Arkansas got off to a much better start in the second half and by the 12:29 minute mark, it led LSU by eight points after a Billy Richmond transition layup. Unfortunately for the Hogs, they went on a nearly four-minute scoring drought before getting their next bucket — an Ivisic three-pointer.
Behind Ivisic's continued offensive dominance, the Razorbacks gained their biggest SEC home lead of the season at 11 points, 65-54. They never relinquished that gap, and the Hogs held on to defeat the Tigers.
Below are game highlights and social media reactions from Arkansas' conference win...
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Arkansas Baseball 2025 Lineup Projection: 2B Nolan Souza
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We are three days away from Arkansas baseball, and it's time for HawgBeat to continue its annual lineup preview series for the 2025 Diamond Hogs.
With scrimmage coverage, analysis, interviews, previews, the Diamond Hawgs Podcast and more, HawgBeat provides the best Arkansas baseball coverage around.
We continue things with the No. 7 spot, which second baseman Nolan Souza is projected to fill...
#3 - Nolan Souza - 2B
So. | L/R | 6-3 | 215
Honolulu, Hawaii/ Punahou School
2024: 40 games, .255/.366/.509, 7 2B, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 18 BB/38 K, 3 SB
Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said this offseason he believes players make their biggest jumps from their freshman to sophomore years, and none are more qualified for that possibility than Souza.
Though his final batting average from a season ago doesn't jump off the page, Souza possesses serious power, speed and athleticism. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team in 2024 and even earned SEC Freshman of the Week Honors after slashing a team-leading .571/.571/1.286 with a team-high three homers and a team-best nine RBIs against Arkansas State and Ole Miss, combined.
Even though Arkansas added transfer portal competition at second base this offseason in former Vanderbilt infielder Cam Kozeal, Souza has taken control of the position through the fall and spring.
According to stats compiled by local media, Souza hit 7-for-27 (.259) in the fall, but fared far better in the spring with a 10-for-25 (.400) stat line. In total, Souza racked up one double, one triple, three home runs, 14 RBIs, 13 walks, 17 strikeouts and finished 19-for-21 on base-stealing attempts in team scrimmages throughout the offseason.
"Souza, he's physical," Van Horn said Jan. 15. " He's got all the tools. He can hit it as far as anybody, can run as fast as anybody, can throw with anybody. He's what you're looking for. He's the type of guy athletically that, if he wasn't playing baseball, I could see him playing tight end. He's athletic enough to be a wide receiver at the Division I level. I mean, this is an athletic kid."
The other possibility for Souza is in the No. 5 hole behind the cleanup man, but sliding in at No. 7 feels more natural for the second-year player and gives him time to acclimate to his bigger role. He'll also likely get the chance to lead off some innings in this spot, which is especially dangerous because of his speed.
"You just look at (Souza) physically and look at his tools, one of the fastest guys on the team," Van Horn said Feb. 3. "One of the strongest guys on the team. He’s still growing a little bit, honestly. He’s got bat speed. You watch his batting practice, he doesn’t pull the ball, at all. But if we tell him, ‘hey, okay, why don’t you just try to hit a couple over the light pole in right field’, he can come close, believe me.
"He was a little raw when he got here, honestly. He’s made big strides. Defensively, a lot better. Confident. Turning a double-play pretty good. He can play short and third, as well."
Arkansas will host Washington State at Baum-Walker Stadium on Friday, Feb. 14 for Opening Day. The first game of the season is set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch.
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HawgBeat's Lineup Breakdown Series
1. #24 - Charles Davalan - CF
2. #9 - Wehiwa Aloy - SS
3. #22 - Logan Maxwell - RF
4. #10 - Brent Iredale - 3B
5. #5 - Kendall Diggs - DH
6. #1 - Rocco Peppi - 1B
7. #3 - Nolan Souza - 2B
8.
9.
2026 OL Bear McWhorter decommits from Arkansas
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Head coach Sam Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks lost the commitment of 2026 four-star offensive lineman Bear McWhorter on Sunday, as he announced his de-commitment from the Hogs via Twitter.
A product of Cass High School in Cartersville, Georgia, McWorter committed to Arkansas on Aug. 28, 2023. Fans might remember him putting up a billboard along I-49 with the words "Coach Pittman, I want to be a Hog" back in 2021, but he backed off his pledge Sunday.
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"De-committing is something that never even crossed my mind last August when I committed to the Razorbacks," McWhorter wrote in a statement. "Even now, my love for the Hogs and Coach Pitt hasn't changed. After lots of thought, prayer and conversations with my family I realize I only get to go through this process once in my life and have a long way to go before I put pen to paper. With that being said I will be de-committing from Arkansas in order to take more time and rest assure I make the right decision for my future."
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McWhorter holds offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss and others. His cousin is 2026 four-star quarterback Brodie McWhorter — also from Cass High School — who recently committed to West Virginia.
Arkansas is now down to just one commitment in the 2026 class — four-star defensive back Tay Lockett out of Bellflower, California.
As for McWhorter, he was a consistent visitor in Fayetteville and he spent plenty of time in camps and on visits learning from Pittman.
“I wasn’t looking for something crazy, the best facilities or something like that,” McWhorter told HawgBeat in August. “Coach Pittman is the guy I want to play for and Arkansas has everything that I need. It’s a place I can flourish as an offensive lineman. Those schools have great stuff and great people but it didn’t feel the same for me as Arkansas.”
As for the billboard idea back in 2021, McWhorter said his dad was behind it.
“My dad was in the billboard business for a while, he owned a company,” McWhorter told HawgBeat. “So that was kind of his expertise. After I visited all my schools that summer, he had that idea. He asked what school I wanted to do it on, and Arkansas was my favorite.”
Click here for a full look at Arkansas' 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes.
Social media reacts to Arkansas' win over Texas
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Coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks (14-8, 3-6 SEC) are officially on a winning streak after defeating the Texas Longhorns, 78-70, on Wednesday at the Moody Center.
Arkansas opened the game with good defensive pressure, as it held Texas to 33.3% shooting by the first media timeout. In that same span, the Razorbacks — thanks to six DJ Wagner points — hit 3-of-5 attempts to lead, 8-6.
Later in the half, the Hogs held a 12-6 advantage behind four steals (two from Johnell Davis) and four buckets. However, Arkansas had still not hit from distance on three attempts.
Texas finally ended Arkansas' run out of the timeout, but that didn't stop the Hogs from extending their lead. After made threes by Wagner and Karter Knox, and more impressive defense from Davis, the Razorbacks led 22-12 with 7:11 minutes left in the first half.
With 2:33 minutes remaining before halftime, Wagner (nine points) and Davis (eight points) led the Hogs in scoring, while star Texas freshman guard Tre Johnson started to get going with seven points on six attempts. Both teams were shooting a combined 4-of-17 from beyond the arc.
The back-and-forth continued between the Razorbacks and Longhorns, but Arkansas held onto its lead thanks to Thiero's aggressiveness and willingness to get fouled for free throws. At half, the Hogs led 35-24.
Arkansas, and more notably, Davis, started the second half on absolute fire. In less than two and half minutes out of the half, the former Florida Atlantic transfer launched and converted two threes to help extend the team's lead to 19 over Texas.
The Razorbacks held serve for most of the second half, but a small Texas surge made things interesting around the 7:04 minute mark, with the Longhorns down, 58-44, following two free throws. One Texas dunk later, and the Longhorns were on a 9-0 run.
Despite a valiant Longhorns run that got the deficit down to five points, Arkansas held on in Austin.
Leading the way for Arkansas was Davis, who finished with 24 points and four triples. Thiero added 14 points and Wagner scored 13 as well. Big man Zvonimir Ivisic scored nine points and collected a team-high 12 rebounds to top things off.
Below are game highlights and social media reactions from Arkansas' conference victory...
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How NFL Pro Hogs performed in 2024-25 season
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No NFL Pro Hogs participated in Super Bowl 59 on Sunday between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, but how did former Razorbacks perform throughout the 2024-25 season?
According to the Razorbacks' official listing, 23 players who once dawned the Cardinal and White are currently in the National Football League. That number ranks 13th in the SEC, just above Mississippi State (22), Missouri (20) and Vanderbilt (11).
It's very possible that Arkansas's number will rise after the 2025 NFL Draft, especially with big-time names like edge rusher Landon Jackson and wide receiver Andrew Armstrong eyeing the pros.
For now, we'll take a look at how current prominent Pro Hogs fared in the NFL this season...
OFFENSE:
OL Hjalte Froholdt - Arizona Cardinals
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2024-25 Stats: 1,078 snaps, 76.1 PFF (Pro Football Focus), 66.1 PBLK (Pass Block), 78.1 RBLK (Run Block)
Career Stats: 2,853 snaps
A former four-star defensive tackle prospect, Froholdt quickly transitioned to the offensive line at Arkansas and flourished there. He was named First Team All-SEC (PFF) in 2017 and Second Team All-SEC (AP) in 2018, and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots with pick No. 118.
This season for the Arizona Cardinals, Froholdt allowed just three sacks and five hits allowed. His best performance came against the New York Jets in Week 10, when he registered 52 snaps and finished with a season-high 81.2 offensive grade, per PFF.
OL Frank Ragnow - Detroit Lions
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2024-25 Stats: 1,129 snaps, 86.1 PFF, 65.8 PBLK, 90.9 RBLK
Career Stats: 6,617 snaps
Regarded as one of the top centers in the NFL, Ragnow was a highly decorated lineman while with the Razorbacks and was selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, who took him 20th overall.
The Minnesota native has been named Second Team All-Pro three times and has made four Pro Bowl teams during his career. Ragnow allowed only two sacks and seven hits this season.
Ragnow's best game came against the Houston Texans in Week 10, when he earned a 93.0 PFF grade behind a 91.5 run-block mark.
OL Beaux Limmer - Los Angeles Rams
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2024-25 Stats: 1,040 snaps, 55.5 PFF, 40.2 PBLK, 65.4 RBLK
Career Stats: 1,040 snaps
Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Limmer was immediately thrust into the starting role as a rookie and gave up just one sack despite his relatively poor offensive PFF grade.
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