Three reserve Razorbacks have decided to move on despite having remaining eligibility, HawgBeat has learned.
According to a UA spokesperson, quarterback John Stephen Jones and offensive linemen Shane Clenin and Ryan Winkel are no longer with the team.
Jones and Winkel were fourth-year juniors in 2021 who were honored on Senior Day, while Clenin was a fifth-year senior with the option of returning as a super senior. All three have either already graduated or are on track to finish their degree this spring.
The most notable of that group is likely Jones, who signed with Arkansas as a two-star recruit from Highland Park in Dallas. He is the grandson of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and son of Cowboys COO/executive vice president Stephen Jones, both of whom played for the Razorbacks.
Although he was the third-string quarterback this past season, Jones did make one career start, getting the nod against Western Kentucky as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He played 90 total snaps at Arkansas, completing 15 of 35 passes for 119 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, while adding 37 yards on 14 carries.
A late commitment in the Razorbacks’ 2018 class, Winkel was a two-star recruit from Memphis who picked Arkansas over Mississippi State and Northwestern. He was a backup right tackle in as a redshirt freshman and a reserve guard this year, playing 78 total offensive snaps in his career, while also contributing 66 special teams snaps in 2019.
Clenin - a former 5.6 three-star recruit from Missouri - played by far the most of the trio, as he was on the field for 202 offensive and 239 special teams snaps during his career. Right tackle was the only spot on the line that he didn’t get any time at with the Razorbacks and he even started a couple of games.
In addition to getting the nod at left tackle as a redshirt freshman in the 2018 opener against Eastern Illinois and at left guard against Mississippi State the following year, Clenin was a constant presence on the field goal unit the last four years and added punt coverage duties this season.
Despite being a fifth-year senior, Clenin could have played an extra season in 2022 with the eligibility relief granted by the NCAA in response to the pandemic. His departure means only two of Arkansas’ nine traditional seniors will return as “super seniors” next season - right tackle Dalton Wagner and linebacker Bumper Pool.
With none of those three players on the team, Arkansas is currently sitting at 82 scholarship players for the 2022 season, according to HawgBeat’s projected distribution chart.
That number doesn’t include unsigned safety commit Myles Rowser. Assuming he signs, the Razorbacks also still have room for three more signees - from the high school/JUCO ranks or transfer portal - in the 2022 class.
According to our projections, if they fill up those spots, one more player would need to transfer out to get Arkansas to the 85-man limit.
