Arkansas DT Briston Guidry announces retirement
A talented defensive lineman for the Razorbacks is calling it a career.
Briston Guidry, who was set to be a redshirt junior at Arkansas in 2019, announced his retirement from football via Twitter on Tuesday.
The oft-injured defensive tackle had shown flashes of potential, but multiple knee injuries and subsequent injuries have severely limited his playing time.
"I always knew that football doesn't last forever, but I never knew that I would be walking away so soon," Guidry wrote. "In my last couple of years, I've been battling through 7 knee surgeries.
"After being told by the doctors that it would not be in my best interest to try to play on my knee again, I had to make a decision that would impact my life and my son's life."
Originally a four-star signee out of Metairie, La., Archbishop Rummel, Guidry was the No. 133 overall prospect in the Class of 2016. He turned down offers from Alabama, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M and others to play for the Razorbacks.
After redshirting his first year on campus, Guidry was mostly a rotation guy in the middle of the defensive line, making 36 tackles over the last two seasons. He also had six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Guidry actually scored the first touchdown of the Chad Morris era when he recovered a fumble in the end zone against Eastern Illinois. It was the second time in three games he scored a touchdown, as he did the same thing against Mississippi State in 2017.
Although there were several times he showed the talent that made him a 5.9 four-star recruit, the aforementioned injuries prevented him from fulfilling his full potential.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 76.8 grade on 155 snaps last season, which was the second highest on the defense among players with at least 100 snaps. That came after he earned a 73.0 grade on 280 snaps the year before.
Another knee surgery kept him out of the final two games of the 2018 season and also prevented him from being a full participant in spring practice. Without him, the Razorbacks relied on McTelvin Agim and T.J. Smith as their primary first-team defensive tackles, with Jonathan Marshall and Isaiah Nichols backing them up.
Guidry's departure also opens up another scholarship for the Razorbacks. It does not mean they can bring in another transfer, but they could give it to a walk-on who has been on campus at least two years or hang on to it for the 2020 class.
For a complete look at Arkansas' scholarship distribution for the 2019 season, click here.
SUBSCRIBE to HawgBeat and get access to exclusive prospect interviews, the best recruiting network in the industry, inside scoops on recruiting and team news, videos, podcasts and much more.
Join the discussion on THE TROUGH, the Arkansas Rivals premium message board for thousands of Hog fans.
