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Arkansas Lands A&M Quarterback Nick Starkel, Second Grad Transfer For 2019

A&M grad transfer quarterback Nick Starkel left Fayetteville Saturday and said he'd use the 24-hour rule to think about his decision and Monday afternoon, he announced he's committed to Arkansas for his final two years of eligibility that start this season.

"Arkansas is closer to home, my parents will come up to see every game, I know a lot of people here, I know the coaching staff well, I feel it's the best fit for me," Starkel said.

The Dallas-area native and former 3-star prospect announced he was transferring on January 22, and immediately after, his former teammate, Arkansas's leading rusher, Rakeem Boyd got to work to bring him to the Hill. Starkel was considering SMU but that spot was filled by Texas transfer Shane Buechele on February 6th. Shortly after, Starkel told media that he'd be taking official visits to Florida State and Arkansas.

Initially, Florida State seemed to make some sense given their desperate need for quarterback depth, but Arkansas was still very attractive even coming off a 2-10 season. Coming to Arkansas meant Starkel could play against his former team twice and with two years of eligibility, even if he didn't win the starting job over SMU grad transfer Ben Hicks this season, he could still win it in 2020.

"When I decided to transfer, I was looking for the right fit. Coaching style, playing style, roster spots, the actual "will I play" question," Starkel said Saturday after his visit. "The prospect of playing against A&M excites me. It'd be weird playing my roommates but it's definitely something that could happen."

He signed with A&M in 2016, the same class as Boyd, and redshirted as a freshman. He won the starting job as a redshirt freshman then fractured his ankle in the 2017 opener versus UCLA. Starkel recovered and proceeded to start in four more games, throwing for 1,793 yards and 14 touchdowns on 123 of 205 passing.

He set the A&M bowl game record throwing for 499 yards against Wake Forest, connecting on 42 of 63 passes including four touchdowns. He also set A&M freshman records for attempts, completions and passing yards for a single game.

Despite some impressive performances, Starkel lost the battle for the starting job to Kellen Mond under Jimbo Fisher in fall camp and appeared in just four games in 2018, completing 15 of 22 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown.

Now, Starkel will have to compete for game snaps again, this time against a quarterback with three years of experience running Chad Morris's offense.

"He's a good player, he knows the offense, he's a smart kid," Starkel said of Hicks. "He's a competitive guy so I'm looking forward to that."

Arkansas now has six scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for 2019. The Razorbacks have four open scholarship positions, two of which can go towards getting players in the transfer portal. Starkel will graduate in May, move to Fayetteville and start classes with the rest of the team this summer.

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