Arkansas loses another starting DB to portal
Another starter in Arkansas’ secondary has entered the transfer portal.
Greg Brooks Jr., who has started 30 games with the Razorbacks over the last three seasons, announced he was leaving the program Thursday afternoon.
“I’ve made countless memories at the University of Arkansas and they will never be forgotten,” Brooks wrote on Twitter. “With that being said, my family and I think that the best decision for me is to enter the transfer portal with 2 years of eligibility left.”
The news comes a day after safety Joe Foucha, another veteran with extensive starting experience, announced he’d enter the portal to play his extra year of eligibility elsewhere.
Five defensive backs have entered the portal this offseason now, with Brooks, Foucha, Nick Turner and Devin Bush doing so since Arkansas’ win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl. Interestingly, all four of them are from the New Orleans area. The other transfer was freshman Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan, who went in following the regular season.
A four-star recruit out of West Jefferson High in Marrero, La., who originally committed to Mississippi State, Brooks flipped to the Razorbacks during the early signing period of the 2019 cycle. He was one of Arkansas’ school-record 13 four-star signees in the class.
As a freshman, Brooks started all 12 games as the Razorbacks’ nickel back. He also started eight games as a sophomore last season and 10 games as a junior this year.
In the three games he didn’t start during the 2021 season, Brooks was actually replaced by true freshman Jayden Johnson. The pair split reps in several other games, as well.
Although his Pro Football Focus grade has steadily increased over his career, Brooks has never graded out well by the analytics website. After posting a 49.8 overall grade on 491 snaps as a freshman, he increased it to a 58.7 grade on 584 snaps last year. Then this year, he earned a 62.3 grade on 661 snaps.
However, it’s worth noting that Brooks’ best game with the Razorbacks came in the Outback Bowl, as he earned an 83.1 grade and intercepted a pass. It was the fourth interception of his career. He also finished his time at Arkansas with 111 career tackles and eight pass breakups.
In addition to Foucha and Brooks entering the portal, Arkansas will not return All-SEC cornerback Montaric Brown, either, as he has declared for the NFL Draft rather than play as a super senior in 2022. That trio played the most snaps on the Razorbacks’ defense this season.
Arkansas has now seen 11 scholarship non-seniors enter the portal since November, including three since the bowl game. That number does not include Foucha or wide receiver Kendall Catalon, who are pursuing their extra season of eligibility at another school.
According to HawgBeat’s projected scholarship distribution chart, the Razorbacks are down to 82 scholarship players for 2022. That number could grow to 85 - which is the limit - if linebacker Bumper Pool and offensive lineman Shane Clenin choose to come back for an extra senior season and unsigned safety commit Myles Rowser signs.