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FAYETTEVILLE — Rakeem Boyd gave Arkansas fans an early Christmas present Monday.

The Houston native announced via Twitter that he was returning for his senior season with the Razorbacks, passing up an opportunity to enter the NFL Draft.

That is a huge plus for new head coach Sam Pittman because Boyd was arguably the best player on the team in 2019, as he finished fifth in the SEC with 1,133 rushing yards. He also scored eight touchdowns on the ground and added 19 receptions for 160 yards through the air.

A junior college transfer who actually began his career at Texas A&M as a four-star recruit, Boyd came to Arkansas in former head coach Chad Morris’ first recruiting class.

Despite battling numerous injuries, including one that required offseason shoulder surgery, he was the Razorbacks’ leading rusher in 2018, too. He finished that season with 734 yards and two touchdowns while adding 165 yards on 23 receptions.

When healthy, Boyd has been dynamic with the ball in his hands. Although his career total of 1,867 yards doesn’t quite crack the top 20, his career average of 6.1 yards per carry is third in UA history. Only Felix Jones (7.7) and Matt Jones (6.6) gained more rushing yards per attempt.

Considering the shelf life of a running back and his injury history, many expected Boyd to join safety Kamren Curl as underclassmen to leave Arkansas early for the NFL.

Had he decided to leave school, he would have left a large void at running back for Pittman's first season with the Razorbacks, as they’re losing the graduated Devwah Whaley and his 1,807 career rushing yards in 2020 and would have been left with career backups.

Redshirt junior Chase Hayden (616 yards, 5 TD) and fifth-year senior T.J. Hammonds (443 yards, 2 TD) have just over 1,000 combined yards in seven collegiate seasons, while 2019 signee A'Montae Spivey (7 carries, 24 yards) could compete for a larger role after redshirting.

After sitting out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, former Arizona State running back Trelon Smith will also enter the fold.

The Razorbacks flipped three-star running back Dominique Johnson from Missouri during the early signing period, as well, and are looking to add another for the February signing date.