Easter hopes to add to Hogs' solid history with in-state tight ends

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**2021 FALL CAMP HQ**

Arkansas made it five straight classes with an in-state tight end Friday when Ashdown's Shamar Easter - a top-100 recruit in the country - became its first commitment in the 2023 class.

The Razorbacks have had pretty good success with those kind of recruits in recent history, with four eventually getting taken in the NFL Draft - including a pair of Mackey Award winners.

Here is a look back at all 18 in-state players Arkansas has signed during the Rivals era (since 2002) who were either recruited as tight ends or eventually played the position in college…

The second member of Arkansas' 2022 class, Courtney committed to the Razorbacks over offers from Baylor, Michigan State, Missouri, Penn State, TCU and others. He is from DeWitt, but will finish his high school career alongside fellow commitment Quincey McAdoo at Clarendon.

Coming out of Little Rock Parkview, Outley had offers from big-time programs across the country like Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M, but chose to stay home instead.

It's still too early to know how his career will turn out. Outley has yet to practice with Arkansas in fall camp because he's still working his way back from an injury that caused him to miss most of his senior year.

Originally recruited as a defensive lineman, Toll - who did a little bit of everything at Hazen, a small 2A school - was quickly moved to tight end because of the Razorbacks’ lack of depth at the position. After flip-flopping a couple of times, Toll was back with the defense to finish the 2020 season, but ended up transferring to Colorado.

The younger brother of another guy on this list, Henry had a standout career at Pulaski Academy before becoming the fourth member of the Henry family to sign with the Razorbacks. At one point, he was considered the top tight end in the class, but he ended up being ranked 10th.

Many expected him to be a significant contributor as a true freshman, but an injury in fall camp slowed his development and ultimately led to him appearing in only three games. While preserving his redshirt, Henry caught three passes for 15 yards. Injuries once again limited him to six games last season, when he made 16 receptions for 92 yards and his first career touchdown.

Arkansas signed a large class of tight ends in 2015. In addition to O’Grady from Fayetteville and Gragg from Dumas, the Razorbacks also landed Austin Cantrell from Roland - which is just over the border in Oklahoma in the River Valley.

O’Grady ended up being the star of the bunch despite having numerous off-the-field issues and clashing with both coaching staffs he played under. When he was on the field, he was an NFL-level talent who caught 87 passes for 967 yards. His 12 career touchdown receptions are a school record for tight ends.

Gragg, the younger brother of another guy on this list, did not appear in a game his first two years on campus and then played in 10 as a redshirt sophomore. He caught five passes for 61 yards. Before the next season, Gragg decided to become a graduate transfer and ended up at Pitt, where he caught 24 passes for 177 yards in two seasons.

Although he never recorded any official statistics, Kraus appeared in 31 games and even made one start for the Razorbacks. Most of the Bentonville product’s 172 career offensive snaps were as a blocker, as he was a run blocker on 131 plays and a pass blocker on another 15, according to Pro Football Focus. Kraus could have played as a fifth-year senior in 2018, but with his degree in hand, he stepped away from the team.

The oldest of three brothers who signed with Arkansas, Henry is also the son of former All-SWC center Mark Henry. At this point, he has by far had the best career of the family and is arguably the greatest tight end in UA history. Henry caught 116 passes for 1,661 yards and nine touchdowns in three seasons, helping him win the Mackey Award and All-America honors as a junior in 2015. A second-round pick in the NFL Draft, he is now considered one of the top tight ends in the game.

When he committed to Arkansas, Sprinkle was a two-way standout at White Hall with no clear position at the next level. Some thought he’d be a defensive end, which is how he was listed on Rivals, while others thought he’d be a tight end. The latter proved correct, as he eventually made 71 receptions for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns - which was a record for UA tight ends until O’Grady broke it. Sprinkle’s career ended on a bad note, as he was caught shoplifting and suspended for the Belk Bowl, but he was still a fifth-round pick in the NFL Draft and remains on Washington’s roster.

After not initially qualifying because of grades, Dean joined the team in the spring of 2012. The Fayetteville product appeared in five games that season, with his only statistic being a 16-yard kickoff return, but he ultimately didn’t remain on the team following the coaching change to Bret Bielema.

A talented prospect out of Little Rock Catholic, Uekman redshirted his first year with the Razorbacks and then appeared in nine of the first 11 games of the 2011 season without recording a reception. He tragically died from a heart condition before the final regular-season game of the year, the top-3 showdown with LSU.

Tate was a three-sport athlete at Harrison before coming to Arkansas. He finished his career with 22 receptions for 171 yards. Most of that production came during his redshirt junior year in 2012, when he caught 14 passes for 111 yards. Unfortunately, an injury caused him to miss the first three games of his senior season and he ended up catching just one pass - for 7 yards - in his final year.

Part of the legendary 2008 in-state class, Gragg was actually listed as a wide receiver coming out of Warren. He made three starts as a true freshman, but his only catch was a critical 25-yard pass on fourth down on the game-winning drive against ULM. After taking a medical redshirt because of a dislocated ankle the following season, Gragg moved to tight end. He ended his career with 72 receptions, 1,003 yards and seven touchdown, leading to him being a seventh-round pick by Buffalo - where he played three season.

Both players were four-star recruits, but Williams out of Central Arkansas Christian proved to be the better tight end. In fact, he was the best tight end in the country in 2010, when he was the Mackey Award. His 1,855 career receiving yards are a school record at the position, plus he caught 152 passes for 10 touchdowns - which was also a record for tight ends until it was broken by Sprinkle.

Freeman, who signed with the Razorbacks out of Paris, converted to an offensive lineman and eventually became a starter at right tackle as a fifth-year senior in 2011.

Part of the “Springdale Five” that played for Gus Malzahn in high school, Cleveland was the only player in the bunch who signed with the Razorbacks and actually completed his career in Fayetteville. He burst onto the scene with 12 receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns - including the game-winner against Alabama - as a true freshman, but then caught only eight passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns the rest of his career.

Along with Jamaal Anderson, Winston is the last Little Rock Parkview football player to sign with Arkansas - a drought that Outley will presumably end. He redshirted in 2004 and then caught two passes for three yards the following year, but quit the team during fall camp of 2006 after finding out he would be on the scout team.

Another Malzahn product, Murphy originally signed as a defensive end from Shiloh Christian in Springdale. He eventually converted to tight end, where he caught three passes for 43 yards over his final two seasons. One of those receptions was actually a 9-yard touchdown thrown by Darren McFadden against ULM in 2006.