Former Razorbacks playing in summer football leagues

Beyond the NFL, there is a slew of professional football leagues with former Razorbacks playing in them. There are four summer football leagues in which former Arkansas football players are either trying to get back onto an NFL roster or just finishing out their careers playing the game they love.

Seven former Razorbacks are playing in these leagues currently, each with an interesting road to where they are now.

Hatcher spent four seasons in Fayetteville and became the go-to wide receiver for Austin Allen in the 2016 season. He bounced around NFL practice squads, having small stints with the Oakland Raiders twice, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers twice, and the New York Jets.

For the last two years, he has played for the BC Lions in the CFL. Hatcher was second on the team in receiving yards with 1,043 on 70 catches and recorded five touchdown receptions in 2022.

Hatcher is currently on the six-game injured list but is expected to return for the Lions' game against Saskatchewan in late July.

Kelley is one of two players on this list to play for the Razorbacks before later transferring to another school. He played two seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Southeastern Louisiana, where he won the Walter Payton Award, the FCS-version of the Heisman Trophy.

Kelley went undrafted but was signed by the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent. He was released about three months after being signed and began preparing for the USFL.

The “Louisiana Steamboat” is appropriately playing for the team in Memphis and has been the starter since Week 3. Kelley rallied the team after an 0-3 start and they had won five in a row until a 31-3 loss to the New Orleans Breakers a week ago.

Before making it to the pros, Alex Collins set school rushing records not seen since Darren McFadden and in 2015 he became the first Razorback since 1969 to score 20 rushing touchdowns in a season.

Collins was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016 and he played one season with them before going to the Baltimore Ravens. After two seasons on the East Coast, he returned to Seattle but was cut from the practice squad during the 2020-21 season.

Collins has not played for the Showboats since April 29 and is not listed on the team’s Week 10 depth chart. This season, he has scored one touchdown and has rushed for 98 yards on 33 carries.

O’Grady has had a roller-coaster career dating back to his time at Arkansas. He played four seasons at Arkansas, recording his first touchdown reception in the 2016 Belk Bowl against Virginia Tech. In 2019, he tied Jeremy Sprinkle for the most touchdowns by a tight end but a few weeks later he left the team for undisclosed reasons.

He participated in a Cincinnati Bengals minicamp in 2021 but did not make the team. He spent 2022 playing in the USFL for the now-defunct Tampa Bay Bandits and he currently plays for Memphis. He has just two receiving yards on one catch so far this season and like Collins, is not listed on the Week 10 depth chart.

Wade might be most well known for his infamous hit on a Vanderbilt punt returner that ended in his ejection and later suspension in 2011 but he also played wide receiver at Arkansas. Most of his time on the field was for special teams, ranking seventh all-time in kickoff return average at Arkansas.

He has become a household name in the indoor football world, playing for five different teams in multiple leagues, spending time with the Cedar Rapids River Kings, Spokane Shock, Albany Empire, and two versions of the Jacksonville Sharks.

Nance started his career at Mississippi Gulf Coast before transferring to Arkansas in 2017. He played two seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Missouri for his final year of eligibility, when he led the team in receptions and receiving yards.

He currently plays for Tulsa's newest indoor football team, the Oilers. Nance has played in five games, has recorded six touchdown receptions on the season and had a kick return for a touchdown in a game against the San Diego Strike Force.

Tutt started his college career at Ventura College in California before transferring to Arkansas, where he spent most of his time on special teams but also played some on defense.

He spent 2022 in the IFL with the Frisco Fighters before going to Tulsa. Tutt has played four games this season and had a kick return touchdown against the Iowa Barnstormers. In that same game, he also recorded an interception and returned it 21 yards.

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