Arkansas finally got a bit of good news Friday afternoon.
After a week filled with surprise transfers and NFL Draft declarations, linebacker Bumper Pool announced via the Extra Points podcast that he is returning to school for an extra senior season.
“I think that there’s a certain responsibility I have to continue the legacy and the tradition that we set this year,” Pool said on the podcast. “With all the guys leaving, I feel like this is the year that I can come back and continue that legacy. We’re excited to go out next year and continue the winning steaks.”
He is just the second Arkansas player to announce he’ll take advantage of the eligibility relief granted by the NCAA for 2020 in response to the pandemic, joining right tackle Dalton Wagner.
Cornerback Montaric Brown, defensive tackle John Ridgeway and long snapper Jordan Silver have declared for the draft rather than returning, while wide receiver Kendall Catalon and Joe Foucha have entered the transfer portal and running back Trelon Smith is moving on, with his next step not yet known.
It is a major get for head coach Sam Pittman and defensive coordinator Barry Odom because Arkansas would otherwise have a severe lack of experience at his position.
Although he started only one game this year, Pool was part of a three-man rotation that played close to all meaningful linebacker snaps this season. The other two - Grant Morgan and Hayden Henry - were super seniors and have exhausted all of their eligibility.
As a senior, Pool led the Razorbacks and finished third in the SEC in tackles with 125. Having started 25 games prior to this season, he’ll enter the 2022 season with 349 career tackles, meaning he has a great chance to break Tony Bua’s all-time UA record. Pool needs just 60 tackles to surpass Bua’s 408 from 2000-03.
Included in his 125 tackles this season were 7.5 tackles for loss. Pool also notched a pair of pass breakups and quarterback hurries, while Pro Football Focus credited him with eight total pressures and a team-high 56 total “stops” - tackles that constitute a failure for the offense. That helped him earn second-team All-SEC honors from the coaches and AP.
Pool also received a second-team All-SEC nod from the coaches in 2020, when he racked up 101 tackles in nine games. However, he also led all FBS linebackers with 24 missed tackles, leading to an abysmal 36.7 grade from PFF that ranked dead last among those with at least 500 snaps.
It was later revealed that Pool played most of the season with broken ribs, which likely contributed to those struggles. Finally healthy in 2021, he cleaned up those issues and was sixth among SEC linebackers with a missed tackle rate of just 9.4 percent - down from 21.2 percent last year. His overall defensive grade improved to 71.0.
A former four-star recruit out of Lovejoy High in Lucas, Texas, Pool will almost certainly regain a spot in the starting lineup next season. Now the question is who will start alongside him, with rising fifth-year senior Andrew Parker, redshirt freshman Chris Paul and redshirt sophomore walk-on Jackson Woodard being the likely candidates already on the roster.
The Razorbacks also signed a trio of linebackers in their 2022 class, with Jordan Crook being the headliner as a 5.7 three-star. The others are Mani Powell and Kaden Henley. Pittman hasn’t ruled out the possibility of adding a linebacker from the portal, either.
Unlike last season, when super seniors did not count against the scholarship limit, Pool’s return will take up a spot in the 85-man limit. According to HawgBeat’s unofficial projections, he puts the Razorbacks at 82 scholarships for 2022.
However, that number does not include unsigned safety commit Myles Rowser or reserve offensive lineman Shane Clenin, the lone remaining true senior who’s yet to make a public decision regarding next season.
In addition to Rowser, Arkansas still has room to add five more players in its 2022 class - either from the high school/junior college ranks or the transfer portal. That would require more room in the 85-man limit, so more transfers would be imminent if the Razorbacks use those spots.
