For the second time in less than a month, Arkansas has seen a player enter the transfer portal only to withdraw his name and rejoin the team.
After an about-face by Jalen St. John in December, quarterback Malik Hornsby is the latest to change his mind and return to the Razorbacks. He officially withdrew from the portal Friday, Rivals can confirm.
The moves contradict head coach Sam Pittman’s previously stated policy for players who enter the portal, which he told reporters at SEC Media Days over the summer. He even compared it to his relationship with his wife.
“Once you go to the transfer portal at the University of Arkansas, you sure ain't transferring back in,” Pittman said. “I’m pretty sure, if I asked Jamie if I go to transfer for a week and figure it out, would she let me come back, I'm sure the answer would be no. That's the way we feel about that, too.”
However, Pittman has welcomed back players before. Defensive back Devin Bush entered the portal during the 2019 season and withdrew his name shortly after Pittman was hired as the new head coach. He also got linebacker Deon Edwards to change his mind and return to Arkansas as a super senior this season.
Regardless of how it went down, getting Hornsby back is huge news for Arkansas and its 2022 roster.
Although the Razorbacks have a proven starter in KJ Jefferson, they were going to be down to only two healthy quarterbacks with Hornsby’s departure because walk-on Kade Renfro suffered a torn ACL during bowl practices. He had surgery Monday and is expected to be out 9-12 months.
The only other quarterback on the roster was Lucas Coley, who redshirted during his first season at Arkansas. The coaching staff also didn’t sign a quarterback in the 2022 class because they felt good about the depth at the position and believed it would help them sign a high-profile quarterback in the 2023 class.
That plan seemed to backfire on them with Renfro’s injury and Hornsby’s departure, leading to speculation about how the Razorbacks might address their depth issues.
While it probably still needs to add another quarterback while Renfro recovers, Arkansas at least has a quality backup with playing experience on its roster again.
Hornsby appeared in seven games as a redshirt freshman this year, completing 5 of 12 passes for 46 yards and rushing for 136 yards on 24 carries. His lone career touchdown came on a 6-yard run late in a blowout win over Georgia Southern.
In the Outback Bowl win over Penn State, Hornsby flashed his elite speed that helped make him a touted recruit, racking up 67 yards on just four carries.
