How Arkansas, Penn State plan to replace opt outs in Outback Bowl
One of college football’s recent trends has hit the Outback Bowl hard this year.
Between Arkansas and Penn State, eight top players have chosen to opt out and not play in the matchup scheduled for Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
The Razorbacks have had just two - a critical piece on each side of the ball - while Penn State has had six, including five on defense. Throw in an injury, which we included in our breakdown below, and the Nittany Lions are missing seven total starters.
It’s a new phenomenon for Penn State head coach James Franklin, who said he had previously never had a player opt out - and this is his 10th bowl appearance in 11 seasons as a head coach.
Regardless of how he and Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman feel about the trend, they are now tasked with figuring out how to navigate it.
While some positions are still a little fuzzy, HawgBeat decided to take a crack at how they might go about replacing those key players…
Arkansas
OUT: Treylon Burks
IN: Warren Thompson
Others impacted: De’Vion Warren, Ketron Jackson Jr., Bryce Stephens
Arguably the greatest wide receiver to ever play at Arkansas, Treylon Burks announced earlier this month that he planned to not only forgo his senior season, but also skip the Outback Bowl.
It is a significant loss for the Razorbacks’ offense, as he caught 66 passes for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns this season and all other wide receivers combined for just 61 receptions, 959 yards and five scores.
Arkansas likely won’t rely on just one player to fill that void, but rather ask several players to pitch in and contribute more than they have so far in 2021.
“It's going to take a lot of people to replace one Burks,” Pittman said. “The ones getting ready to play are looking forward to the opportunity. They're young, but yet we recruited them for a reason. Hopefully they can make plays like Burks did.”
As far as the starting lineup is concerned, it sounds like De’Vion Warren will slide over into the slot, which will allow both he and Warren Thompson to start after previously being listed together with an “or” on the depth chart.
Those two will start alongside Tyson Morris, who was a late arrival to Tampa because he’s been dealing with the flu, but rejoined the team at practice Wednesday. Another player who could be asked to take a larger role is true freshman Ketron Jackson Jr., especially after he made a couple of nice grabs in the regular-season finale against Missouri.
The young guy who’s been brought up the most as a potential breakout candidate in the bowl game is another true freshman, Bryce Stephens. He’s flashed his speed as a punt returner a couple of times and will likely make his fourth career appearance against Penn State, as he’ll still preserve his redshirt status.
OUT: Tre Williams
IN: Zach Williams
Others impacted: Eric Gregory, Jashaud Stewart, Eric Thomas Jr.
Shortly after a DWI arrest earlier this month, Tre Williams announced that he was opting out to focus on the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. That means the Razorbacks will be without their top pass rusher in the Outback Bowl, as he led the team in sacks (6) and - according to PFF - total pressures (36).
You must be a member to read the full article. Subscribe now for instant access to all premium content.
-
Members-only forums
-
Predict prospect commits with FanFutureCast
-
Exclusive highlights and interviews
-
Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
-
Breaking recruiting news