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For the third time in four days, an Arkansas player has announced his intention to leave the program and enter the transfer portal.
Cornerback Jarques McClellion is the Razorbacks’ latest player to transfer, revealing his decision via Twitter on Saturday. Much like the two before him - offensive lineman Chibueze Nwanna and wide receiver Shamar Nash - he did did not play this season after opting out.
“The state of Arkansas and the city of Fayetteville will always have a special place in my heart,” McClellion wrote. “With that being said, and after a tough decision, me and my family decided I will forgo the 2021 NFL Draft and I will be entering the transfer portal.”
Unlike Nwanna and Nash, McClellion was a significant contributor for Arkansas. He started 20 games over the previous two seasons, racking up 59 tackles, 11 pass breakups and one interception.
Despite being a two-year starter, though, the Florida native was listed as a backup on the Razorbacks’ first depth chart of the season. He was beaten out by Arkansas State graduate transfer Jerry Jacobs and fellow incumbent starter Montaric Brown.
However, as the No. 3 cornerback, he was still expected to get significant playing time in 2020, but that never came to fruition. McClellion missed the season opener against Georgia, presumably because of COVID-19 protocols, and then decided to opt out a couple days before the Mississippi State game.
His decision to opt out, coupled with Jacobs making a similar decision halfway through the season, forced the Razorbacks to play redshirt freshman walk-on Hudson Clark and two-star true freshman Khari Johnson extensively this year.
In his announcement about opting out, McClellion said he had been quarantined twice since returning to Fayetteville on June 1 for voluntary workouts and also noted health complications in his family.
In addition to the three transfers this week, the Razorbacks also had running back A’Montae Spivey enter the portal this season. He left the team in early November.
McClellion’s departure opens up a scholarship for the upcoming season. According to HawgBeat’s unofficial projected scholarship distribution for 2021, Arkansas still needs two more non-seniors to leave in order to make room for the incoming class and remain under the NCAA’s 85-man limit.
