Morgan, other walk-ons vying for remaining scholarships

FAYETTEVILLE – Less than a month away from its season opener, Arkansas is two scholarships shy of the 85 allowed by the NCAA, according to HawgBeat’s unofficial count.

Head coach Chad Morris confirmed Saturday that they have two or three spots open, but said they’ll “for sure” get to 85 for the season.

Because it’s so close to the season, it’s unlikely the Razorbacks will add any more transfers, whether from junior college or a graduate transfer. Instead, they will likely reward the remaining scholarships to walk-ons.

The most obvious choice for that honor is linebacker Grant Morgan. Going into his redshirt sophomore season, he is the top backup linebacker and would probably be the first player in the game if either Dre Greenlaw or De’Jon Harris went down with an injury or needed a break.

Morgan said the idea of earning a scholarship “definitely” crosses his mind and that he’s talked to Morris about it through the spring and summer.

“I think about it, pray for it every single day,” Morgan said. “(Morris) said if everything works out, it’s going to be in fall camp if it happens, but it’s in God’s hands right now.

“I’m going to keep working because my goal is to make this team the best team it can. If it happens to be me that gets a scholarship, I’d be more than thankful for it.”

A two-star recruit coming out of Greenwood (Ark.) in the Class of 2016, Morgan turned down offers from Tulsa, Air Force, UCA and a few others to become a preferred walk-on at Arkansas.

Despite not having many outside expectations, he finished ninth on the team with 38 tackles as a redshirt freshman last season. He also notched 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.

The same fans who didn’t think Morgan would ever see the field are probably some of the same fans who thought his older brother, Drew, was a waste of a scholarship a few years earlier. Drew went on to become one of the Razorbacks’ best players at receiver and now Grant is hoping to do something similar at linebacker.

“I use it as a chip on my shoulder every day,” Morgan said of the naysayers. “The chip’s grown into a log, so I think one thing that’s going to motivate me even more is when people keep saying that. I kind of don’t like that, but I like it because that motivates me more than anything.”

Here is a look at a few other walk-on possibilities to earn a scholarship before the season…

Connor Limpert – K

With former scholarship kicker Cole Hedlund no longer on the team, the starting kicker job seems to be Limpert’s to lose. He made 8 of 9 field goals – with a long of 48 yards against South Carolina and a game-winner against Ole Miss – and was 33 of 34 on extra points last season.

However, he’ll have to get a lot more consistent this fall before Morris awards him a scholarship. An up-and-down spring was capped by a terrible showing in the Red-White Game, as he kicked the opening kickoff out of bounds, missed a 33-yard field goal and barely made his three PATs. That was on a cold, rainy day at War Memorial Stadium, but Morris still said he has room to improve and that the job was still up for grabs with another walk-on – Preston Stafford – joining the team for fall camp.

Ryder Lucas – DB

As a senior, Lucas would be the perfect walk-on to give a scholarship because he’d have it for only one season and not take up a spot Arkansas could fill with a recruit in the 2019 class. However, his recent DWI arrest might effect whether or not he gets that consideration.

On the field, Lucas has been a solid contributor. Although he hasn’t cracked the two-deep depth chart, he has been a critical part of the Razorbacks’ kickoff and punt coverage units. Each of the last two seasons, Lucas has led the team in special teams tackles, with 25 total over the span. At one point, former head coach Bret Bielema mentioned that Lucas graded out as one of the top special teams players in the SEC.

Tyson Morris – WR

Arguably the most surprising non-scholarship player during spring practice was Morris, the son of former Arkansas basketball standout Isaiah “Butch” Morris. A star wide receiver at Fayetteville High, he originally signed with Division II program Central Oklahoma before making his way back to Arkansas.

Morris looks the part – he’s listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds – but redshirted last season. Playing in the new offense, he burst onto the scene this spring and cracked the two-deep rotation. In the first scrimmage, Morris actually scored the first touchdown and made a few other impressive plays.

The only problem with awarding him a scholarship is that he hasn’t been in the program for two years yet. That means he would count against the incoming class, but that shouldn’t be an issue because the Razorbacks signed only 17 players in 2018 – far from a full class of 25.

D’Vone McClure – LB

Going strictly off spring practice performances, McClure would probably be higher up on this list. Despite moving from offense to defense, the 24-year-old former professional baseball player made several big plays and got plenty of reps with the first unit because starting nickel Kevin Richardson II wasn’t cleared for full contact.

With Richardson going down with an injury and likely missing the first several games of the season, McClure is even more important now. He continued to impress coaches and his teammates in the first practice of fall camp, making an interception while wearing boxing gloves.

However, it would be silly to use a scholarship on McClure because his education is being paid for by the Cleveland Indians, who drafted him in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Also, it’s unclear if he would have to count against the incoming class similar to Morris. McClure played receiver in 2016, but left the team and focused on school last year before rejoining at a new position this spring. The UA is calling it a redshirt year because he’s listed as a sophomore on the roster, so he would likely count only against the 85 limit, but it’s a moot point because he’s in school on the Indians’ dime.

Tobias Enlow – WR

This is a little bit of a wild card because Enlow just recently emerged in the two-deep rotation at wide receiver. He is one of 12 guys that rotated in the first and second units during the open portion of practice Friday. Senior Jared Cornelius said the coaches want up to eight receivers rotating and getting significant reps this season, so he still has work to do to earn a scholarship.

A former two-star recruit out of North Little Rock, Enlow turned down scholarship offers from ULM, UCA, Missouri State and several other smaller schools to play for the Razorbacks. Unfortunately, his career has been snake bitten with injuries. A torn ACL caused him to miss his senior year of high school – likely preventing him from picking up more offers – and he’s been in a green jersey at various times at Arkansas.

Tyler Phillips (LB), Damani Carter (DL), Jack Lindsey (QB), George Madden (LS), Tyler Hall (OL), Blake Kern (TE), Elias Hale (DL)

All of these walk-ons have been at Arkansas for at least two years and wouldn’t count against the incoming class, but they are likely long shots to be awarded scholarships because they haven’t cracked the two-deep or play positions that rarely get scholarships (Madden at long snapper).

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