Pair of Arkansas seniors make decisions on future
TAMPA, Fla. — Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown declared for the 2022 NFL Draft and running back Trelon Smith also indicated he is moving on Saturday night.
Brown posted a message on Twitter with his intentions within a few hours of the Razorbacks’ win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl, while Smith posted a photo on Instagram with a caption thanking Arkansas and saying he was checking out.
Both players were among the Razorbacks nine true seniors with the option to return for an extra season because of the pandemic-related eligibility relief granted by the NCAA last year. So far, only right tackle Dalton Wagner has announced he’ll return.
A former four-star recruit from Ashdown, Brown spent five seasons at Arkansas and emerged as a true shutdown corner as a fifth-year senior. He came down with five interceptions in 2021, which was the most by an Arkansas player in a decade. That performance helped him earn first-team All-SEC honors from the coaches.
“I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for giving a kid from Ashdown, Arkansas, an opportunity to showcase his talent and live out his dream,” Brown wrote. “I will forever be a Hog!”
Smith has been at Arkansas for three seasons, as he began his career at Arizona State. A 5.7 three-star recruit from Houston, he joined the Razorbacks as a transfer in 2019 and had to sit out because of NCAA transfer rules.
Despite beginning the 2020 season as a backup to Rakeem Boyd, Smith eventually took over as the starter and led the team in rushing with 710 yards during the 10-game, SEC-only schedule. He opened this year as the starter, but slipped down the depth chart late in the year.
The play of sophomore Dominique Johnson and freshmen Rocket Sanders and A.J. Green, plus a pair of incoming running backs - including four-star prospect Rashod Dubinion - likely meant he’d have a similar or more diminished role in 2021.
His Instagram post did not indicate if he’d move on to the professional ranks like Brown or potentially enter the transfer portal to play his final season elsewhere.
Arkansas is now waiting on decisions from wide receiver Kendall Catalon, offensive lineman Shane Clenin, safety Joe Foucha, linebacker Bumper Pool, defensive tackle John Ridgeway and long snapper Jordan Silver.
Pool and Foucha met with the media following the win over Penn State and both indicated they’d wait a few days before making any announcements regarding their futures.
