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A pair of Razorbacks have entered the transfer portal, Rivals has learned.
Linebacker Kelin Burrle and defensive end Dorian Gerald are the first Arkansas players to leave the team since the conclusion of spring ball Saturday, but it’s worth noting that only Burrle was actively participating in practice.
Gerald was believed to be out of eligibility, as he was touted as one of the Razorbacks’ 11 super seniors using their extra COVID year last season, but the injury-plagued pass rusher has apparently received a medical redshirt.
One of Arkansas’ prized recruits coming out of the JUCO ranks in the Class of 2018, Gerald was hampered by an ankle injury in his first season in Fayetteville, but eventually worked his way into the starting lineup for the final two games.
That gave him some momentum going into his senior year, but then he experienced an incredible stretch of bad luck. In 2019 and 2020, Gerald suffered significant injuries in the Razorbacks’ season openers.
The first was a freak injury that was described as a bruised artery and caused him to miss the rest of the year. Returning to Arkansas as a fifth-year senior in 2020, Gerald went down with an ankle injury and appeared in only four more games.
Receiving an extra year of eligibility because of the NCAA’s pandemic-related relief, Gerald was once again a starter in 2021 and this time he got through the opener against Rice. However, during practice the following week, he suffered a broken leg and missed the rest of the year.
Having dealt with injuries in each of his four seasons at Arkansas, Gerald will pursue a seventh year of college football elsewhere.
Burrle’s tenure with the Razorbacks was much shorter, but also marred by injury. He never appeared in a game over his two seasons in Fayetteville and missed most of this spring with an undisclosed injury.
Set to be a redshirt sophomore in 2022, Burrle was a 5.7 three-star recruit in Arkansas’ 2020 signing class.
Since the start of spring ball, only four Razorbacks have entered the portal. The first two were defensive end Mataio Soli and quarterback Lucas Coley, who did so midway through spring ball.
Burrle’s departure bumps Arkansas down to 80 scholarship players for 2022, according to HawgBeat’s unofficial distribution chart. Head coach Sam Pittman has previously said the Razorbacks have room for three more transfer additions in the current class.
That would bring them back up to 83 scholarships, which is still under the 85-man limit. The last two spots — and any more that come open from transfers — will have to be filled by walk-ons who have been in the program for at least two years.
