This article is part of a series previewing the Razorbacks’ 2020 football roster.
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Razorback Career
The Razorbacks were set at linebacker in Andrew Parker's first year at Arkansas with eventual NFL draft picks Dre Greenlaw and De'Jon Harris taking up the starting spots. Parker redshirted the 2018 season while suffering from a nagging hamstring injury but saw growth in the spring.
Fans thought Parker, looking more and more the part of an SEC linebacker, would get a real shot at significant snaps but Arkansas's defense was so poor, they couldn't afford to take the starters off the field much at all.
Parker checked in on defense at middle linebacker in six games, playing 73 snaps. He racked up five tackles and two run stops. He played the most snaps against Alabama and Mississippi State and posted grades below 50 in both, according to PFF.
Parker got a shoutout from Sam Pittman for having a productive winter conditioning season and he's now 238 pounds at 6-foot-2.
2020 Expectations
The veterans return and Arkansas added grad transfer Levi Draper from OU in the off-season but Andrew Parker is still a breakout candidate for the Hogs in 2020. He'll have a lot to prove to crack the starting lineup over Bumper Pool, Draper, Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry or Deon Edwards but there will be open competition for backup spots at the very least so we should expect to see more from Parker on the depth chart and field this season.
Recruiting Flashback
New Orleans native Andrew Parker was one of three 2-stars that Chad Morris signed in the hurry-up 2018 class, joining John Stephen Jones and Ryan Winkel shortly before signing day. Parker has already shown he has the potential to outplay his high school ranking.
Parker held offers from schools like Colorado State and Georgetown before being offered by Arkansas, and he pulled the trigger after an official visit a little more than a week later. Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and Ole Miss came calling for him late and he took an official visit to Texas before signing day but ended up sticking it out with the Hogs to many folks' surprise. Parker joined Bumper Pool as the second linebacker in the class.
MORE: Razorback Roster Rundown
