Razorback Roster Rundown: No. 79 Dylan Rathcke

This article is part of a series previewing the Razorbacks’ 2020 football roster.

College Students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95. Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to nchavanelle@yahoo.com.

Arkansas signed 23 high school players in its 2019 class and all but three of them got at least a handful of snaps as true freshman thanks to the NCAA’s relatively new redshirt rule.

One of the three players who never got on the field was Dylan Rathcke, along with defensive tackle Taurean Carter and wide receiver Shamar Nash. It wasn’t particularly surprising, as he was part of a massive group offensive line signees in the class.

What Rathcke did provide was depth at the position. Considering there were times during the 2018 season that Arkansas didn’t have enough healthy linemen to field two units, that is no small thing. His presence - and a few others - allowed the Razorbacks to have plenty of offensive linemen for a first, second and scout team.

With a head coach in Sam Pittman who has a reputation as one of the best offensive line coaches in the country, there is no telling exactly how the Razorbacks’ line will shake out in 2020.

However, Arkansas is returning all but one offensive lineman in its final two-deep of the 2019 season, while also adding Noah Gatlin, who is coming back from a torn ACL.

Anything is possible, but cracking into that group will be tough for Rathcke. It seems like he is still a year or two away from being ready to contribute. At 281 pounds, he is the lightest offensive lineman on the team. That is also down from his listed weight of 293 last season, making him one of only two linemen who lost weight - with his minus-12 difference actually being tied for the second largest weight loss on the team.

There is a chance he’s added some of that weight back since the roster was updated back in March, but we’re still projecting him as a scout team contributor this season. Of course, if a season is played and a coronavirus outbreak wipes out the entire first unit, Rathcke could still find his way onto the field.

As a standout lineman at University Lab High in Baton Rouge, La., Rathcke picked up his first FBS offers in November of his junior year, with Texas State and Tulane being the first to jump on board.

He eventually picked up several more Group of Five offers, from the likes of Arkansas State, Colorado State, etc., as well as Power Five offers from Arkansas, Louisville and Kentucky.

The Wildcats appeared to be the team to beat, as he took an unofficial visit to Lexington, but he ultimately committed to the Razorbacks a couple of days later. He was the 23rd commitment in Arkansas’ historic 2019 class and the third offensive lineman - following Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer - in what eventually became a group of six.

MORE: Razorback Roster Rundown