This article is part of a series previewing the Razorbacks’ 2020 football roster.
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Razorback Career
Arkansas fans have not seen much from Little Rock native David Porter the last three years.
After redshirting in 2017, Porter didn’t appear in a game as a redshirt freshman and then played just seven total snaps - including one on special teams - last season. His appearances came against Ole Miss and Colorado State.
The most notable thing about Porter’s career so far has been his position. When he signed with the Razorbacks back in 2017, he was listed as a 240-pound defensive end.
However, the following year, he bulked up to 263 pounds and practiced as a defensive tackle. He was back down to 250 pounds last season.
2020 Expectations
Although he was listed at 255 pounds when the roster was updated in March, Porter is now listed at 226 pounds on the UA’s official website. That’s the lightest he’s been since getting to college, seemingly indicating he’ll be used as a defensive end this season.
The Razorbacks are pretty deep at that position, with Dorian Gerald returning from injury, a trio of heralded 2019 signees - Mataio Soli, Eric Gregory and Zach Williams - back and the addition of Julius Coates from the JUCO ranks.
That will make it extremely difficult for Porter to crack the two-deep, but perhaps a new coaching staff and his reshaped body could lead to him making a surprising push for playing time. That is unlikely, but it’s possible.
Recruiting Flashback
As a 5.6 three-star recruit coming out of Joe T. Robinson in Little Rock, Porter picked up Power Five offers from Iowa State and Kansas State, but instead originally chose to commit to Colorado State in the Mountain West on Jan. 25, about a week before National Signing Day for the Class of 2017.
Schools like Texas and Rutgers made a late push, but there was really only one school on his radar that would have led to him flipping his commitment. Sure enough, two days after he pledged to the Rams, Arkansas saw its lone defensive line commit - Troy James - flip his commitment to Oklahoma.
Needing a replacement, the Razorbacks brought in Porter for a visit and offered him a scholarship - which he accepted immediately. In fact, only 22 minutes separated his de-commitment and commitment tweets on Jan. 29, 2017.
He is part of a Joe T. Robinson pipeline that has also landed Arkansas guys like T.J. Hammonds, Koilan Jackson, Zach Williams and J.T. Towers.
MORE: Razorback Roster Rundown
