FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ John Ridgeway has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl, the event announced via Twitter on Wednesday.
It is a significant accomplishment for the transfer defensive tackle, as the Senior Bowl is the premier postseason showcase for college football players looking to impress NFL teams, but also likely means his career with the Razorbacks will last only one year.
However, when asked about him on the weekly SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday morning, head coach Sam Pittman sounded like he hadn't given up hope that Ridgeway might instead choose to return to Arkansas next season.
"Certainly we’re talking to him," Pittman said. "We’d like for him to come back. We think he can increase his draft status, but that’s between Ridge and I and we’ll figure it out. But that’s certainly a great honor, especially for a guy who came from a I-AA school to reach his dreams and certainly proud of him."
Despite being listed as a senior on the roster, Ridgeway actually came to Arkansas with the possibility of playing two years because of the NCAA’s eligibility relief granted in response to the pandemic.
He told reporters during fall camp that his goal was to just play this season with the Razorbacks, though, with the hopes that one season in the SEC would be enough for NFL scouts.
“I only have, technically, two years to play, but I really want to shoot for one, but if I need the extra year I’ll take it,” Ridgeway said in August. “But if not, hopefully I can get on to the next level.”
Joining the Razorbacks after four seasons at Illinois State, an FCS program near his hometown of Bloomington, Ill., Ridgeway missed the season opener against Rice because he had an appendectomy a week before the game.
He managed to return for the Texas game and dominated despite playing just two weeks after surgery, coming off the bench to make six tackles, including a sack.
A mainstay in the middle of Arkansas’ defensive line since then, Ridgeway has started the last eight games and has 33 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and two sacks, and a quarterback hurry. Pro Football Focus gives him a 63.8 grade for the season and credits him with seven hurries.
By accepting the Senior Bowl invitation, Ridgeway becomes the first domino to fall in regard to the Razorbacks’ seniors who could choose to come back for an extra season.
Last year, most of Arkansas’ seniors took advantage of the eligibility relief and returned to school, including key contributors like Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry, Myron Cunningham and Tyson Morris.
Unlike those players, who were exempt from the total scholarship count this year, any senior who returns in 2022 will count toward the 85-man limit. That means head coach Sam Pittman will likely need to be more selective with who he asks back this time around.
Ridgeway is one of nine true seniors on the roster and HawgBeat had previously predicted he’d be one to return next season. Click here for our complete predictions.
With him likely moving on to the NFL, Arkansas will have to replace its three primary starters along the defensive line next season, as fellow transfers Tre Williams and Markell Utsey are out of eligibility after this season.
If they don’t go out and sign a player from the portal again this offseason, the most likely replacements for Ridgeway in the middle are Isaiah Nichols and Taurean Carter, who have played significant reps as backups this season. They will be a redshirt senior and redshirt junior, respectively, in 2022.
