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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will be without one of its top offensive weapons to begin the 2019 season.

Tight end Cheyenne O’Grady is still recovering from an injury and will not play in the Razorbacks’ opener against Portland State on Saturday, a UA spokesperson confirmed.

He had arthroscopic knee surgery during the second week of fall camp, but was expected to return for the opener. Head coach Chad Morris even said “he’ll be ready to go Saturday” when talking to the media before Wednesday’s practice.

It is the second straight year the talented pass catcher will miss the first game of the season. Last year, he missed the first two games with a suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

When he is on the field, O’Grady is unquestionably a talented tight end. Despite his two-game suspension and not being involved much in the next two games, he finished last season with 30 receptions for 400 yards and six touchdowns.

That made him the Razorbacks’ top target over the final eight games of the season and their top returning target in 2019. As a fifth-year senior, O’Grady has also appeared on some lists of the top available tight ends for the 2020 NFL Draft.

In his absence, Grayson Gunter is expected to start, with converted receiver Chase Harrell and heralded freshman Hudson Henry also likely to receive extended playing time.