FAYETTEVILLE — Dalton Wagner will not participate in the Senior Day festivities Friday, as he’s decided to return to Arkansas for another season, head coach Sam Pittman announced Monday.
A fifth-year senior, the offensive lineman from Illinois will take advantage of the eligibility relief granted by the NCAA in response to the pandemic. He is the first of nine traditional seniors to officially made a decision on their extra year.
It is a nice boost to the Razorbacks for 2022, as Wagner - who stands 6-foot-9, 330 pounds - has started 26 career games, including eight at right tackle this season. He missed three games with a finger injury that required surgery, but he returned following the open date.
Wagner declined the option to go through Senior Day when Arkansas hosts Missouri in its final regular-season game of the season.
“Dalton’s a really cool guy,” Pittman said. “He told me he was going to come back and I asked him a week or two ago - you know, he went through finger surgery and all those different things - and he just said, ‘Coach I told you I was going to come back and that’s what I’m going to do.’”
He has been part of a vastly improved Arkansas offensive line. His Pro Football Focus grade has improved from 62.7 last year to 67.5 this year, and that was even higher prior to his injury.
Although no other senior has come out and said what they’re doing, defensive tackle John Ridgeway has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl. Pittman said he is still trying to convince him to return, but that seems to be an indication that he’s leaning toward beginning his professional career.
The other seven traditional seniors who could return in 2022 are cornerback Montaric Brown, wide receiver Kendall Catalon, offensive lineman Shane Clenin, safety Joe Foucha, linebacker Bumper Pool, long snapper Jordan Silver and running back Trelon Smith.
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This season, the Razorbacks had 12 so-called “super seniors” return for an extra year, but that was made possible by them being exempt from the total scholarship limit. That won’t be the same next year, as any scholarship players who return will now count toward the 85-man limit.
“You might be a little more selective of who you ask to come back, because basically you’re saying, ‘Is he worth a freshman coming in or a portal spot coming in, to ask him to come back?’” Pittman said. “So it’s changed a little bit because it counts toward your 85.”
With players like Grant Morgan, Hayden Henry, Myron Cunningham and Tyson Morris playing such key roles on this year’s team, Pittman has said he’s hopeful Arkansas will have more super seniors next season.
Those success stories, as well as players being able to benefit from Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals now, will be used in his conversations with those seniors he wants to come back.
“I think we’ll certainly use that and we may have some of those super seniors talk to our seniors on our team now and explain why they chose to come back and what the benefits are and possibly if there wasn’t a benefit to talk to them about that,” Pittman said. “We just want to be truthful with our kids.”
