What positions Arkansas still needs to hit in the transfer portal
Spring football is complete and with the season still five months away, the Razorbacks still have holes they need to fill through the transfer portal, which reopened Saturday and will close April 30.
The Hogs have already suffered some attrition to the portal, as wide receiver Landon Rogers entered Wednesday. Thankfully for the Arkansas coaching staff, the wide receiver room still seems to be in okay shape heading into the summer.
What makes this portal window different than the one in December and January is that SEC entrants who are not graduate transfers are not eligible for the coming season, should they transfer to Arkansas.
During the first portal window, the Razorbacks landed 11 total transfers, and with seven more scholarships available, it's likely we see the coaching staff work to add even more.
With that said, here are the positions Arkansas still needs to hit in the transfer portal.
Tight end
After the 2022 season, Arkansas lost its main piece of production at the tight end spot as Trey Knox transferred to South Carolina, following former tight ends coach Dowell Loggains to the Gamecocks.
After Loggains' departure, Arkansas turned to former Stanford tight ends coach Morgan Turner to lead the room. His first task was recruiting the high school tight ends already committed, as they were being poached by other schools.
In the high school recruiting ranks, the Hogs signed two four-star tight ends in Bixby, Oklahoma's Luke Hasz and Ashdown native Shamar Easter, but some experience is still needed at that position outside of Nathan Bax and Ty Washington.
Tight ends were somewhat underutilized last season under offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, but that will not be the case this season,, as Dan Enos has a knack for getting the most out of the position. At Maryland last season, Enos' second-leading pass catcher was tight end Corey Dyches.
During the first portal window, Arkansas struck out on a few portal tight end prospects. The Hogs hosted tight end Jake Roberts, previously of North Texas, who was actually recruited by former head coach Chad Morris, but he ended up committing to Baylor. Cane Berrong, who entered the portal out of Notre Dame, opted for Coastal Carolina over Arkansas as well.
The Hogs will host another North Texas tight end transfer Friday in Var'Keyes Gumms. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end entered the transfer portal March 23 and reported an offer from Arkansas on Saturday. He has also picked up offers from Oregon, BYU, Colorado, West Virginia and others.
Defensive back
After posting the worst passing defense in college football a year ago, the Razorbacks rebuilt the secondary with the addition of Georgia transfer Jaheim Singletary and Baylor transfers Alfahiym Walcott and Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson.
Still, Arkansas lost 11 pass defenders after the season ended, and if new co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson wants to show some form of improvement, he's going to need more depth.
Depth killed the Razorback secondary a year ago, losing senior safety Jalen Catalon in the first game to season-ending surgery, cornerback LaDarrius Bishop a few weeks later and safety Myles Slusher quitting the team.
The Hogs return their two top cornerbacks in Quincey McAdoo and Dwight McGlothern, and Hudson Clark is back as well. The incoming freshman class will also help bolster the position well.
With the transfer portal open again, look for Woodson and defensive coordinator Travis Williams to find another defender who can provide help on the back end, most likely at the safety position.
Defensive tackle
This position group is interesting, simply because Arkansas has, for the most part, filled out the group nicely out of the transfer portal. During the first transfer window, the Hogs signed defensive ends John Morgan III and Trajan Jeffcoat, and former Maryland defensive tackle Anthony Booker Jr. recently committed to Arkansas.
Leaving Arkansas and hitting the transfer portal at the end of last season were defensive ends Jordan Domineck and Eric Thomas, and defensive tackle Isaiah Nichols. The Hogs also lost defensive end Dorian Gerald and defensive tackle Terry Hampton, both of whom ran out of eligibility.
The Hogs return defensive tackle Taurean Carter, who missed the entire 2022 campaign with an injury. He has since been cleared to return to football activities, and his presence provides even more help on the line.
Where I think the Hogs will go on the line is for depth. It's unlikely they land an instant-impact player at this point in the offseason, but where they could find some value is in a depth piece with multiple years of eligibility to sit behind the guys who are already on campus.
A solid rotational piece with longer eligibility would provide both continuity from the 2023 to the 2024 seasons, as well as provide rest for the starters throughout a grueling SEC season.
Offensive line
Gone are offensive linemen Ricky Stromberg, Luke Jones and Dalton Wagner, three of the five starters on the offensive line last season. The Hogs return a lot of guys who look the part but may not have as much experience as Pittman wants, so it is possible we see Arkansas find another offensive lineman in the transfer portal.
The first transfer addition following the 2022 season was Florida offensive lineman Joshua Braun, who is the lone addition along the line from the portal. Pittman did say after the Red-White game on Saturday he liked he pieces he has.
"Center is that guy and I feel really confident with Beaux (Limmer)," Pittman said. "I think we've found something in (Patrick) Kutas out there, especially with him having three years to play. We also feel good about Ty'Kieast (Crawford) and some guys out there as well. E'Marion (Harris) has played out there. But to look at Kutas out there, I think that was huge for us, and we did that about maybe 6-7 practices ago."
With Sam Pittman being the offensive line guru he is, he should be able to attract high-level talent at the position to Fayetteville. With five months left until the season starts, there's plenty of opportunity for a guy to transfer in and make an immediate impact.