At Arkansas, Sam Pittman’s approach has made extensive use of transfers. Without the transfers, Arkansas’s football programme and Pittman’s head coaching career would have remained at the basement of college football following the catastrophe that was Chad Morris.
The programme is by no means where it should be. The amount of work still to do before Arkansas has a top-notch programme was made evident in the previous season. But if the price is right, teams can be brought back to life overnight.
On the other hand, that means players sometimes leave for better opportunities. Most are players who seldom see the field. Although, there have been a few fan favorites that move on. Here are the top-10 most painful for Razorback Nation to process.
10 most painful Arkansas football transfers
Lorando “Snaxx” Johnson
Snaxx was one of two players to transfer from Baylor in 2023. They might have come to Arkansas together, but the two defensive backs couldn’t have been more different.
While Alfahiym Walcott was a cool and collected defensive back who did the work out of the spotlight, Snaxx was the loud, high-energy guy, and one could say “mouthy” DB that, if he made a play someone, would let them hear about it.
After Miles Slusher left to play for Coach Prime in Colorado, the Razorbacks needed another athletic, physical DB to fit in the nickel position. Snaxx was the man who stepped up.
While at Arkansas, he set career highs with 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, five pass breakups, a sack, and a pick-six on the first play of the second half against Texas A&M.
Dominique Johnson
Dominique Johnson became a Razorback with a bang. He committed to Mizzou nearly six months before the early signing period, but instead of signing with the Tigers, Johnson surprised everyone with a flip to Arkansas on signing day. He was instantly a fan favorite.
After stints at tight end during his freshman season, Johnson returned to his natural position in 2021. He was part of a stable of running backs, including Raheim Sanders, AJ Green, and Trelon Smith. Johnson led the RB room team with 5.9 yards per carry. He was arguably the best back of the group.
Unfortunately, his third year as a Razorback was set back with an ACL injury in the 2022 Outback Bowl. The injury happened early enough in the year that Johnson could possibly return in 2022, and that’s exactly what he did. But the injury bug bit him again in October, reinjuring the same knee. In 2023, Johnson saw the field again but saw little playing time, even though he averaged 5.4 yards a carry.
He finished his career with 785 yards rushing on 136 attempts and eight touchdowns.
Jordan Domineck
Domineck transferred to Arkansas from Georgia Tech in 2022. While his commitment didn’t turn anyone’s head, his play on the field did. He never took the starting position but played every game, leading the defensive line with 7.5 sacks. He also had 34 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
His first big moment came in his first game as a Razorback. Against Cincinnati, he had only one solo tackle, but he made it count. Arkansas was up by a touchdown with the Bearcats on the move. In the middle of the the play-by-play analyst saying that Arkansas didn’t have a true pass-rusher on the team, Domineck spun free on the edge and strip-sacked Cincinnati’s quarterback, foreshadowing Arkansas leading the SEC in sacks.
After only one season, Domineck entered the transfer portal after initially announcing his return in 2023. He decision rubbed some the wrong way, but was the first lesson on the realities of the NIL era.
Jalen Catalon
Steven Atwater comes to mind when people think of the hardest-hitting safeties in Arkansas history. Another player is Jalen Catalon. Although the time he spent on the field was short, he made the most of his opportunities.
He was electric during his redshirt freshman season. Catalon played in all ten games and recorded 99 total tackles, forced two fumbles, defended seven passes, intercepted three passes, and returned one for a touchdown.
While he was great in the passing game, he wasn’t afraid to run downhill toward running backs either, and when he did, Catalon hit them hard. The hashtag #freecatalon trended more than once due to him being ejected multiple times on targeting calls that were really just hard hits.
However, Catalon’s career at Arkansas took a turn for the worse. After six games in 2021, he had a season-ending shoulder injury. Instead of transferring or medically retiring, Catalon decided to come back to Arkansas in 2022. However, in Arkansas’s first game, he reaggravated the injury and needed season-ending reconstructive surgery. This time, he decided to enter the transfer portal and transferred to Texas.
Mike Woods II
With Treylon Burks rising to stardom, another talented wide receiver was taking on a significant support role. He was a Robin to Burks’ Batman, per se. Mike Woods II recorded the second-most yards by a wide margin in 2020 with 619, coming behind only Burks with 820 yards. He out-averaged Burks, producing 19.3 yards a catch, and was responsible for five touchdowns.
His season in 2020 finished with a bang, catching a tipped pass for a go-ahead touchdown against Mizzou with 43 seconds left. Then, the WR duo dominated Arkansas’s 2021 spring game. The signs were looking positive going into the next season.
Instead, three days after the spring game, Woods announced he was entering the transfer portal, and three days after that, he committed to Oklahoma. His departure was the first taste of post-NIL college football. Although the Supreme Court’s ruling cementing NIL happened in June of 2021, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals first affirmed the ruling in October 2020. The writing was on the wall.
Ty Storey
Of all the players on this list, Ty Storey’s tell is by far the most bittersweet. Storey was a former four-star prospect and a small-town kid from Charleston, Arkansas.
Unfortunately, his time in Arkansas happened during the worst coaching hires in Arkansas history. Storey played for Arkansas from 2016 to 2018, dividing playing time between him, Cole Kelly, and Conner Nolan, with the vast majority going to Storey. In 2018, Storey transferred to Western Kentucky after recording 1,584 yards for 19 touchdowns.
His story with Arkansas doesn’t stop with his transfer. In the very next season, Ty Storey and the Hilltoppers Arkansas on November 9. Morris had already led Arkansas for one and a half horrendous seasons, and to say he was on the hot seat was an understatement.
Storey came back into Fayetteville and whooped the Hogs 45-19. His vengeful homecoming was the final nail in Coach Morris’ coffin. Morris was fired shortly after. It showed how bad Morris was as a coach and how much Arkansas lost in losing Storey.
Raheim Sanders
Sanders’ rise came completely out of the blue. Not because he lacked any athletic abilities but because he had only played running back for a year before he blew up.
Originally, Rocket was recruited to play wide receiver, but the lack of depth in the running back room allowed him to broaden His skills.
In 2021, Sanders shared his time in the backfield with three other backs but held his own in a position he never played at a high level. But because of some opportunities due to injuries in the running back room, Rocket got his big break.
Sanders’ rushed for 1,443 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He scored ten touchdowns on the ground and added another 271 yards through the air and two touchdowns. Sanders had seven games over 100 yards, including five over 150. His performance against Ole Miss was incredible. In that game alone, he rushed for 232 yards, caught five passes for 29 yards, and scored three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, a knee injury sidelined him for the majority of the season in 2023. After that season, he decided to make changes and entered the transfer portal. He left because he felt there was a better opportunity, but he also wanted to be closer to his son in Florida. Rocket committed to South Carolina, which is a much shorter drive than Fayetteville.
Greg Brooks
When Brooks showed up on campus in 2019, he was a star instantly. He started all 12 games his freshman year and recorded 25 tackles, 13 solo, three pass deflections, and a pick. Over the next two seasons, he added another 78 tackles, 40 solo, five pass deflections, and three interceptions, including a pick-six against Mississippi State. His last interception as a Hog, however, was the one to remember.
After 2021, Brooks decided to transfer to LSU. As a Harvey, La. native, Brooks grew up wanting to play for the Tigers. Although it hurt, fans couldn’t be mad at a kid living out his childhood dreams. Unfortunately, he played only one full season at LSU. In 2023, Brooks was diagnosed with a brain tumor that cut his last season short. He’s since had surgery, but the recovery process will be long and slow.
KJ Jefferson
One can make an argument for KJ being No. 1 on this list. He’s been “the guy” for the last three seasons. Arkansas has won many games by his performance alone, and he’s now the all-time leader at Arkansas in the following:
The physicality he played with was unmatched in his position around college football. In a time where QBs slide to protect themselves, Jefferson laid the wood on unsuspecting defensive backs and linebackers.
One instance was against Texas A&M in 2021. He left earlier in the game with an injury but came back in the game. He was hit short of the first down marker by two or three Aggies. Instead of going down, he drove the extra 4-5 yards with a knee injury, gained the first down, and ended the game. He was also a Houdini of sorts, escaping more than once from the jaws of would-be sackers.
In arguably his worst season as a starter, Jefferson threw for 2,107 yards and rushed for another 447 for a combined 21 touchdowns. He threw for over 240 yards and rushed for 48 or more in five games. He finished his career at Arkansas with 7,911 yards passing at a 65.1 percent rate and 67 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,876 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Honorable mentions
Trey Knox; Arkansas Career Stats: 1,195 yards, 118 receptions, 11 touchdowns, and 10.1 yards per catch.
Joe Foucha; Arkansas Career Stats: 273 tackles, 127 solo, 12.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 21 pass deflections, and 5 interceptions.
La’Michael Pettway; Arkansas Career Stats: 601 yards, 37 receptions, 5 touchdowns, 16.24 yards per catch
Be the first to comment