Hogs Complete Flip of Tight End Room After Offseason Exodus
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In a matter of two months, Arkansas' Sam Pittman seemed to get behind the eight ball rather quickly once the transfer portal opened. Two months and 31 outgoing transfers later, it seems like the Razorbacks are fully re-stocked as spring practice inches closer.
One day after signing All-American transfer tight end Rohan Jones, tight ends coach Morgan Turner was able to complete an overhaul of his position group when JUCO standout Jeremiah Beck signed with Arkansas on Monday afternoon. The 6-4, 240 pound athlete chose Arkansas over New Mexico, UMass and Toledo.
Beck caught 77 passes for 851 yards and seven touchdowns over two seasons at Coffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California. He is the fourth tight end Arkansas has added this offseason including Gavin Garretson (2025 class), Jones and Jaden Platt (Texas A&M).
The Razorbacks lost star tight end Luke Hasz when he decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal Dec. 6 and eight days later announced his commitment to Ole Miss. Fans were angry and furious losing a former 4-star recruit with such a promising career ahead.
Then, came the drama with Ty Washington's dismissal in mid-October when he refused to go into Arkansas' game against Mississippi State. After having a solid stretch of play as a redshirt freshman in 2023 before being injured, he returned to only catch touchdown this season before entering the portal and signing with a team on the Razorbacks schedule in 2025.
Former tight end Var'Keyes Gumms' lack of contribution over the past two seasons was another head scratcher. After earning All-Freshman team honors in 2023 at North Texas, Gumms caught a grand total of four passes for 26 yards at Arkansas.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has shown what his plan is for tight ends as Jones and Beck already proven to be dependable pass catchers at the college level despite playing in lower classifications. With returning senior Andreas Paaske combined with Platt, both can serve as extra offensive linemen in the power run game while capable of being more than decoys in passing concepts.