Razorbacks' Best Football Transfers of Portal Era

Arkansas has signed total of 45 scholarship transfers with majority being contributors

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — On Oct. 15, 2018, the NCAA launched its student athlete tool to make the transfer process easier. Just before that, a four-game minimum for redshirting was implemented. It could be argued that college sports haven't been the same since and is much tougher to patrol.

One of the bigger stories during the 2018 season was Clemson's Kelly Bryant, who left the Tigers' program after being benched for some true freshman named Trevor Lawrence. We all know how that ended. Bryant took his first official visit to Fayetteville when Arkansas hosted Tulsa. While it seemed like he had a good time, Bryant ultimately chose rival Missouri. That was one of only two transfer fiascos since the inception of the portal with both happening under Chad Morris' watch.

Sam Pittman has hit more than he's been wrong on transfers. The Razorbacks success in the portal started with Feleipe Franks and is remains steadfast. Here's the best Arkansas players it has signed since 2018.

Trelon Smith

One of the better additions of the Morris era was Smith. Although he didn't play in 2019 due to the old redshirt transfer rule, Pittman was able to utilize his speed and shiftiness as Smith led all running backs in rushing during 2020 and 2021. The emergence of Raheim Sanders in 2021 began to trim carries but remained a team player.

One of Smith's best games came against Missouri in 2020 where he rushed 172 yards on 6.6 yards per carry and a touchdown. He spent one last season with former Arkansas assistant Jeff Traylor at UTSA in 2022. Smith failed to reach the same production that season and was held to less than 200 yards.

Feleipe Franks

Where would the Razorbacks have been without Franks coming over from Florida in 2020? The former Gator was a model of consistency completing 69% of passes for 2,107 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. His leadership helped Arkansas end a 20-game SEC losing streak, have a certain calmness in the transition from Morris to Pittman and bring excitement back to a program mired in mediocrity.

John Ridgeway

The coolest part of the transfer portal and social media is the opportunity to find dominant players at lower divisions. Ridgeway was a dominant piece to the Indiana State defense. His size added value to a retooled Arkansas defense under second year coordinator Barry Odom.

'Hacksaw' Ridgeway as Jake Crain of Crain and Company called him, was a bully anchoring the Razorbacks 3-4 defensive scheme. He recorded 39 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks during his one season in Fayetteville.

Dwight McGlothern

The addition of McGlothern from LSU was one that turned a lot of heads around the country as Arkansas capitalized on the momentum of its nine-win 2021 campaign. The defensive back also known as 'Nudie' became a household name in the SEC because of his lockdown of opponents best receivers. 

McGlothern recorded 72 tackles during his time in Fayetteville including four tackles for loss, seven interceptions and 16 pass breakups. PFF named him the top cornerback in the nation allowing only nine receptions on 19 targets.

Drew Sanders

The former Crimson Tide starter transferred to Arkansas after suffering an injury during the 2021 season. He would end up losing his starting role and moved on to Fayetteville to have a standout one-year campaign. Sanders, a former 5-star, amassed 103 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and one interception during the 2022 season. 

Sanders was another huge addition following Arkansas' nine-win season in 2022. Due to injuries among other things, the Razorbacks weren't able to capitalize on its top 15 transfer class. Pittman continues to bring in solid transfer classes as the 2023 haul ranked No. 11 by 247Sports while this cycle ranks No. 26.

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