Stephens Apparently Coming Back to Hogs, but Why Not Clear

Wide receiver didn't record single stat last season, so exactly who's in favor of it not clear

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It was kinda interesting when word hit Wednesday afternoon Arkansas wide receiver Bryce Stephens is withdrawing his name from the transfer portal. He put his name in there early (Dec. 7) and now it's towards the back end of the cycle.

The first thing that says is nobody else was interested in a guy that didn't record a single statistic last season. He only played in three games after being in all 13 the year before. That was a sign maybe he wasn't quite what anybody thought was an answer to anything.

Maybe the biggest question was if Sam Pittman and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino even want him back. Nobody's saying Stephens is coming back to the Razorbacks. None of the media reports that he's out of the portal means he's coming back. There is no requirement for the Hogs to renew his scholarship.

Reading behind the lines, though, if he's coming back does that mean Pittman couldn't get the receivers he wanted out of the portal or from the high school ranks? They lost out on some folks they were offering in the portal. Now it may be about numbers and there's no evidence Stephens is anybody's answer at wide receiver.

In 2022, when he appeared in all 13 games, making nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Stephens also made three catches for five yards in 2021. None of that are exactly the type numbers to get anybody worked up.

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