SMU Trades Arkansas Lineman Transfer for Bigger Model

With Mustangs losing Taurean Carter after a week, they pick up Tank Booker in portal

DALLAS — SMU coach Rhett Lashlee probably just shrugged when Taurean Carter of Arkansas earlier this week backed out of his commitment and went to Colorado on Wednesday. He may have known he had a bigger model available.

Anthony "Tank" Booker from the Razorbacks announced he was committing to the Mustangs on Thursday afternoon. When I say "bigger" it's not any reference to stats or anything else. Booker is downright huge.

my new why 🤍 pic.twitter.com/wboKQh35lY

— Tank Booker (@arbj14_) January 11, 2024

The roster says he's 6-4, 351 pounds. That was a slimmed-down model of a guy that transferred from Maryland to spend a year with the Hogs. He was tipping the scales with a a tick of 400 pounds when he transferred to Fayetteville. You can speculate as much as me about how that number changed. Suffice it to say he can clog the middle of the line all by himself.

Booker spent four years at Maryland before last year at Arkansas. Over his career, he's played in 41 games with a pair of starts, collecting 65 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks to go with two forced fumbles and a pass defended.

He was a three-star recruit out of Winton Woods High in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the Class of 2019 when he committed to Maryland. He was a four-star transfer last year when he committed to the Razorbacks, ranked as the No. 11 defensive lineman in the portal. Booker does not yet have a transfer rating this time around. He didn't exactly make headlines with the Hogs, but did play in 11 games.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Anthony "Tank" Booker stops a Western Carolina ball carrier in their game from Sept. 2, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark :: Ted McClenning / allPONIES Images

Booker had 19 tackles (7 solo), half-sack and was credited with a quarterback hurry. Just his massive width clogged up wherever he lined up and his footwork wasn't bad for a guy with all that size.

The Ponies now are back to 10 transfers. The others include Jonathan Jefferson (DL, Georgia), Mike Lockhart (DL, West Virginia), Jahfari Harvey (Edge, Miami), Nate Anderson (OL, Oklahoma), Savion Byrd (OL, Oklahoma), Omari Abor (Edge, Ohio State), Justin Medlock (LB, Utah), Ashton Cozart (WR, Oregon) and Deuce Harmon (CB, Texas A&M). SMU held the No. 31 transfer class in the country prior to his commitment.

PONY EXPRESS:

TAUREAN CARTER CHANGES MIND, NOW HEADING TO COLORADO FOR ONE MORE YEAR

MUSTANGS NEARLY PULL HUGE ROAD UPSET OVER NATIONAL TITLE CONTENDER MEMPHIS

JUST REMEMBER, THAT SMU WIN OVER CHARLOTTE STARTING TO LOOK BIGGER NOW WITH 49ERS

SMU HAS THE RIGHT MAN IN PLACE FOR A BASKETBALL RUN THIS YEAR

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