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Whom did Arkansas lose to the gateway after spring?…………….
Following spring practice, the Arkansas football team, led by head coach Sam Pittman, lost seven scholarship players due to the transfer portal. On Tuesday, the spring gateway window closed.
Only punter Max Fletcher and defensive back Lorando Johnson were truly competing for a starting position in the spring, but anything is conceivable. Three second-year players, an experienced running back, and a backup quarterback were among the other five.
Hawg Beat’s count shows that Arkansas has 79 scholarship players and six unfilled places as of right now. On Tuesday, the Hogs recruited linebacker Stephen Dix Jr. from Marshall and quarterback Blake Boda from Coastal Carolina.
Including a complete list of all players who have transferred from Arkansas since the conclusion of the 2023 season, along with the destinations of those who have already found other opportunities, are these seven players who were spotted on the portal after the spring.
Dominique Johnson, RB
Johnson made his official debut on Monday, having played for the Razorbacks for four complete seasons as well as this spring. The Crowley, Texas, native was unable to recover with the Razorbacks after sustaining back-to-back ACL tears in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
In 2021, Johnson’s sophomore year, he ran for 575 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns, which was his greatest season as a Hog. Over the previous two seasons, the 6-foot-1, 251-pound player saw just 39 touches for 210 rushing yards and one touchdown; however, he did miss the majority of the 2022 campaign because of ACL tears.
Lorando, DB Johnson, “Snaxx”
Known by his nickname “Snaxx,” Johnson played his first three collegiate football seasons at Baylor before transferring to Arkansas. The product of Lancaster, Texas, started every game in his 12 games with the Hogs last autumn, playing nickelback and cornerback positions.
A vocal player on the field, Johnson finished his career with the Razorbacks with 29 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one sack, and one interception. Johnson said on Sunday that he would play his final season of eligibility at Baylor.
Quarterback Jacolby Criswell
Criswell is a native of Morrilton, and after three seasons with North Carolina, he is returning to the Hogs in his own state.
While playing for the Tar Heels, Criswell was a backup to NFL quarterbacks Sam Howell and Drake Maye, with whom he competed for the starting position in 2022. After failing to defeat Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green this spring and supporting KJ Jefferson with Arkansas last year, Criswell is returning to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with just 58 career throw attempts and two years remaining on his eligibility.
P. Max Fletcher
It was a bit of a surprise when Fletcher, the starting punter for Arkansas for his whole sophomore season in 2023, entered the gateway. This spring, Fletcher faced stiff competition from walk-on Devin Bale. As a result, Fletcher decided to transfer to Cincinnati, where his brother Mason plays punter as well.
Melbourne, Australia-born Fletcher, a sophomore at 6 feet 5 inches and 174 pounds, had a breakout season in the SEC last year after he punted 59 times for 2,770 yards (an SEC-high average of 46.9). He was the first punter from Arkansas to be recognized as an All-SEC selection since Dylan Breeding in 2012, having pinned a fourth-best 19 punts inside the 20-yard line. He was chosen to the All-SEC Second Team.
Isaiah Augustave, RB
Augustave declared that he would use the transfer portal on April 13, the day of the Red-White Spring Game. As a true freshman in 2023 for the Hogs, Augustave—a former three-star prospect from Naples, Florida—rushed 35 times for 202 yards and one touchdown.
He did experience a lot of turnover, including the departure of two offensive coordinators, two position coaches, and two of the team’s best backs from the previous campaign. Augustave decided to move on after bringing in two spring standouts, Ja’Quinden Jackson from Utah and Braylen Russell, a freshman, and keeping Rashod Dubinion (and Dominique Johnson at the time).
OL Paris Patterson
Former East St. Louis, Illinois, four-star prospect Patterson redshirted as a freshman for the Razorbacks in 2023. During spring practices, Patterson (6-foot-6, 350 pounds) typically ran as a third team guard.
Johnson, DB RJ
Johnson, a former Locust Grove, Georgia, three-star prospect, entered the portal on Tuesday, as HawgBeat originally reported. A little more than twenty-four hours later, Johnson declared his commitment to Colorado.
The 6-foot-2, 181-pound safety only made one special teams appearance in 2023, during the season’s opening matchup with Western Carolina. Spring workouts concluded on April 13 with the Red-White Spring Game. Johnson mostly played defense as a safety with the third team.