Arkansas adds Bogle, Williams as portal focus stays on defense

Arkansas adds West Virginia linebacker and Memphis defensive back to deepen defensive depth through transfer portal

West Virginia Mountaineers linebacker Ben Bogle (32) celebrates after a sack during the first quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas has decided the transfer portal isn’t a place to window shop.

It’s a place to buy. Quickly. And in bulk.

The Razorbacks added former West Virginia linebacker Ben Bogle and signed former Memphis defensive back Ian Williams, continuing a defensive makeover that looks less like a rebuild and more like a clearance-rack sprint.

No sirens. No splashy slogans. Just two defenders with eligibility left and snaps already logged somewhere else.

Bogle arrived first, committing to Arkansas after spending the 2025 season at West Virginia. He came with numbers, tape and a résumé that suggests he knows what Saturdays feel like when they don’t go according to plan.

The Hogs needed help at linebacker. They didn’t pretend otherwise. And Bogle fit the description without needing a lot of selling.

He played all 12 games for West Virginia last season, finishing with 37 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. That’s not All-America stuff in the SEC, but it’s a blank slate either.

Before that, Bogle made his name at Southern Illinois, where he earned Associated Press All-American honorable mention honors in 2024. That matters because it shows he didn’t just show up late to football.

Arkansas has leaned hard into experience this portal cycle, and Bogle checked every box that doesn’t require a redshirt year or patience.

At 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, he isn’t oversized, but he’s played enough football to know where the ball usually ends up. Coaches tend to like that.

He also became the 32nd transfer portal addition for Arkansas under coach Ryan Silverfield, a number that says more about philosophy than desperation.

This staff isn’t waiting on tomorrow. It wants answers now.

✍️ Welcome to The Diamond State @BenBogle3 pic.twitter.com/799fZn4XZS

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) January 11, 2026

Arkansas adds linebacker help with SEC experience

Bogle didn’t linger long in the process. Arkansas hosted him, showed him the depth chart, and the message was clear enough without a slogan. Linebacker reps are available.

Arkansas fans might remember Bogle’s name from recruiting circles years ago, but the important part is what he’s become, not what he was rated. He’s a linebacker who’s played meaningful snaps in two programs and survived the ride.

While Bogle shores up the middle, Arkansas didn’t stop there. Why stop when the portal door is already open?

The Razorbacks also signed Ian Williams, a defensive back transferring from Memphis. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman last season and finished with six tackles. One of those was against the Hogs.

Williams was recruited out of high school as a three-star prospect and ranked among the top safeties in his class. He arrives with three years of eligibility remaining, which gives Arkansas flexibility instead of urgency.

That’s important in a secondary that values options and hates being thin. Williams can play safety. He can help at corner. And he can wait his turn if needed.

The Hogs aren't bringing him in to be a savior. It brought him in to be useful.

That might be the theme of this portal class.

✍️ Welcome to The Diamond State @Ian_Williams4L pic.twitter.com/leTk8mMTab

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) January 11, 2026

Razorbacks continue Memphis connection

Williams also continues a trend that’s becoming hard to ignore. He’s the seventh Memphis player to follow Silverfield to Arkansas in this portal cycle alone.

Call it familiarity. Call it trust. Call it knowing who shows up on time.

Whatever it is, Arkansas keeps going back to that well, and it hasn’t complained about the water yet.

Williams didn’t pile up stats as a freshman, but he piled up snaps. Coaches tend to value that because it means fewer surprises later.

He played special teams. He played defense. He didn’t disappear.

Arkansas’ portal approach hasn’t been about headlines. It’s been about volume, balance and solving specific problems.

They've checked off boxes for depth at linebacker and secondary that has lots of experience with more than just one year to play.

The Razorbacks didn’t chase names that would demand immediate guarantees. They chased players who could fit, compete and stay.

That’s not glamorous, but it’s how rosters survive in January.

There’s also something else happening here that’s easy to miss. Arkansas isn’t waiting on development to fix everything. It’s supplementing it.

They arrive ready to work. And that, quietly, is the point.

Razorbacks Transfer Class

• DB Christian Harrison, 6-foot-1, 180 (Cincinnati)
• K Braeden McAlister, 5-foot-11, 185 (Georgia State)
• K Max Gilbert, 6-foot, 200 (Tennessee)
• QB AJ Hill, 6-foot-4, 315 (Memphis)
• RB Sutton Smith, 5-foot-9, 185 (Memphis)
• OL Malachi Breland, 6-foot-5, 340 (Memphis)
• WR Jamari Hawkins, 5-foot-11, 180 (Memphis)
• LB Ja'Quavion Smith, 6-foot-1, 230 (Howard)
• DL Carlon Jones, 6-foot-2, 310 (USC)
• DB Braydon Lee, 6-foot-1, 180 (Maryland)
• DB La’Khi Roland, 6-foot-2, 196 (Maryland)
• TE Matt Adcock, 6-foot-3, 245 (Memphis)
• OT Adam Hawkes, 6-foot-5, 305 (Oregon State)
• OT Bryant Williams, 6-foot-7, 336 (Louisiana)
• LB Jamonta Waller, 6-foot, 243 (Auburn)
• DB Tyler Scott, 6-foot-2, 195 (Georgia State)
• LB Steven Soles, 6-foot-2, 237 (Kentucky)
• LB Phoenix Jackson, 6-foot, 223 (Baylor)
• WR Donovan Faupel, 6-foot-1, 200 (New Mexico State)
• DB Shelton Lewis, 5-foot-11, 185 (Clemson) 
• RB Jasper Parker, 6-foot, 205 (Michigan)
• DL Hunter Osborne, 6- foot-4, 301 (Virginia)
• LB Khmori House, 6-foot-2, 210 (North Carolina)
• OL Josiah Clemons, 6-foot-7, 370 (Memphis)
• TE Ty Lockwood, 6-foot-4, 245 (Boston College)
• OL Terence Roberson, Transfer 6-foot-6, 310 (Ouachita Baptist)
• LB Jeremy Evans, 6-foot-1, 218 (Baylor)
• QB Braeden Fuller, 6-foot-3, 180 (Angelo State)
• DB Ian Williams, 5-foot-10 (Memphis)
• LB Ben Bogle, 6-foot-1, 221 (West Virginia)

Key takeaways

• Arkansas added linebacker Ben Bogle, who brings experience from West Virginia and Southern Illinois
• The Razorbacks signed Memphis defensive back Ian Williams with three years of eligibility remaining
• Arkansas continues using the transfer portal to build depth rather than chase splash