Feldman Places Razorbacks' Senior Defensive End on 'Freaks List'

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks senior defensive end Quincy Rhodes made The Athletic's Freak List, coming in at No. 65 per Bruce Feldman.

One of the best D-linemen in college football, Rhodes earned All-SEC honors last year after he notched the most tackles for loss (15.5) by a Razorback in 10 years to go with eight sacks, six hurries and a forced fumble in 12 games. At 6-foot-6, 277 pounds, he’s super strong, having bench pressed 405 pounds, squatted 585 and power cleaned 375. He broad jumped 10-2, vertical jumped 30 inches and clocked 19.97 mph on the GPS.
Bruce Feldman, The Athletic

Arkansas Shouldn't Be Surprised

Once dressed in his game day attire, Rhodes transforms into one of the most intimidating players to have ever lined up along the line of scrimmage at Arkansas. He backed that up with a huge 2025 season even if his team underwhelmed the masses last season, which led to the firing of coach Sam Pittman.

Now, under new direction of Ryan Silverfield, the man who offered Rhodes first as a junior in high school is prepared to unleash a whole different side of himself going into his final year of college.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes during game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

After skipping out on the NFL Draft this spring, his decision to return to Arkansas is beneficial for new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, who had to rebuild a unit among the worst nationally in 2025.

His pure size and athleticism pops off the edge and will be valuable to a defensive front that weren't so active just a few months prior with only 22 total sacks on the season.

Rhodes is more than capable of winning battles against offensive tackles, but needs to be provided more opportunities to show off his ability to cause chaos in opposing backfields. He is quite explosive coming off the line with a immediate burst coming out of his stance.

Not only can Rhodes show pop off the block, but his closing rate certainly helps him finish off tackles in the backfield.

How Roberts Defense Can Amplify Rhodes Talents

The pure foundation of Roberts' "Creeper" defensive approach is to make opponents guess where the pressure is coming from. Instead of sending four lineman, an extra linebacker or dropping to Cover Zero, he might drop Rhodes into coverage instead.

Many times in 2026, the North Little Rock native was put into double team situations where he couldn't neccissarily break free. Now, Roberts can help his senior pass rusher capitalize on protection breakdowns rather than having to defeat two blockers to impact a play.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes after a stop against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas Communications

He'll also get to play more snaps off the edge instead of playing more of a 4-i technique (inside shoulder of the offensive tackle). Rhodes can be used in several other ways such as twisting into different gaps and even use his length to disrupt the rhythm of a quarterback.

If Silverfield and his staff are truly pushing Rhodes to be at his best every single day in practice, then flourishing on the field as a senior will come easy.

"That's one thing about Quincy that I love is he knows that he has more upside," Silverfield said at SEC Media Days. "So we're continuing to push him. His body has already changed in the short time with our new strength and conditioning staff. We're seeing him take steps in the right direction in a leadership role. We're going to continue to push him. I'm as hard on him as any player in our roster."

Going into his senior year, Rhodes could become one of the SEC's premier defensive ends in the country, which could lead him to becoming a high pick in the 2027 NFL Draft if he continues to build off last season.

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