Pair of Veteran Razorbacks Receive Preseason All-SEC Honors

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Two Arkansas Razorbacks were honored as preseason All-SEC selections Wednesday in senior defensive end Quincy Rhodes and redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Kobe Branham.

Rhodes, 6-foot-6, 277 pounds, opted to wait another year to enter the NFL Draft and return to Arkansas for his final year of eligibility. He was among the most feared pass rushers in the SEC last season after compiling 44 tackles, including a team-leading 15.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, six quarterback hurries and one forced fumble last season.

To recognize Rhodes' efforts in 2025, he was named to Athlon Sports' second team All-SEC.

He was a lone bright spot on a historically woeful defensive unit that allowed more than 425 yards per game, which ranked them No. 123 nationally and dead last in the SEC.

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

A native of North Little Rock, he was considered a 4-star prospect out of high school and among the more highly regarded pass rushers to come out of the state in quite some time.

It might have taken him some time to become a full-fledged contributor sitting behind former Razorback and third round NFL Draft selection Landon Jackson, Rhodes absorbed as much information as possible, helping him become a specialist at getting after the passer.

"I think the ability to get after the quarterback at that position is huge," Silverfield said earlier this spring. "We know Quincy Rhodes has great pass rush ability, and we're going to continue to talk to Quincy about continuing to be better at that and being great versus the run. But that JACK position, we don't want them just to be pass rushers, but it's nice to be able to see."

And don't get it confused, Silverfield knows the kind of talent he has in Rhodes is special. However, he wants to make sure he gets the most out of his defensive star to help him avoid complacency at his spot.

“Quincy Rhodes, who I’m going to continue to challenge, obviously Quincy’s played a lot of football here and has done it at a high level, so it made sense for him to go with the ones," Silverfield said in March. "But I told him, I said, ‘Listen, every day you’re going to be battling your tail off to earn that spot and continue to get better.’”

On the offensive side of the ball, Branham has become one of the more well respected lineman in the conference. He has started 13 consecutive games at right guard for the Razorbacks and helped pave the way for six games of 500+ total yards of offense in 2025, which helped him earn a fourth team spot on Athlon's preseason All-SEC team.

His experience along the interior with center Caden Kitler has helped during the coaching transition to help get teammates further along in the process.

Arkansas right guard Kobe Branham — Arkansas Razorback offensive lineman Kobe Branham (50) blocks during the second quarter against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

“It’s funny, we were talking the other day like Kobe [Branham] and [Caden] Kitler had an exchange on a twist, and you could tell they’ve been doing it [with the previous staff]," offensive line coach Jeff Myers said during the spring. "There’s a lot of reps behind it, where sometimes it might be a little more choppy between Kobe and Bryant [Williams] as we continue to get comfortable next to each other.

"Having some guys in the room that know what you expect it to look like has helped, not necessarily push the message, but I think that they knew that they had to come in and prove themselves.”

A native of Fort Smith, the former 3-star guard committed to Arkansas over Ole Miss, Texas A&M, SMU, Oklahoma State and many others early on during the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Arkansas will lean heavily on Branham's experience during Silverfield's first season as the Razorbacks attempt to stabilize an offensive line that underwent significant changes throughout the offseason.

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