Razorbacks' Coach 'Excited' to See What Watkins Brings to WR Room

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There is one coach in Arkansas' history that didn't win a whole lot in his time here, but did have one thing right.

You either have speed, or you are chasing speed, and you don't want to be chasing speed
Chad Morris

Now, Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield was a bit more successful during his time in the American Conference at Memphis when it comes to Morris at SMU. But that's almost like comparing apples to oranges since the college football landscape has changed rapidly.

However, the core principle remains the same. A coach better have speed in the SEC or you're going to be run out of town quicker than greased lightning.

Easy 10.03 (-0.1) for Jelani Watkins to qualify for nationals in the 100mpic.twitter.com/KX6EMoNYk3
— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) May 29, 2026

In Arkansas' case, the Razorbacks added LSU wide receiver transfer Jelani Watkins and Georgia track standout Maurice Gleaton to hopefully add a different dynamic to offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey's scheme.

"At the wide receiver position, we have a bunch of guys who are capable of playing football at a high, high level," Silverfield said Monday. "Jelani Watkins has just gotten added to us. Obviously, it goes without being said. Like we're really excited about his speed. But what can he do with the football in his hand and and take care of that? We haven't seen him with contact. He's not the the heaviest of guys."

Watkins, 5-foot-11, 163 pounds, played sparingly for the Tigers over the past couple of seasons and was one of the program's top recruits under former coach Brian Kelly. He was the No. 106 ranked prospect in the country in the 2024 recruiting cycle, No. 5 among receivers and No. 19 among Lousiana athletes, according to ESPN.

During track season, Watkins performed at a high level by sweeping the 100-meter and 200-meter titles at the SEC Outdoor Championships. He also broke a 21-year-old school record in the 200-meter with a time of 19.87 seconds.

Jelani Watkins completes SEC Champs sprint double!

🏆9.95 (-0.2) - 100m
🏆19.87 (+0.5) - 200mpic.twitter.com/cLqg6QDPMn
— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) May 17, 2026

"Yeah. So for Jelani, we made a deal. Obviously, world-class track athlete, that when he was at track, his focus could be at track," Silverfield said. "Now, to the kid's credit and the young man's credit, he showed up at some of those winter workouts early in the morning to just stand there and watch.

"Now we weren't going to beat down his body because he had the ability to go out there and run on a national level, but [said] "Make sure you're studying the playbook when you have a chance on a Saturday night. Hey, look in your iPad. Make sure you're getting that.' So, to his credit, it's not like he was that far behind. There's a big difference between studying a playbook, a paper copy, or watching film, or sitting on some meetings, and then going out there and doing it."

What Silverfield wants to do now is see how Watkins preparation off the field translates to production during fall camp. It doesn't matter if someone has world class speed if he can't get open or embrace physicality.

"His first time actually jogging and running through routes was these OTAs. But to give him credit, he's smart. He asked questions, so he's a young man that you hope has that ability to come and impress on those other guys that have been here, because he can run."

Where Could Watkins Help?

There's a strong chance Watkins can carve out a role on special teams as a kickoff returner.

He returned two kickoffs for a total of 35 yards, but special teams coordinator Chad Lunsford believes the redshirt sophomore's dynamic ability can lead to him seeing the field rather quickly behind running back Sutton Smith.

Anytime you’ve got that type of speed, you want to see if he can be that dynamic returner for you," Lunsford said of Watkins during the spring. "When you go into the philosophy of kickoff return and punt return, first and foremost that our team should be able to tell you, and hopefully by training camp, they will know how to tell you that the whole goal on both teams is to possess the ball, period.

"Give the ball to the offense. That’s what we’re doing. But anytime that you get a dynamic guy, you want to take advantage of that. So I think Jelani, he’s definitely a guy that we want to take a look at just because of his speed. If he catches the ball really well as a returner, that would be something that we would want to look at.”

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