All Hogs

Razorbacks latest to offer speedy transfer, former SEC receiver

After one season at Hawaii, Crowdus enters transfer portal with eyes set on top Power Four, Group of Five programs
Jacob Davis|
Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Dekel Crowdus (3) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Kroger Field.
Kentucky Wildcats wide receiver Dekel Crowdus (3) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Kroger Field. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

In this story:

Arkansas RazorbacksHawaii Rainbow WarriorsKentucky Wildcats

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas is one of the latest teams to reach out to Hawaii transfer wide receiver Dekel Crowdus.

The former 4-star prospect originally signed with Kentucky as a member of its 2021 high school class where he made minimal impact before transferring to Hawaii following the the 2023 season. In his lone season on the island, Crowdus caught 16 passes for 402 yards and four touchdowns, surpassing 50 yards receiving in five games last season.

As a recruit, Crowdus amassed over 20 offers and was ranked as the No. 307 overall prospect for 2021, No. 49 among wide receivers and No. 4 athlete in Kentucky. First-year wide receiver O'Mega Blake took a similar path, transferring down to Charlotte from South Carolina after an up and down tenure with the Gamecocks.

The 5-foot-11, 170 pound speedster averaged 25 yards per reception in 2024 and will have one year of eligibility to round out his playing career. He has announced offers from several different programs across the nation as a later portal entrant with Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Utah, West Virginia, Washington State, Costal Carolina, Texas State and Charlotte all reaching out.

After redshirting as a true freshman, Crowdus appeared in 20 games over the course of his final two seasons at Kentucky with his role mostly spent on the Wildcats' special teams unit.

Arkansas has targeted several wide receivers this offseason, signing six with the latest addition coming Sunday in Florida's Andy Jean. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound wideout previously entered the portal in December, but re-entered following spring practice.

Jean is the No. 161 ranked reiver, No. 933 overall transfer in the portal after playing in four games as a freshman with the Gators, pulling down six receptions for 97 yards in 2023 with an average just over 24 yards per catch.

Former Florida wide receiver Andy Jean
Florida Gators wide receiver Andy Jean (14) makes a catch during fall football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. | Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook also finished his visit at Arkansas this weekend, but no decision has been made. He took a trip to Syracuse prior to meeting with the Razorbacks' staff over the weekend.

Since the NCAA implemented a new rule this season against student-athletes transferring to another school with the same conference, both Cook and Jean are exempt since each of them enrolled at another school in a different power conference.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman certainly didn't shy away from answering whether Arkansas would take a wide receiver out of the transfer portal or not this offseason.

He actually embraced the possiblity as the Razorbacks continue to rebuild its receiver corps this offseason.

Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman watching spring practice drills
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman watching spring practice drills on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

"The plan is not to, but I’m not saying that," Pittman said April 15. "We may, depends on who goes out. If we have a scholarship at wide receiver or something like that, would we take one? Absolutely. But right now, we’re at 85 scholarships and so you have to certainly before you can replace a scholarship somebodies got to go in the portal."

The Razorbacks were potent in year one under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, finishing No. 10 nationally in total offense averaging 460 yards per game last season. Petrino's offense was one of the best in the FBS with 246 chunk plays of 10+ yards in 2024 which ranked No. 3 nationally, an improvement from just 139 such plays (No. 108) in 2023.

Arkansas Wide Receiver Chart

O'Mega Blake, Redshirt Senior
Raylen Sharpe, Redshirt Senior
Kam Shanks, Redshirt Sophomore
Ismael Cisse, Redshirt Sophomore
Monte Harrison, Sophomore
C.J. Brown, Sophomore
Krosse Johnson, Redshirt Freshman
Zach Taylor, Redshirt Freshman
Courtney Crutchfield, Redshirt Freshman
Jace Brown, Freshman
Ja'kayden Ferguson, Freshman
Antonio Jordan, Freshman

HOGS FEED:

Published
Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

Home/Football