Razorbacks May Have a Wide Receiver Room Built to Surprise This Season

While everyone's watching the quarterback race, Arkansas wide receivers coach Larry Smith is quietly building one of the deepest receiver rooms with Hogs.

Arkansas Razorbacks Chris Marshall at spring practice. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Everyone's talking about the quarterback battle at Arkansas and, sure, that storyline's hard to ignore.

While the signal-caller competition gets most of the headlines, it's the group of guys on the other end of those throws that could define a 2026 season that has far more questions now than just answers.

The Razorbacks are deep into spring practice with a wide receiver room that's got something for everybody wih proven veterans, hungry transfers with NFL-caliber tools and a few freshmen who've been turning heads since Day 1.

Wide receivers coach Larry Smith addressed the media Wednesday, and he sounded like a man who's genuinely looking forward to what's ahead.

"One thing that I've been most pleased with is just how they kind of hold each other accountable, kind of feed off each other's energy, coaching each other up," Smith said. "But it's fun. You've got some guys that's played some ball. You've got some unproven guys we're excited about."

That kind of energy matters. It's not just about who can run routes or make catches in tight windows, it's about a room that's bought into the process together under new head coach Ryan Silverfield.

Transfers Bring Size, Speed and SEC-Level Pedigree

If you want to talk about the new faces who could make the biggest impact, start with Chris Marshall.

The 6-3, 222-pound redshirt senior is a former five-star recruit from the Class of 2022 who's had stops at Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Kilgore CC and Boise State before landing at Arkansas. His path's been bumpy, no question, but Smith says the talent has never been in doubt.

"You see why he was a five-star coming out of high school. He has all the tools," Smith said. "This is his last year. He only has one year to get it right. We all know his history. But we had that honest conversation on his visit. He's locked in. He's a smart football player. But he is a dog. He has that dog in him."

Marshall started five games and caught 30 passes for 574 yards and two touchdowns in 2025, averaging 19.1 yards per catch at Boise State. His size alone changes the equation for whoever wins the quarterback job.

CJ Brown can see it firsthand.

"He's a big receiver," Brown said. "I think he knows how to use his size to put DBs in difficult positions to guard them, back-shoulders, things like that, and even take the top off. It's been really impressive."

Then there's Jamari Hawkins, the 5-10 redshirt senior who followed Smith and Silverfield from Memphis.

Hawkins broke out in 2025 with 38 receptions for 623 yards and a 16.4 yards-per-catch average, finishing with a pair of touchdowns.

Smith remembered a moment from a few years back when a far less confident Hawkins sat in his office and said he didn't feel like he belonged.

"As he got going, confidence started building up for him and his role increased," Smith said. "Just seeing his growth over the previous three years, it's very pleasing to see him when two years ago he had no confidence in himself, but now you look at him and — bro, now you're in the SEC."

Donovan Faupel, a 6-1, 202-pound senior out of New Mexico State, rounds out the experienced transfer additions after recording 61 catches for 661 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025, earning Second-Team All-CUSA recognition.

Smith was direct about what the Hogs needed from the portal: "We needed some size on the outside, we needed some speed and we needed some guys who were productive."

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver CJ Brown in spring practice. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

CJ Brown the Hometown Anchor

When things got uncertain this offseason following the coaching change, Brown didn't bolt. He stayed. The Bentonville native sat down with Silverfield for a conversation that went well beyond football.

"Coach Silverfield just had me in his office, and we had a good talk," Brown said. "We talked for probably about 20-30 minutes just about life and stuff like that. And I just ultimately decided it was the best decision for me to stay."

That decision's paying dividends for the whole room. Brown started 10 of 12 games he appeared in last year and recorded 28 catches for 381 yards and three touchdowns on3 He's a rising junior with 20 games of experience and 11 career starts

His roots in the area make him a natural fit as a team leader.

Smith has leaned on him in ways that go beyond the field.

"CJ has been great for me off the field as well," Smith said, noting that the Bentonville native has helped with restaurant recommendations and family hangout spots. "He has been playing for his essentially his hometown team. CJ has been great."

Brown's not taking the responsibility lightly.

"Not just for the young guys, but the whole room," he said. "Really being that receiver that carries the room, in terms of, obviously, what goes on on the field but also outside of it. Just keeping everything in line."

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Ismael Cisse during spring practice. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

The Return of Ismael Cisse

If there's a player whose spring carries a deeply personal charge, it's Ismael Cisse.

The 6-0, 198-pound redshirt junior from Stanford missed the entire 2025 season after suffering ligament damage in his wrist during a weight room workout last summer.

Before that injury hit, he'd been running with the first group in the 2025 spring and looked like a sure starter.

As a redshirt freshman at Stanford in 2024, Cisse logged 26 receptions for 241 yards and two touchdowns. on3 The talent was never the question. Getting healthy was.

He's fully healthy now, and Smith can't say enough good things.

"He loves ball. He does a great job of taking notes. He's physical, he's tough and he catches the football," Smith said. "As receivers, we get paid to catch the rock and he simply catches the ball, whether it's wide open, contested. He plays a lot bigger than his true size."

Smith also called out Cisse's makeup as a person.

"Ish is a joy to coach because he loves the game, he has a great personality. He is a vocal guy. He'll kind of rally the troops a little bit and get guys going," Smith said. "He's so determined to get back from missing last year, so this offseason was very personal for him."

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Antonio Jordan making a catch in preseason drills on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

Antonio Jordan Has Tools, Now Comes Work

If one name carries the most long-term buzz in this receiver room, it might be Antonio Jordan.

The 6-6, 230-pound redshirt freshman from Warren, Ark., is still learning what it means to be a college football player full-time — but Smith sees a future that stretches well beyond Fayetteville.

Jordan was limited last season by a high-ankle sprain, and Smith described him as a "baby giraffe" who's finding his footing but improving every day.

"He's a guy that can easily play on Sundays because he has that much talent, that much skill set, that much ability," Smith said. "But it's going to be for him is understanding how to take care of his body, how to live in the training room, which he's doing a much better job of that. And just understanding, like, this is a full-time job."

Smith put Jordan's development in perspective, reminding everyone the kid's still only going into his second year of college.

"He's learning how to be a pro," Smith said. "Once he starts understanding that and taking that a little more serious, I think the sky's the limit for him, because he is special. He really is."

Warren has a long tradition of producing outstanding wide receivers and Jordan fits right into that lineage if he can keep himself on the field.

Young Legs from Bentonville

The youth movement in this receiver room doesn't stop at Jordan. True freshmen Blair Irvin III and Dequane Prevo both played their high school ball at Bentonville — the same school that produced CJ Brown.

That shared background has helped them connect quickly inside the program.

Prevo, a 5-10, 174-pound true freshman, had previously attended Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana before transferring to Bentonville ahead of last season.

He's been rotating in with regularity and has turned the most heads among the freshmen early in spring drills.

Brown said the connections run deep.

"I've known Blair probably since I was about sixth grade," he said. "Prevo, I kind of just met him when he moved to the area. But it's cool that we all have those same connections."

Smith has been pleased with what he's seeing from both.

"We're very excited about the young guys in the room as well," he said. "Those guys have shown some flashes with us in the first few practices. All in all I think we have a really talented room."

There's also Courtney Crutchfield, the 6-2, 186-pound redshirt sophomore from Pine Bluff who chose Missouri over Arkansas in recruiting before eventually landing with the Hogs via transfer.

He had conditioning issues last spring but showed up this year noticeably leaner and more focused. Smith noted a text Crutchfield sent him between study hall and practice wanting to meet up.

It was a small sign of growing maturity.

"Small things like that is letting me know he's starting to mature and understand that," Smith said.

Practice No. 5 of 15 is set for Thursday at approximately 4:15 p.m. The spring wraps up with the Red-White Game on April 25 at 2 p.m. inside Razorback Stadium.

By then, this receiver room might just be the most interesting storyline in Fayetteville — quarterback battle and all.