Hogs Still Have Only Win in Bowl for SEC, but Losing Players

With linebacker Jackson Woodard, defensive back Simeon Blair leaving, more holes to fill.

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Dec 31, 2022 9:24 AM EST
Original:
Dec 30, 2022

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas football roster is going to be a little different starting in spring.

Over half of the team has left, either entering the transfer portal, very few leaving with eligibility for the NFL or medical retirements or whatever.

Two more left Friday with linebacker Jackson Woodard and defensive back Simeon Blair putting their names into the portal.

Whatever the reason is, this is a surprising number.

It was interesting since Woodard actually saw considerable playing time in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Kansas. He was in on 34 snaps, including a pass broken up on a key fourth down in the fourth quarter.

"Something ain't right," more than one former player has told me and posted on social media. There are too many to list.

Don't look here for a magical explanation. There is the usual rumor and speculation, but nothing where anybody wants to go on the record, so until that happens, it's the usual "I know a guy who knows a guy type thing."

One thing that is clear are the sheer numbers. An eye-opening 26 players have hit the transfer portal.

There is no criticism for some of them like Blair. He was originally a walk-on from Pine Bluff and he has done everything asked and required in his time with the Hogs and, even if he would just like a change in scenery, that's fine.

But the Razorbacks do have the only win in bowl season, although it took three overtimes, overcoming a targeting call after stopping a game-clinching two-point conversion, to secure that 53-52 win over the Jayhawks is it for the league.

Of course, this is written before the conclusion of the Orange Bowl between Tennessee and Clemson. With all the orange on the field it looks like somebody combined the whites from the holiday package of M'M's with the orange Halloween version and poured it out.

Honestly, South Carolina nearly beating Notre Dame was the most surprising from this vantage point, but none of these bowls really mean anything until Saturday afternoon.

Hogs coach Sam Pittman has a bigger problem than the rest of the league regarding bowl games that mean nothing.

Right now he's got to find enough warm bodies for spring practice, which is going to make for an interesting start to the new year.