Drama Around Hogs’ Malik Hornsby May be Ending Soon

Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman flatly says Cade Fortin is No. 2 quarterback

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Oct 2, 2022 1:59 PM EDT

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coaches may have finally thrown up their hands with the whole Malik Hornsby hybrid experiment.

At the end of a 49-26 tail-kicking by Alabama on Saturday, Hornsby sat on a table on the Razorback sidelines like one of my grandkids not talking to anybody.

When the game ended, he immediately set sail for the locker room. We would assume he changed out of his uniform but have no evidence of that, either.

The only real hard evidence is he's not the second-string quarterback anymore. Cade Fortin came in for KJ Jefferson after some injury that we'll probably find out what's going on officially Monday.

“That decision has been made for a while,” Pittman said after the game about bringing Fortin in. “He’s our No. 2 quarterback, so we put him in there.”

Considering Hornsby's game action has been as some sort of hybrid wide receiver that has produced zero big plays, that's not exactly an earth-shattering decision.

Hornsby has speed if he's going straight. How accurate he is throwing the ball is another question mark completely and he's not the most shifty runner on the field. He hasn't done a lot of that in game action.

The reason this could be important is the schedule coming up fast in the windshield for the Hogs.

Cade Fortin-Alabama — Arkansas Razorbacks backup quarterback Cade Fortin looks downfield late in the 49-26 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Satuday, Oct. 1, 2022, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. (Walt Beazley / allHOGS Images)

After the loss to the Crimson Tide, the Hogs will not play here again until November. First up next week is a morning kickoff in Starkville against a Mississippi State team that beat the daylights out of Texas A&M on Saturday.

Without the best quarterback on the roster, that may prove difficult.

“He hit his head,” Pittman said. “I don’t know. I don’t know where he’s at, to be honest with you. Obviously, we didn’t bring him back in. I don’t know any more than that.”

Hornsby cleaned off everything on his social media, which is usually an indication of the little darlings putting their names into the transfer portal. We may have an answer Monday at high noon when Pittman talks with the media.

Right now might not be the best time for Hornsby to play that card.

But Saturday afternoon he really didn't appear interested in much of anything other than getting off the field at Razorback Stadium.