Trey Knox to South Carolina Projections Weren't Hard to See Coming

Tight end joining two closest position coaches best move for all parties in long run

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Dec 13, 2022 3:51 PM EST
Original:
Dec 13, 2022

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When it came down on Monday that Arkansas hybrid tight end Trey Knox was entering the transfer portal, former Razorback sports information director Rick Schaeffer was quick to say on his radio show "Drive Time Sports" that he didn't think it was directly linked to the departure of tight ends coach Dowell Loggains.

His reasoning was that word began trickling out over the weekend that Knox was destined for the transfer portal and that Loggains hadn't decided to accept the position until Monday morning.

There's official and then there's odds are high in the world of coaches leaving and players transferring.

Yes, the earliest indications Knox was out the door came over the weekend. However, word that Loggains was most likely headed to South Carolina to join Shane Beamer and former Arkansas assistant coach Justin Stepp started kicking around no later than last Thursday morning.

While there isn't the slightest accusation that Loggains recruited Knox off the team, it is quite likely that if those outside the program had a good feel for what was most likely coming so did Knox.

With the man who recruited him to Arkansas already at South Carolina and his position coach headed that way too, it's not hard to make the leap to Knox seeing his chance at continuity in his final opportunity at impressing NFL scouts and making that decision shortly after finding out Loggains was most likely gone.

With Austin Stogner already gone back to Oklahoma and Jaheim Bell apparently making his way to the ACC, it didn't take long for prognosticators to project Knox as 100 percent likely to land with the Gamecocks to fill the void at tight end.

Not only will he have his two old coaches designing a scheme with his strengths in mind, but he will presumably have a heavily motivated Spencer Rattler looking to realize his full potential for NFL scouts also.

While it took a few weeks into the season, Rattler appears to have regained the swagger that carried him heading into his time at Oklahoma. If Knox is lucky, he can find himself regularly on the highlight reel of a Heisman candidate.

It's not all bad for Arkansas. Loggains is the lead recruiter on a good portion of the Hogs' top talent in this next recruiting class. The deepest position in that class is tight end.

Not only are the odds are now less likely that South Carolina tries to pick off Shemar Easter, Luke Hasz and Jaden Hamm, but it's also less likely that they go should the Gamecocks try.

Between transfers, graduates and retirements, the path to starting at tight end in the SEC as a freshman is perfectly clear at Arkansas. Opportunity awaits at least two of those guys with the chance that all three see significant playing time next fall if they handle the offseason properly.

Arkansas may look like it's headed essentially for a rebuild, but that rebuild is going to be heavy on younger players. That's especially true at tight end and wide receiver.

Knox would have been the only security blanket left for quarterback KJ Jefferson. Now, everyone gets a crack at developing chemistry with the experienced quarterback.

It's difficult to watch Loggains walk out the door. He had a lot of good reasons.

A man doesn't uproot his family without them.

However, from a players' standpoint, the transfer of Trey Knox is as big of a win-win as Arkansas is going to get right now.

He will be missed and Arkansas fans shouldn't be mad that he's doing what's best for him. When the Razorbacks needed him to bail them out by taking a pounding as one of the most undersized tight ends in America while bulking up over the next year, he did it.

It's time to take care of his future now and that is with Loggains and Stepp at South Carolina.

It has been for a few days now.