“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” – Michael Corleone, The Godfather Part III.
It seems Arkansas football running back Braylen Russell took a page out of the Corleone family playbook with his roller-coaster transfer saga. Just to catch you up to speed, Russell was entering the transfer portal, and then he wasn’t, and then he was for a few hours, but then he withdrew his name from the portal. All of that happened on December 10.
Less than a week later, Russell is back in the transfer portal, and seems to actually be leaving this time. The constant in-and-out seems to be a result of varying NIL offers. As I see it, it will be no surprise if the Benton, Ark., product ends up going to the highest bidder when this is all over. It certainly wasn’t an issue over playing time, as the rising sophomore was in line to take over as the Hogs’ lead back after Ja’Quinden Jackson’s departure to the NFL.
But this waffling is nothing new for Russell, who played football for multiple high schools, committed to Arkansas, decommitted, recommitted, and then partook in this portal-mania right after his first year in college. Simply put, an in-state kid pulling stunts like this personifies everything fans have come to hate about the transfer portal.
If Russell posts an Instagram graphic donning Ole Miss powder blue in the coming days, that uproar will only grow louder. And regardless of where he ends up, the 250-pound power back’s departure leaves a huge hole in Arkansas’ running back room heading into next season.
More bad news came on Tuesday night when junior tailback Rashod Dubinion also decided to enter the transfer portal. The Ellenwood, Ga., native totaled 209 carries for 888 yards and 8 touchdowns in three years with the Hogs. The 2024 season saw him finish with 335 rushing yards on 56 carries – his highest yardage total on his fewest amount of touches in his college career so far. Dubinion did cough the ball up four times this season (once every 14 carries), which limited his action.
He was also a receiving threat out of the backfield, snagging 16 catches for 122 yards. An efficient 6.0 yards per carry was a promising suggestion of Dubinion’s RB1 potential, but the Razorbacks will now be without him for 2025, as well.
Fortunately, while this might have come across as a whirlwind series of events to fans, it seems Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman was ahead of the curve on the possibility of Russell’s departure. The Head Hog sent out a number of offers and scheduled multiple high-profile visits from tailbacks even before news of these defections broke.
Arkansas Football’s Running Back Outlook for 2025
The Hogs are losing a combined 1,429 rushing yards with the departures of Jackson, Dubinion and Russell, which leaves the Razorbacks shockingly thin in the backfield.
Florida State transfer Rodney Hill will presumably return for a second season in Fayetteville after posting 20 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns in 2024 – a solid clip of 5.2 yards per carry. A former four-star prospect in his own right, Hill could certainly step up into a more prominent role in his junior season.
JUCO transfer Tyrell Reed Jr. is another returning scholarship running back for the Hogs who will be a redshirt sophomore next season. He ran for 833 yards and 13 touchdowns in his lone year at Hutchinson CC in Kansas. In his first season at the FBS level in 2024, he tallied five carries for 28 yards and a touchdown in a reserve role for the Razorbacks.
JuJu Pope is a converted linebacker listed as a running back on the team roster. He didn’t see any action in 2024, and will be a redshirt freshman next year. Two incoming three-star true freshmen in Markeylin Batton and Cameron Settles provide promising options for the future, but it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect them to have a sizable immediate impact.
All told, the Razorbacks return just 8% of their rushing production from tailbacks heading into next season.
That creates a desperate need for both talent and depth in that department. It’s clear the coaching staff feels the same way, as they’ve reached out to a number of talented portal tailbacks with offers. Here are some of the most promising options for running back coach Kolby Smith and Arkansas football.
Pair of Visiting “Get-Backs” for Arkansas Football
The Hogs have actually already hosted a pair of Group of Five tailbacks looking to jump up to the SEC ranks. Texas State’s Ismail Mahdi is one of them, as the junior posted 991 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season to go along with 195 receiving yards and another two scores.
This came after a 2023 season that saw Mahdi lead the nation in all purpose yards with 2,169 – 1,331 rushing, 275 receiving and 563 from kick returns. While his production dipped slightly in 2024, he still earned 1st-Team All-Sun Belt honors for a second consecutive season. At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, Mahdi is definitely on the smaller end for a running back – but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in speed and elusiveness. The Murphy, Texas, native visited Arkansas this past weekend, and will surely be a top priority for the staff after Russell and Dubinion’s departure.
Arkansas will likely face stiff competition for Mahdi from Texas Tech, which just created an obvious connection by hiring Texas State offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich to the same position. The Red Raiders also lost their starting running back to the portal this offseason, presenting an immediate need at the position. The transfer portal closes on December 28, so it appears the Liberty Bowl trophy may not be the only thing on the line when the Hogs face Texas Tech the day before.
In addition to his talents, Mahdi has an amazing name that begs for a reference to the movie Dune.
Arkansas also hosted New Mexico standout Eli Sanders this past weekend, who ran for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns on 147 carries (7.2 yards per carry) in his junior season. Sanders began his career at Iowa State, rushing for 477 yards and four touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore in 2023 before transferring to New Mexico. That Power Four production suggests he could fit in seamlessly at the SEC level.
The 5-foot-11, 194-pounder is also visiting Michigan State, Arizona and Virginia Tech – but Arkansas should be able to leverage its SEC prestige to win Sanders over.
Other Running Back Options for Arkansas Football
There’s also a pair of talented running backs from border-state schools who Arkansas could target, one of which is Missouri’s Kewan Lacy, who entered the portal Monday morning. The true freshman was a top-100 prospect out of high school according to On3, but struggled to carve out a big role for the Tigers this season. He appeared in six games, totaling 23 carries for 104 yards. The prospect of poaching an important piece away from head coach Eli Drinkwitz would have been a cold dish of revenge for Pittman after a number of on and off-field losses to the Tigers in the last few years.
Unfortunately, Lacy came off the board as quickly as he came on it. The freshman committed to Ole Miss exactly 12 hours after he entered the portal. Nothing suspicious about that, right?
UL-Monroe tailback Ahmad Hardy presents an admittedly far-fetched option for the Hogs, though his close proximity to Arkansas warrants a phone call and an offer, at least. Hardy rushed for a whopping 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns as a true freshman this season, which is good enough to land at No. 2 on On3’s list of the nation’s top running backs in the transfer portal this offseason.
A native of Monticello, Miss., Hardy has unsurprisingly visited Ole Miss already and expressed excitement about the prospect of being a Rebel. Still, the lead RB spot there may soon be taken by Lacy or the nation’s to tailback transfer in Justice Haynes. Plus, if Lane Kiffin looks elsewhere for his top running backs (toward Russell, perhaps), then Arkansas could jump in for the talented freshman. Kentucky is also hot on Hardy’s heels.
If Pittman is looking for depth, then a very familiar face just entered the transfer portal in TCU’s Dominique Johnson, who spent four years with the Razorbacks before transferring to the Horned Frogs to follow offensive coordinator Kendal Briles. Things didn’t quite work out for Johnson in Fort Worth, as he appeared in only seven games and tallied just 18 carries for 63 yards and one score.
The grass isn’t always greener, even when it’s home to a familiar face. The experienced power back may want to come back to Fayetteville for his final year of college eligibility.
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John Nabors discusses Braylen Russell and Arkansas’ transfer portal strategy:
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More coverage of Arkansas football and the transfer portal from BoAS:
