Transfer portal madness may be dominating the headlines this offseason, but Sam Pittman has also quietly rewarded a pair of loyal in-state Razorbacks, Best of Arkansas Sports has learned.
Tight end Maddox Lassiter and offensive lineman Brooks Edmonson, who joined the Arkansas football program as walk-ons from Warren and Bryant, respectively, have been placed on scholarship.
While some programs like to produce elaborate videos for such occasions, it has always been Pittman’s policy to do it behind closed doors so as not to hurt the feelings of other walk-ons.
BoAS was first told of the news earlier in the week. Lassiter’s brother actually announced his scholarship via Twitter on Thursday before we confirmed both with a UA spokesperson Friday.
Four players on this year’s roster were on scholarship after beginning their careers as walk-ons, with the most notable being versatile defensive back Hudson Clark. Offensive lineman Josh Street, punter Devin Bale and long snapper Ashton Ngo were the others.
While Clark earned his scholarship in legendary fashion, coming down with three interceptions against Ole Miss in 2020, the latter three were earned in practice and bestowed when spots came open in the aftermath of departures.
Street, a Bentonville native, got his scholarship last August when Western Kentucky defensive back transfer A.J. Brathwaite left the team. Bale and Ngo were awarded theirs this offseason after Max Fletcher and Eli Stein, respectively, left the team.
Brooks Edmonson, Maddox Lassiter Earn Scholarships
Despite being unheralded prospects coming out of high school, both Maddox Lassiter and Brooks Edmonson have far exceeded their no-star ratings.
Forced to play quarterback at Warren High, Lassiter was recruited by the Razorbacks as a tight end and actually carved out a role for himself playing fullback as a redshirt freshman this season.
According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-3, 243-pound athlete played 64 total offensive snaps this season and most of those were as the fullback in Arkansas’ heavy packages.
His role did expand late in the season after the dismissal of tight ends Var’keyes Gumms and Ty Washington, though. In fact, Lassiter actually ran a couple of routes against Louisiana Tech that could have resulted in touchdowns, but Taylen Green didn’t see him running wide open down the middle of the field on one and then over threw him in the end zone on the other.
With Luke Hasz hitting the transfer portal and committing to Ole Miss, Lassiter is expected to be even more involved in the upcoming Liberty Bowl. The only other scholarship tight end available for that game is Andreas Paaske, as Shamar Easter is getting more reps at wide receiver.
Brooks Edmonson did not have as large of a role throughout the season, as 22 of his 31 offensive snaps came late in the season-opening blowout of UAPB and another seven were late in the blowout win at Mississippi State. Those snaps were at right guard and left guard, respectively. He was also a fixture on the field goal protection unit.
One of his remaining two “offensive” snaps was on a fake field goal against Texas A&M, but it was the other one that might have been the most significant in painting a picture of how valued he was by the Razorbacks’ coaching staff.
During the home finale against Louisiana Tech, starting center Addison Nichols went down with an injury. He missed only one play and his replacement was neither Amaury Wiggins, the listed backup center on the depth chart, nor Joe More, who had been snapping with backup quarterback Malachi Singleton in pregame warmups.
Instead, Edmonson trotted out and snapped the ball. With Nichols in the transfer portal, he is the presumed favorite to start at center against Texas Tech — which Pittman also hinted at Thursday, while mentioning More was also an option there and one of the open guard spots.
It remains to be seen who the Razorbacks land out of the transfer portal in 2025, but both in-state players figure to be key depth pieces — at a minimum — next season.
Another Arkansas Walk-On to Watch
Another walk-on who could see his role expanded in the Liberty Bowl because of all the defections is wide receiver Monte Harrison.
The Razorbacks will be without star receiver Andrew Armstrong, who opted out of the game to focus on the NFL Draft, as well as No. 2 receiver Isaiah Sategna, who entered the transfer portal.
Isaac TeSlaa took over as a starter late in the season and will likely hold down one spot and Jordan Anthony will likely be elevated into a starting role in the slot.
Who takes over as the third starter remains to be seen, but two possibilities mentioned by Sam Pittman earlier this week were Harrison and fellow freshman C.J. Brown.
Harrison played more during the regular season and is an intriguing story as a 29-year-old former MLB player who was out of football entirely for a decade before joining the Razorbacks this offseason.
It’s unlikely he’ll be placed on scholarship, though, because the Milwaukee Brewers – which drafted him in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft – are footing the bill for his education.
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