Under normal circumstances, Arkansas football’s upset of No. 4 Tennessee and the field-storming that ensued would have been the most chaotic college football moment of the weekend.
But the Hogs’ primetime surprise was just par for the Week 6 course in an insane set of games in the SEC that also saw No. 9 Missouri get bludgeoned by Texas A&M and, most notably, No. 1 Alabama fall to Vanderbilt.
In the fallout of that embarrassing loss to the Commodores, Alabama defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis decided to enter the transfer portal – adding to a new trend across college football of players getting a head start on the offseason.
If you thought bowl game opt-outs and unrestricted free agency were bad, get ready for the newest evolution of the NIL era – the midseason transfer.
Players on various teams around the country have begun calling it quits on their season early, exercising a redshirt before they appear in four games and sitting out the rest of the year with the intent of transferring to a new school in the offseason. We saw it with the controversial NIL dispute between quarterback Matthew Sluka, UNLV and Barry Odom. It’s also happening at schools like UCF, where five players have already entered the portal at the halfway point in the season.
Oatis’ entry is the latest and the most noteworthy of these midseason portalers, and his family ties to a future Razorback presents a unique opportunity for Arkansas to get a head start on 2025
Family Ties Present Opportunity for Midseason Transfer Flip
Jehiem Oatis, a junior, was a top-40 prospect coming out of high school with high expectations. In his first season in Tuscaloosa, he made an instant impact by starting 10 games and earning All-SEC Freshman honors.
Injuries hampered his sophomore season, limiting him to only three starts. Those setbacks included lingering ankle issues, a particularly pesky problem for big guys. He also missed spring practice with injury, which put him behind the eight-ball with the new coaching staff coming in.
Oatis finally got healthy in time for the season, but struggled to regain his place on top of the pecking order. His snap count plummeted through Alabama’s first five games, and he cited playing time as his main reason for transferring.
There will surely be a long queue of suitors for a former blue-chip recruit like Oatis, but Arkansas has an ace up its sleeve that could push the Hogs to the front of the pack.
Oatis is the cousin of current Arkansas commit Kevin Oatis, a four-star defensive lineman in the class of 2025, according to Inside the Rebels’ David Johnson. Kevin is from Hattiesburg, Miss., which is less than an hour away from Jehiem’s hometown of Columbia, Miss. The chance to play together in the trenches with his little cousin will certainly be appealing for the elder Oatis.
Kevin was fired up about the prospect of becoming a Razorback after Arkansas’ upset of Tennessee.
“Man, I loved how we finished,” he told Whole Hog Sports’ Richard Davenport. “I wasn’t at the game but it felt like I was there. Adversity struck but we took it to the chin and finished strong.”
Another surefire contender for Jehiem is Ole Miss, as defensive coordinator Pete Golding was running the Crimson Tide’s defense in 2022, when Oatis put up his most successful college season. Ole Miss sources seem to think a reunion might be in the cards for 2025, but Arkansas defensive line coach Deke Adams will certainly be hoping the blood flows thicker than water in this case.
Questioning the Merit of Midseason Transfers
The newly-minted concept of a midseason transfer has drawn a lot of ire from fans and coaches around the country, with many labeling it as “quitting on your team.” That included former Alabama defensive back and current Tide staffer Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who took a shot at Oatis on Twitter this week.
“Players are opting out to redshirt a year because they didn’t get playing time? What about creating good habits and working on your craft? Just quit,” he said. “No more reps at practice, no more routines? Just go into the portal rusty? Got it.”
“It’s not that it’s ruining college football but it’s hurting our youth who need these times to face adversity, develop good habits and character as young men so success carries over into the next chapter of life,” he continued.
Nothing funny about Ha Ha’s harsh words from a player who went through college the old-fashioned way, with no NIL or immediate eligibility for transfers. An All-American and a fan favorite with an amazing name, Clinton-Dix would have been the perfect candidate for laughing all the way to the bank with NIL partnerships in college.
But does Oatis really deserve such vitriol? Some would consider all midseason transfers to be “quitters,” but judging these transfer decisions on a case-by-case basis is a much better way to go about things.
The debacle between Sluka and UNLV, for instance, is a great example of a situation where a player deserves some of the criticism that comes his way. You’re a player that’s the starting quarterback and leader of a team that’s undefeated and in contention for the College Football Playoff, and you call it quits over an NIL dispute.
There’s a lot of conflicting information from both sides of the dispute, but judging from the reactions of Sluka’s teammates, they weren’t a big fan of his antics. UNLV linebacker and former Razorback Jackson Woodard replied to a Twitter post naming backup Hajj Malik-Williams as QB1 and said it was “about time.”
If Sluka actually was manipulated into signing with UNLV for benefits that were promised but never delivered, then that somewhat justifies his decision. But it’s still a terrible look for him to bow out of a potentially massive season for the program. For what it’s worth, Malik-Williams has filled in admirably as the starter, which might contribute to more hate flying Sluka’s way.
While the Vegas situation is an example of the dark side of modern college athletics, Oatis’ transfer decision is a lot more respectable. First off, he’s an upperclassman who’s put three years into the Alabama program, so at least he gave it a good shot to work his way up before transferring.
Also, he’s only got two more years of eligibility left at the college level. If he had stayed at Alabama for the rest of the season, he would have likely burned another year without seeing meaningful playing time. That would put him heading into his final season next year, potentially putting him in a bind. The early transfer gives him more options and leverage going forward. Hear from Oatis himself:
“This decision did not come easily, but I need to prioritize my future and career,” he said on social media. “While the season did not unfold the way we had hoped, my love for this school and its incredible fan base remains as strong as ever. I am deeply grateful for the memories and experiences that have shaped me here, and I will carry them with me the rest of my life.”
Players also get a lot more leeway with transfer decisions in the wake of coaching changes, and Oatis deserves that same grace. Despite injuries and the retirement of the greatest coach of all time, he stuck it out through spring practice and fall camp and worked hard to try and earn his way back into the starting lineup under new leadership.
It doesn’t seem like head coach Kalen DeBoer is holding much of a grudge against him for his decision, either, so fans would be wise to do the same.
“With Jehiem, it felt like it was going that way,” he said. “I think you also have to understand…there’s health elements, there’s life elements. I love these guys, they work hard and Jehiem’s choices, there’s reasons for that. He has notified us and continued to be in communication here with us.”
Bengally Kamara More Than Helluva Name
Another SEC head coach had a much different opinion about one of his own hitting an early eject button on the 2024 season. News broke on Wednesday that South Carolina linebacker Bangally Kamara was redshirting and transferring. Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer clarified that Kamara’s initial intent was to redshirt and come back next year, but conversations between the two eventually led to him telling the senior he had to leave.
“He came in my office [Monday] and told me he was redshirting. I told him that’s not quite how this works, and that we can have a discussion about his role,” Beamer said. “What’s best for the team, in my mind, is [Kamara] continuing to play…he didn’t quite feel the same way, so in the end, I made the decision for him: that it’s probably best for him to move on.”
Kamara played 70 defensive snaps in SC’s first four games of the season, the fourth-most playing time among Gamecock linebackers. Holding a more substantial role than Oatis had this year at Alabama likely contributed to the vastly different reactions of their respective head coaches. Beamer was also probably just caught off guard, and rightfully so, by Kamara’s bizarre request to twiddle his thumbs for the rest of the year and then try and come back.
It seems the chaos of midseason transfers is only just beginning.
Jehiem Oatis Could Be Next Blue-Blood Reject to Star for Hogs
In the end, things didn’t quite work out for Oatis at Alabama – but that doesn’t mean he can’t fulfill his potential elsewhere.
After all, the Hogs have done well taking “leftover” players from heavyweight programs before. Drew Sanders is another example of a highly-touted Alabama defender who couldn’t quite cut it on the Tide due to injuries and stiff competition for playing time. Landon Jackson didn’t live up to expectations at LSU, but has turned into one of the best defensive ends in the country at Arkansas.
This year, a pair of transfers from both Georgia (Xavian Sorey Jr. and Jaheim Singletary) and Tennessee (Doneiko Slaughter and Addison Nichols) are finding success for the Hogs, with the latter duo earning a dramatic victory over their former school on Saturday. While Arkansas isn’t yet a blue-chip talent hub, it’s become a safe haven for elite prospects to get a second chance to succeed in the SEC.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Hogs have added a defensive tackle from a major school before, either. Xavier Kelly transferred in from Clemson to help out Sam Pittman in his first season at Arkansas, and put up decent numbers in his final season. Anthony “Tank” Booker transferred in from Maryland and put up 19 tackles last season, but left for SMU for his last season of eligibility.
Arkansas football fans would hope that Oatis turns in production closer to Jackson’s, rather than that of Kelly and Booker. Ironically, the Hogs’ most notable defensive tackle addition in the last few years came from a much less-heralded destination in Illinois State transfer John Ridgeway III, who went on to put up 39 tackles and two sacks for Arkansas in 2021 before becoming a 5th-round pick in the NFL Draft.
The Hogs will certainly have a need on the interior next season, with key contributors Eric Gregory and Keivie Rose both running out of eligibility. Cam Ball could return for his senior season, but outside of that, Ian Geffrard and Danny Saili have only made limited appearances. It’s also unreasonable to expect Kevin Oatis, or other incoming freshmen like Ja’Quentin Madison and Reginald Vaughn, to make an immediate impact in the SEC at DT, perhaps the sport’s most physically taxing position.
It’s safe to say adding a second Oatis into the fold would certainly help in this department.
Of course, Oatis likely won’t be able to officially enter the portal until the window opens in December, given that he isn’t a grad transfer and he’s not leaving due to a coaching change – as was the case when Michigan State’s Keyshawn Blackstock committed to Arkansas before the season ended last year.
But his early announcement of his intentions will give him plenty of time to feel out his options for the 2025 season. With some nudging from his younger cousin, one of them will likely be Arkansas.
Midseason Breakdown of Arkansas’ Offense
After ugly offensive performances against UAB and Auburn in the Hogs’ offense was heavily dependent on Taylen Green running with the football (either on designed runs or scrambles), Bobby Petrino spent the two games before the bye focusing on keeping his quarterback in the pocket and getting the ball out of his hands more quickly. That paid off in a big way against Tennessee with a crisp offensive performance that provides some hope that the Razorbacks are finding an offensive identity.
For a full breakdown of the the quarterbacks, as well as the running backs, offensive line, tight ends and receivers, go here:
***
***
More coverage of Arkansas football from BoAS: