Arkansas football fans have heard about as much as they can tolerate about the Arkansas-to-Ole-Miss pipeline that has developed in recent years.
It started with star linebacker Chris “Pooh” Paul fleeing for the Rebels last offseason, and he was followed down to Oxford by three more Razorbacks in December as tight end Luke Hasz, defensive back Jaylon Braxton and offensive lineman Patrick Kutas all committed to Ole Miss.
Hasz hit the portal in search of more targets and a winning program, and Kutas and Braxton both used medical redshirts at Arkansas to gain an extra year of eligibility playing for one of its biggest rivals. In Kutas’ case, at least, the offensive lineman appeared to stab head coach Sam Pittman in the back by going back on a deal he made with the Head Hog earlier in the season.
Arkansas fans have plenty of reasons to hate the Rebels to begin with: regional proximity, Confederate sympathizing and an annual rivalry among them. But Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin has exacerbated those tensions with his frequent poaching of the Razorbacks’ best talent.
Jealousy also plays a role in this. Kiffin just won 10 games for the third time in five seasons, while Arkansas sputtered to a mediocre 7-6 season under Pittman. When you add in the fact that Kiffin was a candidate for the Arkansas job back in 2019, that’s a generous pinch of salt in the wound.
Braxton already ruffled some Razorback feathers after his Ole Miss transfer by claiming that the Arkansas medical staff had misdiagnosed his injury during the 2024 season – and that he actually had a fractured kneecap, rather than the bone bruise that was reported.
His latest contention comes across as just as far-fetched.
Braxton Shrugging Off Teammates’ Influence is Hard to Believe
The star cornerback was interviewed by Rebel Walk’s Zach Moreth last week, where he discussed how his transfer came about. Braxton said that when he entered the portal, Paul certainly played a factor in his decision to come to Ole Miss.
“I talked with Pooh during my recruiting process, and he told me, ‘The coaches here, the energy here, you’re going to love it here,’” Braxton said. “Hearing that from him just confirmed everything.”
As if Paul’s transfer to the Rebels wasn’t hurtful enough, the former Hog linebacker then proceeded to lure other standout Razorback talent down to Oxford to team up with him. But while Braxton admitted to chatting with Paul, he claimed that he had no idea Kutas and Hasz were joining him at Ole Miss.
“Yeah, we reached out a little bit. I talked to [Kutas], he was here on an official visit when I saw him, but we talked a little bit,” he said. “I didn’t know that we were all going to end up here though, it was crazy.”
It’s really hard to read those words and not roll your eyes. Does Braxton really expect Arkansas fans to believe that the trio all went down to Oxford completely independently, on their own volition – and there was no collaboration involved? Come on now.
As the saying goes, when something happens twice, it could just be a coincidence. But when it happens three times, you’ve got a pattern. Factoring in Paul’s transfer last time around, that makes four Arkansas expats donning powder blue. Something’s not adding up.
Braxton revealed that his interest in Ole Miss stemmed from his freshman year, when the Hogs visited Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in a 27-20 defeat.
“That was one of my favorite games that I played in,” he said. “It was a really good experience, how they do everything in the stadium…I’m just looking forward to getting there in the Rebel colors.”
Nothing worse than an opposing team’s home atmosphere serving as an advertisement for one of your best defensive players.
Kiffin and Ole Miss have caught a lot of flak in the last couple of years for tampering with players to induce them to enter the transfer portal. When Kiffin complained about being affected by rampant tampering in college football, most fans laughed it off as a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Braxton’s claim feels like a very similar case of an entirely unconvincing rebuke of suspicious portal activities. Watching the clip back, the standout defensive back has a smile on his face and chuckles as he explains how everything was a coincidence – almost as if doesn’t even believe it himself.
Where Trio of Hogs Fit for Ole Miss Next Year
There’s nothing funny, however, about a platoon of former Razorbacks likely be at the head of the Rebels’ attack when the Hogs visit Oxford in 2025.
Star quarterback Jaxson Dart is NFL-bound, with rising sophomore Austin Simmons projected to take his place. The former four-star prospect hasn’t seen much game time, but has a lot of promise and has spent the last two years learning Kiffin’s system. Who he’ll throw to is a bit of a question mark for the Rebels, as their trio of top pass-catchers are leaving – Tre Harris, Antwane Wells and Jordan Watkins, who torched Arkansas for a historic performance last season.
Kiffin makes frequent use of his tight ends, which means Hasz is likely to bear a large burden of targets alongside returning tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who caught nine passes for 99 yards and two touchdowns against the Hogs in 2024. Four-star transfers Caleb Odom (Alabama) and Traylon Ray (West Virginia) restock the cupboard at wideout, but Simmons is likely to rely on Hasz a lot in 2025.
Kutas will be a plug-and-play starter on the interior for the Rebels, who are set to have a prolific rushing attack once again with the former Hog paving the way for their tailbacks. The same goes for Braxton on the other end, as all five of Ole Miss’ starters in the secondary were seniors last season. The former All-SEC corner will slot right in – and will likely be tasked with covering whoever emerges as Arkansas’ WR1 next season.
Arkansas will get an early crack at the traitorous trio, as the two schools meet in Week 3 of the upcoming season. It’s one of a number of “revenge games” the Hogs have on the docket against some noteworthy defectors from last year’s squad – including Brad Spence (Texas) and Ty Washington (Notre Dame).
If Arkansas has already lost four Hogs to Ole Miss in the last two years, it’s in danger of losing more stand-outs next offseason if Braxton, Kutas and Hasz spread the word like Paul did. A win in Oxford could go a long way toward stemming the exodus.
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Arkansas Football Transfers
Here’s a rundown of players who’ve entered the transfer portal from Arkansas, including where they’ve landed so far:
- QB Malachi Singleton – Purdue
- RB Rashod Dubinion – Appalachian State
- TE Luke Hasz – Ole Miss
- TE Ty Washington – Notre Dame
- TE Var’keyes Gumms – UNLV
- WR Isaiah Sategna – Oklahoma
- WR Davion Dozier – Appalachian State
- WR Dazmin James – California
- OL Patrick Kutas – Ole Miss
- OL Joshua Braun – Kentucky
- OL Addison Nichols – SMU
- OL Ty’Kieast Crawford – West Virginia
- OL Amaury Wiggins
- DE Nico Davillier – UCLA
- LB Carson Dean – Purdue
- LB Alex Sanford – Purdue
- LB Kaden Henley – Harding
- LB Brad Spence – Texas
- DB Jaylon Braxton – Ole Miss
- DB TJ Metcalf – Michigan
- DB Tevis Metcalf – Michigan
- DB Dallas Young
- DB Dylan Hasz – Appalachian State
- LS Eli Stein – Wisconsin
- *RB Emmanuel Crawford
- *RB Jezreel Bachert
- *WR Kamron Bibby – Central Arkansas
- *LB Brooks Yurachek – Appalachian State
- *P Sam Dubwig – Purdue
- *K Vito Calvaruso
See the full Rebel Walk Interview with Jaylon Braxton, with the issue of collaboration coming up at 4:45:
Star Arkansas Transfer Hints at Potential OL Shuffle in 2025
While Arkansas did lose starters Addison Nichols, Josh Braun and Patrick Kutas off its offensive line, the Hogs reloaded with a few incoming transfers. Up front, those include UCF transfer Caden Kitler, the incredibly large Jac’Qawn McRoy from Oregon and Corey Robinson II from Georgia Tech.
It’s an impressive enough incoming haul to suggest that Arkansas’ starting left tackle, Fernando Carmona, could be on the move soon.
More on that here:
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