Arkansas Football: 3 players to target in 2021 transfer portal

Sam Pittman is doing his very best to change the Arkansas football culture in Fayetteville and he had an impressive opening act in 2020 despite just a 3-7 record.

In fact, the Razorbacks were competitive in just about every game after being a doormat in the SEC under Chad Morris for years. Arkansas looks a program on the rise heading into 2021 but Pittman knows that if he wants to keep the trajectory trending toward the positive side of things, he’s going to need some transfers to help out.

Feleipe Franks was a massive addition in the portal last offseason and helped turn things around in Fayetteville but the Razorbacks will need even more help this time around.

Who should the Razorbacks target in the 2021 transfer portal?

Not long ago, Emmit Gooden was ranked as one of the top JUCO prospects in the nation from the now-famed Independence C.C. in Kansas. He was one of the stars of Last Chance U and signed with Tennessee in the 2018 class. With the coaching staff changes in Knoxville, he entered the portal where he might be considered one of the top defensive tackles on the market.

Gooden was a monster for Tennessee in 2018, recording 33 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and a sack but didn’t record a single statistic in 2019 and 2020.

The former four-star JUCO transfer was ranked 18th from that level in the 2018 class and he was the seventh-best defensive tackle, according to the 247Sports composite. He was also a four-star out of high school before going the JUCO route.

Arkansas is losing Jonathan Marshall and Xavier Kelly from the defensive line, so adding someone like Gooden with past success in the SEC would be ideal.