John Tyson didn’t need long to get the room rolling on Monday at the Little Rock Touchdown Club.
Asked about Cody Campbell and the way the former Texas Tech lineman has helped elevate the Red Raiders, the Arkansas booster went straight to the simplest possible comparison - and the funniest one in the room.
“Well, he’s got oil, I’ve got chickens. So, we’ll start there,” said Tyson, ever the comedian at that moment.
Campbell, a Lubbock native and former star offensive guard at Texas Tech, has remained deeply tied to the program since his playing days. He has served on the Texas Tech University System board of regents since April 2021 and has been board chair since April of last year. He’s also been a major force in Texas Tech’s NIL efforts, helping fuel the program’s rise into the Big 12 contender conversation and the College Football Playoff picture.
The business side of Campbell’s influence is part of the story, too. He is the current co-CEO and a co-founder of Double Eagle Energy Holdings, an upstream oil and gas company headquartered in Fort Worth. Tyson, meanwhile, brings his own heavyweight corporate background to the table as CEO of Tyson Foods, the family business based in Springdale, Ark., and as a member of the Arkansas System’s Board of Trustees.
That’s what made the exchange land so well: two major boosters, two very different industries, and one clean punchline from Tyson.
The Playoff remains the prize for college football’s top teams in December, and the Kalshi market currently has its own view of the best odds to make the 12-team field when everything shakes out.
In Other News...
Calipari Missing On One Target Could Reveal Arkansas Bigger 2027 Plan
King Gibsons commitment to LSU trimmed one more name from Arkansas early wish list in the class of 2027, but it also underscored how active John Calipari and his staff already are on the recruiting trail. Gibson, a highly regarded combo guard, had been a target for the Razorbacks along with several other programs, and his decision leaves Arkansas to keep pressing forward as the long-range board continues to take shape.
The bigger picture for the Razorbacks is less about one miss than about where Calipari is directing his energy next, with Beckham Black and Demarcus Henry among the names still in play. Henry is expected to choose in early November, and Arkansas pursuit of multiple top targets suggests the staff is trying to build momentum well beyond one recruit, even as the race for 2027 keeps shifting. [Read more 🡒]
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One of the quieter blows came with the departure of wide receiver Jelani Watkins, who is now focusing on track, leaving the offense with even less margin for error. KJ Jackson tried to keep things moving, finishing 13 of 25 for 111 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Chris Marshall provided the main spark with seven catches for 76 yards and Arkansas only score, but the bigger question is how this group patches enough holes to stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Now Knows When Its Next Chance To Change The Season Comes
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It will be the first meeting between the programs in eight seasons and only the 11th time they have lined up overall, which gives the matchup a little extra weight as the calendar moves deeper into October. For Arkansas, it is the kind of road game that can shape what the rest of the season looks like, and now the team knows exactly when that chance arrives. [Read more 🡒]