Arkansas’ quarterback race may be getting the most attention, but the Razorbacks have another big question hanging over the offense: who becomes WR1?
That answer is far from settled. The wide receiver room is still searching for a true headliner, and most of the names in the mix are short on proven production.
Boise State transfer Chris Marshall has drawn plenty of notice as a possible top option, but he enters his fifth season of college football without a 600-yard receiving year on his résumé. He does bring SEC experience from his 2022 season at Texas A&M, which keeps him firmly in the conversation.
Behind him, Donovan Faupel, Ismael Cisse, Jamari Hawkins and Courtney Crutchfield are all in the mix for snaps and could end up playing major roles. Still, Arkansas may not need to look outside the program to find its most reliable receiver.
CJ Brown has not exactly been a household name in Fayetteville. The Bentonville native and former three-star recruit from Bentonville High School caught just five passes for 62 yards as a freshman in 2024. But his role grew in 2025, and while O'Mega Blake, Raylen Sharpe and Rohan Jones all posted bigger numbers, Brown gave Arkansas something valuable: steady production.
He started 10 of the Razorbacks’ 12 games, finishing with 28 catches for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores came in the season-opening win over Alabama A&M. And in a season where Arkansas leaned on him more often, Brown had at least two receptions in every game except the 23-22 loss to LSU.
He wasn’t a big-play machine. Brown topped 30 receiving yards only five times. But he became a dependable option for quarterback Taylen Green, especially once Blake started drawing more defensive attention.
Now Brown heads into a new era with a new head coach and offensive coordinator, but he also brings something a lot of Arkansas receivers don’t: two years of SEC experience. In a room with no obvious front-runner, that matters. If Brown carries his momentum into fall camp, there’s a real path for him to win the job.
Arkansas’ passing game could still end up being spread around, much like its backfield. That wouldn’t be a problem. But if the Razorbacks do settle on one receiver to lead the group, Brown has positioned himself as a strong candidate to make the leap in his junior season.
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Roland is expected to be part of the answer starting in 2026, when Arkansas hopes the rebuild has taken hold and the back end looks far more stable. He should have a chance to line up opposite Tulane transfer Jahiem Johnson, giving the Razorbacks a potentially reshaped cornerback pairing, but the bigger question is whether Roland can be the kind of difference-maker who helps turn a lingering weakness into a strength. [Read more 🡒]