Arkansas is getting some early respect on the defensive front, and Quincy Rhodes Jr. is the headliner.
The senior defensive lineman landed preseason All-SEC recognition from both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, giving the Razorbacks one of their strongest individual nods heading into the 2026 season. Athlon slotted Rhodes on its second team, while Phil Steele placed him on the third team.
Rhodes’ 2025 season made the case loud and clear. The Little Rock native piled up 44 total tackles, led the team with 15.5 tackles for loss, and added eight sacks, six quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
His 15.5 tackles for loss were the most by an Arkansas defender since Trey Flowers matched that number in 2015. He also became the first Hog to post double-digit tackles in a season since Landon Jackson in 2023 and the first Razorback to record three multi-sack games in a season since Tre Williams in 2021.
The numbers backed up the production nationally, too. Rhodes finished the regular season 13th in the country and second in the SEC in tackles for loss per game at 1.23, while ranking 23rd nationally in sacks per game at 0.67.
His biggest single-game burst came Nov. 1 against Mississippi State, when he logged six tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble. That 4.5-TFL outing tied him with Stephen Daley of Indiana and Caden Curry of Ohio State as one of three Power 4 defenders to hit that mark in a game this season, and it was the most tackles for loss by an Arkansas player in a game since 2005.
Arkansas also picked up recognition on the offensive line. Athlon named Kobe Branham a fourth-team preseason All-SEC selection, and Phil Steele gave fourth-team honors to Malachi Breland.
Branham was already on the league radar after earning SEC All-Freshman honors last year. The Fort Smith native played in all 12 games and started 11 times during his redshirt freshman season in 2025, helping an Arkansas line that powered 5,102 yards of total offense and helped produce six games of 500-plus yards. The Hogs allowed 29 sacks, their fewest since 2019, and Branham helped clear the way for Mike Washington Jr.’s 1,070 rushing yards, making him Arkansas’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Raheim “Rocket” Sanders in 2022.
Breland comes to Fayetteville after three seasons at Memphis from 2023 through 2025. He appeared in 24 games and made 19 starts at left guard.
In 2025, the redshirt sophomore started all 12 games and helped Memphis average 420.7 yards and 34.6 points per game. The Tigers also averaged 186.1 rushing yards per game and produced 77 runs of 10 or more yards behind his blocking.
According to PFF, Breland posted a 79.6 pass blocking grade after allowing just one sack in 454 opportunities.
Arkansas opens the season Sept. 5 at 3:15 p.m. against North Alabama in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on SEC Network. The Razorbacks will do it under first-year head coach Ryan Silverfield.
In Other News...
Arkansas May Have Found The O-Line Piece That Changes Everything
Arkansass offensive line has been one of the biggest talking points of the offseason, and Malachi Breland is a major reason why. The Memphis transfer arrives with real college experience, having started 19 games, and he is expected to slide in at left guard for first-year coach Ryan Silverfield. Phil Steeles College Football Magazine already took notice, naming Breland to its preseason All-SEC team, a sign that his reputation is traveling with him into the SEC.
For a Razorbacks front that needed more stability and punch, Breland looks like the kind of addition that can change the feel of the whole unit. His background at Memphis suggests Arkansas is getting a lineman who has already handled a heavy workload and protected the pocket well, and the hope is that his presence helps raise the floor for a group trying to become a strength rather than a question mark. The bigger test now is whether that promise shows up once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Mourns Legendary Razorback Bill Burnett And His Lasting Legacy
Bill Burnetts place in Arkansas football history was already secure long before news of his death in Springdale at 78. A running back for the Razorbacks from 1968 to 1970, he helped drive the program to two Sugar Bowl trips and still stands as the schools career touchdown leader, a mark that speaks to both his production and the era in which he played.
His impact, though, reached well beyond the field. Burnett was a founding member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and later became a community leader whose work extended into Northwest Arkansas and beyond, earning him spots in several halls of fame along the way. For Arkansas fans, his legacy now sits at the intersection of football excellence and a life spent serving others, with tributes continuing to reflect just how much he meant to the people around him. [Read more 🡒]