Arkansas still hasn’t announced which three players will head to SEC Football Media Days on Thursday, July 23, but the guesswork is already pretty straightforward.
With first-year coach Ryan Silverfield taking over a roster that has more than 60 new players and fewer than 30 returnees, the Hogs will need a group that can do a little bit of everything in Tampa. The event runs its fourth and final day at the Tampa Marriott Water Street and JW Marriott, and Arkansas will once again be slotted for the last day. This time, though, the company is a little louder, with LSU and Texas joining Mississippi State on Day 4.
That matters because the final day usually loses some of the national media crowd. Still, LSU’s Lane Kiffin and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian should keep plenty of eyes on the room, and there will be some curiosity around Silverfield, too.
The safest bet for Arkansas looks like defensive edge Quincy Rhodes Jr. He fits the Media Days mold almost perfectly: a senior, entering his fourth season at Arkansas, a returning starter, second-team All-SEC last season and, just as important, a strong interview who can actually carry the room. He checks every box without feeling like a token pick.
The other two spots are less obvious, but the best candidates appear to be center Caden Kitler and running back Sutton Smith.
Kitler is the kind of player coaches love to send because he can actually talk. He started 11 games last season, is a senior, and brings both content and humor. The only real issue is that he plays center, which is never the flashiest answer when people are looking for the faces of a team.
Smith brings a different angle. He’s in his first year at Arkansas, but he spent the previous four seasons under Silverfield at Memphis, so he knows the coach’s program better than almost anyone on the roster.
He’s a senior, a solid interview and a logical way to give Silverfield one player with real familiarity in his system. The concern is that he may not even be the starting running back.
Wide receiver CJ Brown is also in the mix. He started 10 of 12 games last season and gives Arkansas a skill-position presence, but he’s not a senior and can be a little more reserved in interviews than Kitler. Junior running back Braylen Russell and wide receiver Jamari Hawkins are also mentioned as possible considerations, though Hawkins is described as more of a fifth option.
One name that probably won’t be in the group is quarterback KJ Jackson. Even though he’s expected by some to win the starting job, Silverfield has made it clear the competition with AJ Hill will continue through fall camp, and nobody is bringing a backup quarterback to SEC Media Days.
The broader rules for the event are simple enough: this is not a senior appreciation ceremony, offensive linemen should be paired with offensive skill players or a quarterback, Arkansas needs at least one representative from each side of the ball, and players who struggle on camera should stay home unless they’re an award candidate.
Based on those guidelines, the best guess is Quincy Rhodes Jr., Caden Kitler and Sutton Smith.
Arkansas has generally done well with these choices in recent years. In 2022, Sam Pittman brought KJ Jefferson, Bumper Pool and Jalen Catalon.
In 2023, it was Jefferson, Landon Jackson and Raheim Sanders. In 2024, Pittman went with Jackson, Taylen Green and Andrew Armstrong.
Last year, Green returned with Cam Ball and Xavian Sorey.
That track record stands in sharp contrast to some of Arkansas’ older Media Days decisions. Bret Bielema often leaned hard into seniority, even when it didn’t produce the best lineup for the event.
Chad Morris also made a questionable call in 2019 by bringing backup running back Devwah Whaley over returning starter Rakeem Boyd simply because Whaley was a senior and Boyd was a junior. Whaley finished that season with 309 rushing yards, while Boyd ran for 1,133.
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Arkansas Just Sent A Clear Signal Ahead Of SEC Media Days
Arkansas is heading into SEC Media Days with a clear emphasis on experience, sending senior defensive end Quincy Rhodes, senior center Caden Kitler and senior tailback Sutton Smith to Tampa alongside first-year coach Ryan Silverfield. The group gives the Razorbacks a veteran face for the league's biggest summer stage, while also offering a first look at how Silverfield plans to present the program as he settles into the job.
The lineup also says something about where Arkansas stands right now, with the starting quarterback job still not announced and the staff opting to keep that decision out of the spotlight for the moment. The Razorbacks will close out the event on the final day with LSU, Mississippi State and Texas, a setting that should keep the attention on how Silverfield and his chosen representatives frame the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
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Gibsons profile helps explain why the pursuit has picked up. He has backed up the hype in top event settings and shown the kind of two-way guard game Calipari has long sold to elite backcourt prospects. For Arkansas, the appeal is obvious: keep stacking future perimeter talent and stay in the mix with the kind of player who can change the ceiling of a class, even if the race for him is still very much unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
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Arkansas has spent recent seasons looking for more size and sturdiness in the frontcourt, so landing Caleb Ourigou gives the Razorbacks a clear win on a priority front. The 4-star center from New York is already viewed as one of the better big men in the 2027 class, and his stock has been helped by strong showings on the summer camp and circuit scene, enough for Arkansas to extend a scholarship and ultimately secure his commitment.
What makes this one especially worth watching is that Ourigou is still early in the process, with the possibility of moving up a cycle hanging over everything. If he stays put, he would join Davion Thompson as part of Arkansas 2027 class, giving the Razorbacks an encouraging early foundation as they keep building out a roster that has been in need of more length inside. [Read more 🡒]