Going into the 2025 college football season, the Arkansas Razorbacks, coached by Sam Pittman and led on offense by the dynamic quarterback, Taylen Green, were expected to be a dark horse contender in the SEC.
While the team and Green had flashes of brilliance, the 2025 season quickly went south. Following a close loss to now No. 4 Ole Miss in Oxford, a tough loss in Memphis to a solid Tigers team, and most recently, a 56-13 home beatdown to the visiting now-No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the university decided to part ways with its sixth-year coach.
Which Arkansas Players Might Enter the Transfer Portal Following Pittman’s Firing?
With Pittman’s firing, Arkansas’s players can enter the transfer portal without burning through eligibility. Which Razorback stars could find themselves on new rosters next season?
BREAKING: Arkansas has fired Sam Pittman, @PeteNakos_ reports❌https://t.co/GJtGXqx67c pic.twitter.com/nI615lqdae
— On3 (@On3sports) September 28, 2025
After a six-year tenure under Pittman in Fayetteville, the program might be eager to reset, bring in new players, or even switch up playbooks. This could lead to local and familiar faces entering the portal.
Braylen Russell, RB, Redshirt Sophomore
A redshirt sophomore out of Benton, Arkansas, Braylen Russell was a four-star prospect coming out of high school. While he has only started twice across 15 career games, he has still tallied 99 attempts for 519 yards and six touchdowns as a backup rusher.
The Razorbacks have a history of explosive rushers, but players like Russell, young stars with lots of potential, might prefer to get a fresh start with all of that eligibility remaining. He could transfer to another Power Four squad after proving he can handle SEC toughness, or he could even “drop down” to a Group of Five squad and take a lead-back role.
Ja’Kayden Ferguson, WR, Freshman
While Russell is young, with only 15 career appearances, freshman receiver Ja’Kayden Ferguson is even younger as a true freshman. A member of Pittman’s 2025 recruiting class, the Houston, Texas, native was the 42nd-best recruit in his class.
Of Arkansas’s five played games so far, Ferguson has appeared in three (Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, Memphis) but has yet to record any stats. As mentioned, he is a freshman from Texas, so he has many possibilities. He could potentially decide to move closer to home, joining one of the many Texas schools.
Kavion Henderson, DL, Redshirt Freshman
Kavion Henderson, a redshirt freshman defensive lineman out of Leeds, Alabama, is built like the SEC D-lineman that he is. At 6’2″, 257 pounds, Henderson fits the mold — even if he has only recorded two tackles across four played games over two seasons.
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With Pittman’s firing, solid players with limited experience and good profiles might find stability elsewhere. Conference foes Alabama and Auburn are known for strong defensive fronts, so he could also decide to get closer to home.
KJ Jackson, QB, Redshirt Freshman
In the transfer portal era, the “old-school” narrative of a quarterback sitting as a backup for multiple years and “waiting his turn” is essentially dead. Once Arkansas brings in a new coaching staff, the new head coach might bring a quarterback with him or even recruit one from the portal.
This is why young, especially redshirted, passers are prime candidates to transfer following a firing. While redshirt freshman quarterback KJ Jackson fits the mold at 6’4″, 225 pounds, he’s still pretty green. Overall, he has completed nine of his 11 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, and could make another team very happy once he starts.
Andrew Harris, LB, Junior
Currently listed as the third-string middle linebacker, Andrew Harris is a junior from Orlando, Florida, who stands at 6’3″, 220 pounds. Before arriving in Fayetteville this season, he spent two seasons at UCF, leading to 19 game appearances for 14 total tackles.
The fact that Harris is a junior, combined with his lack of a starting role with Arkansas, and the fact that he has already used the portal once, suggests that this linebacker could transfer again, looking for more meaningful snaps while attempting to make his case for playing professionally.
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While Pittman’s firing is essentially Arkansas mailing in the rest of the season, the Hawgs aren’t totally dead. Players will enter the transfer portal over the next few weeks, but if the team can salvage bowl eligibility, some players might attract interest from other schools in need of transfer help.
Taking over the interim position if Bobby Petrino, who led the Razorbacks from 2003 to 2006 and 2008 through 2011. His current stint in Fayetteville began in 2024, when he was brought on as Pittman’s offensive coordinator and QB coach.
