Transfer Tracker: Arkansas adds a duo of defensive linemen
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The transfer portal never stops grinding. After recognizing that they needed depth on their defensive line, Arkansas answered the need by gaining commitments from Markell Utsey from Missouri and John Ridgeway from Illinois State on Sunday.
Recruiting: Utsey initially committed to Arizona, but after Missouri offered in January, a resulting official visit resulted in his flip to the Tigers. Being closer to his home was a big factor in his decision.
Ridgeway also considered Ball State, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Western Illinois before committing to Illinois State.
At their schools: Utsey totaled 40 tackles, four tackles for a loss, one sack and one fumble recovery during his Missouri career. During the 2020 season he played in seven games, with 19 tackles and two tackles for a loss.
Ridgeway redshirted as a true freshman in 2017, at which time he made the move from the offensive line to the defensive line. He earned freshman All-American honors in 2018 with 30 tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sack, had his best statistical season in 2019 with 50 tackles, three tackles for a loss and one forced fumble and in four games this spring he finished with 22 tackles, three tackles for a loss and an interception.
Farrell’s Take: Utsey is a solid player who has a shot at becoming an impact starter for the right fit and heading back home to Arkansas is a good spot for him. He's a big body who will help the rotation right away.
Talk about an FCS star, Ridgeway has gone from barely recruited to getting offers from some major programs at defensive tackle and Arkansas hit a home run here. He's become the most popular FCS player in the portal I've seen so I took a looksee as best I could at some of his work at Illinois State and he's beyond active for a big lineman. The jump to Power Five will be a big one but he has great potential and I have him pushing for immediate playing time.
Impact Meter: Utsey: 5.8 out of 10
Ridgeway: 8.5 out of 10
IMPACT METER
The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and manage their rosters so we here at Rivals.com continue to evolve our coverage. Each time a player of note enters the portal, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating, both when they enter the portal and when they choose a destination. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.
1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.
4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.
6.1-9.0. — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.
9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.
10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All American and one of the elite players in college football.