No Hogs, no problem.
There are plenty of players from Arkansas to keep you interested when the Razorbacks aren’t playing. I’ve listed a few names who are making an impact for their college teams. We’ll check on others as the season progresses.
DB TRE NORWOOD, OKLAHOMA
(FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE)
A headline on an Oklahoma fan website reads “Did OU find a hidden gem in the form of Tre Nor-wood?”
Norwood wasn’t hidden. He was in plain sight for everyone to see at Fort Smith Northside, where he was a quarterback and cornerback. Nor-wood has a bright future at Oklahoma, where he is already playing as a freshman for the Sooners.
DL JOSH FRAZIER, ALABAMA
(SPRINGDALE HAR-BER)
I covered Frazier throughout his varsity career at Har-Ber and heard, basically, the same three things when he decided on Alabama.
“Why is he going to Alabama?” people would asked. “He’ll never play at Alabama. Besides, I like the other kid better.”
The reference to “the other kid” was Jake Hall, Frazier’s former teammate at Har-Ber and a defensive lineman at Arkansas. I hope fans who doubted Frazier saw the Florida State game where he made a tackle and batted down two passes while rushing the passer.
Frazier will receive more playing time as a senior at Alabama, where he’ll leave with championship rings and likely get a chance to play in the NFL. Just guessing, but I’m sure Josh has no regrets about the decision he made coming out of high school.
BENNETT MOEHRING, NAVY
(BENTONVILLE HIGH)
While Arkansas searches for a new kicker, Navy continues to rely on Moehring, a junior who has made 8 of 10 field goal attempts and 65 of 68 extra point attempts. Maybe you saw Moehring on TV last December when he kicked a 40-yard field goal and was 6 for 6 on extra points against Louisiana Tech.
Yes, Navy gets to play in bowl games, too.
WR K.J. HILL, OHIO STATE
(NORTH LITTLE ROCK)
If you saw Norwood for Oklahoma, you saw Hill playing wide receiver and returning punts for the Buckeyes in their game two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio. I last saw Hill in person when he teamed with KeVaughn Allen to lead North Little Rock to a state championship in basketball.
Ohio State is expecting big things in football from Hill, who should easily surpass the 18 catches he had as a freshman for the Buckeyes.
WR WILL HASTINGS, AUBURN
(PULASKI ACADEMY)
Everyone loves the story of a walk-on who eventually succeeds, and junior Will Hastings is becoming a fan favorite for the Tigers. All 5-foot-10, 165 pounds of him.
“Everybody back home, a lot of people said, ‘You’re really dumb for going there,’” Hastings said after he was awarded a full scholarship by Auburn before the season. “Nobody gave me a chance. It’s been definitely a crazy ride.”
Hastings was second on the team with six catches for 80 yards heading into Saturday’s game with Mercer. That’s over half of the 11 catches he made last year.
If Auburn can’t block any better than it did against Clemson, Hastings is sure to receive many more opportunities on mostly short routes.
DB PARKER BALDWIN, SAN DIEGO
STATE (SILOAM SPRINGS)
Tre Norwood is not a hidden gem. But Parker Baldwin may be.
Baldwin, who was not recruited by Arkansas or Arkansas State, chose the Aztecs over offers from Nevada-Las Vegas, Eastern Illinois and Central Arkansas. The move has turned out well for Baldwin, a junior who won the starting job at safety as a sophomore for San Diego State. He had six tackles for the Aztecs in a 30-20 win over Arizona State, which placed even more heat on Sun Devils coach Todd Graham.
NG LUC BEQUETTE, CALIFORNIA
(LITTLE ROCK CATHOLIC)
Bequette comes from a football family that includes his father, grandfather, uncles and a cousin who played for the Razorbacks. Bequette plays nose guard for the Bears, who were 2-0 entering Saturday’s late game against Ole Miss.
DB KIONDRE THOMAS, MINNESOTA
(FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE)
Another Northside product playing in the secondary on the Division I level? Absolutely.
There’s plenty of excitement in Minnesota with its new coach, P.J. Fleck, who had the Gophers 2-0 entering Saturday’s game with Middle Tennessee. Fleck put Thomas in the starting lineup this year, and the redshirt freshman has responded with seven tackles and a fumble recovery in the first two games.
Rick Fires can be reached at rfires@ nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWARick.