COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Pulley declares for draft
Arkansas cornerback Ryan Pulley announced Monday he would declare as an underclassman for the NFL Draft.
Pulley made the announcement on his Twitter account, writing in part: “I can’t put into words what these past three years have meant to me; it’s been a fun, humbling, and blessed opportunity.”
Pulley also thanked his family, friends, coaches, teammates and “the most loyal fans in college football.”
Pulley, who had an up-and-down junior season, was one of three Arkansas juniors to submit paperwork to the NFL Draft advisory board. Linebacker De’Jon Harris and defensive lineman McTelvin Agim previously had announced their intentions to return for their senior years.
PulleyledtheRazorbackswiththreeinterceptionsandseven pass breakups, and he ranked seventh with 37 tackles. Pulley also added 3.5 tackles for loss, including a sack, and one forced fumble.
The 5-11, 198-pounder from Fort Myers, Fla., allowed three touchdowns in his Arkansas career, two in 2016 and one against Mississippi State this year.
Coach Chad Morris suspended Pulley and sophomore safety Kamren Curl for the season finale at Missouri after finding out the two defensive backs were socializing with Mississippi State cheer team personnel prior to the Hogs’ 52-6 loss in Starkville, Miss.
Pulley was also held out of the starting lineup in two other games for disciplinary reasons, once after his ejection in the final seconds of a 37-33 loss to Ole Miss in Little Rock.
Greenlaw to combine
Former Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw revealed Monday he had been invited to the NFL scouting combine next month.
Greenlaw posted the news on his Twitter account. The combine will be held Feb. 26 through March 4 at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis. The official invitation list to the combine has not been released by the NFL.
— Tom Murphy
Missouri’s Crockett to enter draft
Missouri running back Damarea Crockett, who played at Little Rock Christian, announced Monday on his Twitter account that he will enter the NFL Draft rather than return to college for his senior season with the Tigers.
“My journey here at Mizzou has been nothing less than amazing from beginning to end,” Crockett said in a Twitter post. “The people I have crossed paths with during my time here has given me a different outlook on life. I’ve learned things here I wouldn’t have at other places. Columbia will always be my home!”
Crockett had 147 carries for 709 yards and 7 touchdowns, and caught 12 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in 11 games this season before missing Missouri’s victory over the University of Arkansas in the regular-season finale and Oklahoma State’s victory over the Tigers in the Liberty Bowl because of an ankle injury.
In 2016, Crockett set a Missouri freshman record with 1,062 rushing yards. As a sophomore, he missed the last six games after injuring his right shoulder against Georgia and had 481 rushing yards.
— Bob Holt
HORSE RACING
Oaklawn banquet Jan. 16 in NLR
The 12th annual Oaklawn Kickoff Banquet will be held Jan. 16 at the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel in North Little Rock.
Oaklawn President Louis Cella is the speaker.
A reception is scheduled for 5:15 p.m, with the dinner and program to follow at 6:45 p.m. Individual tickets are $60 and a table of 10 is $600.
To order tickets, call (501) 372-5959 or email Kathleen Fitzpatrick at [email protected].
— Jeremy Muck
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Naturals hire new manager
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals hired Darryl Kennedy as their new manager Monday.
Kennedy previously served as the manager of the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Kansas City Royals organization in 2018. He previously managed at Surprise (Ariz.) (2010-2013 and 2015-2017) along with previous stints in Wilmington (2008, 2014 and 2018), Burlington (2007) and Idaho Falls (2009).
In addition, the Naturals hired Doug Henry as the pitching coach. He served as the Royals’ bullpen coach from 2012-2017. He served as the pitching coach in Wilmington in 2018.
The Naturals also hired Abraham Nunez as their hitting coach. Nunez held the same title with Wilmington in 2018. Nelson Liriano was hired as the bench coach after serving as the hitting coach in Burlington in 2018.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
UALR’s DeGray earns weekly award
University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior forward Ronjanae DeGray was named the Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball player of the week Monday.
DeGray had a career-high-tying 25 points in a 62-48 victory Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette. In Thursday’s 63-44 victory against Louisiana-Monroe, DeGray scored 23 points.
Ozarks’ Stephens wins weekly honor
University of the Ozarks junior forward Delanei Stephens was named the American Southwest Conference women’s player of the week Monday.
Stephens made 50 percent (19 of 38) of her field goals and averaged 18.3 points, 12 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while leading the Eagles to a 3-0 record last week.
WRESTLING
Williams Baptist’s Irwin honored
Tanner Irwin of Williams Baptist was named wrestler of the week by the American Midwest Conference on Monday.
Irwin went 3-0 at the NAIA National Duals in Louisville, Ky., and is ranked sixth in the 133-pound weight class in NAIA.
— Democrat-Gazette Press Services