FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas senior linebacker Grant Morgan was aglow late Tuesday night surrounded by family, friends and Razorback personnel after winning the Burlsworth Trophy as the top college football player in 2021 who began his career as a walk-on.
Morgan was most pleased the event was held in person, unlike last year, when he was a finalist but lost out to Pittsburgh center Jimmy Morrissey in a ceremony that was held entirely on video chat.
The sixth-year senior from Greenwood repeatedly lavished praise on the fellow finalists: 5-9 Troy linebacker Carlon Martial and 5-11 Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett.
"Honestly, I would have been upset if I didn't win it. But the thing is, those two athletes right there, they were great athletes," Morgan said. "They deserve to be there. They hold a trophy, too.
"We're all winners. ... I'm so happy I won it. I think I deserved it."
So did Morgan's brother Drew, a standout receiver at Arkansas who wrapped up his career in 2016 and is now an assistant coach at Elkins High School.
"This is surreal," Drew Morgan said. "I feel like I'm back in college again. He deserves it. He deserves more. He earned it and he's going to continue to earn it.
"You can win any award you want to as long as you put your heart and mind into it. Being a walk-on, he's proven that. To be able to be right there by Burlsworth, that's big."
The trophy is named after former Arkansas All-America offensive lineman Brandon Burlsworth of Harrison, who died in a car accident in April 1999, soon after becoming a third-round NFL Draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts.
Morgan was also one of 13 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is known as the "academic Heisman Trophy" of college football and was awarded late Tuesday in Las Vega,. He is also one of 20 semifinalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, which will be presented Feb. 17.
Morgan had lots of support from former Razorbacks on Monday, as well as Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman and assistants like Dowell Loggains and Michael Scherer, Morgan's position coach.
"It's awesome for him," Scherer said. "He deserves it. Long time in the making and just happy for Grant and everything he's accomplished, that he's getting some recognition for it.
"He plays the position of linebacker the way it's supposed to be played."
Calvaruso out
Kickoff man Vito Calvaruso announced on social media Tuesday that he will enter the transfer portal, marking a huge loss for Arkansas' special teams.
Calvaruso posted a message that thanked the University of Arkansas for the past two years before adding, "After careful consideration with my family, I believe it is best for me to enter the Transfer Portal. I have three years of eligibility remaining."
A sophomore from Jefferson City, Mo., Calvaruso had 63 touchbacks on 74 kickoffs this season for a touchback rate of 85.14% that ranked third in the SEC and fifth in the nation.
Calvaruso, the Razorbacks' top kickoff man the past two years, had two tackles in 2020, both in the season opener against Georgia.
Catch 22
After facing Penn State for the first time in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, the Razorbacks will have 22 Power 5 Conference teams remaining that it has never played in football.
"I think it's really cool, because for as long as Penn State and Arkansas have been playing football, there are not too many things you can say that's never happened before," Penn State Coach James Franklin said. "So I think that's cool."
Penn State will be the second first-time opponent in a bowl in recent years for the Razorbacks following their 35-24 loss to Virginia Tech in the 2016 Belk Bowl.
Five teams the Razorbacks have never played are in the Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State and Purdue. Nine are from the Atlantic Coast Conference and seven play in the Pac-12.
West Virginia is the only current member of the Big 12 that Arkansas has never faced.
Another Power 5 team on the list is Notre Dame. Arkansas was scheduled to face the Fighting Irish on the road last season before covid-19 restrictions caused a postponement. The teams are scheduled to square off for the first time in 2025 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, and again in 2028 in South Bend, Ind.
Loggains log-in
Arkansas tight ends coach Dowell Loggains should be able to provide some roster evaluations on Penn State as the Razorbacks ready for the Outback Bowl against the Nittany Lions.
Loggains, a walk-on quarterback at Arkansas from 2001-04, served as an analyst for the Nittany Lions from February to June before he came on board with the Razorbacks. Prior to that, Loggains had been an NFL offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.
Loggains and Franklin got to know each other when Franklin was head coach at Vanderbilt and Loggains, with the Titans at the time, spent time at Commodores' spring practices.
"You're talking about 17 years of NFL experience. You're talking about 10 years of coordinator experience in the NFL," Franklin said of Loggains in April. "It's been great having him here."
Coach Sam Pittman has touted having Loggains on the staff several times this season.
"That would certainly be something we talk to him about," Pittman said on Sunday. "Might be more personnel driven that anything, but certainly we would ask him about it.
"We have 12 videos ... 12 games as well, but he might know something a little bit more about personnel."
Two more ties
Former Arkansas defensive line coach John Scott Jr. holds the same position on Coach James Franklin's staff at Penn State.
Former Nittany Lion defensive back Trent Gordon is in his first season with the Razorbacks after transferring last year.
Scott manned Arkansas' defensive tackles in 2017-18 before moving back to his home state to coach the same position at South Carolina under Will Muschamp.
Gordon played in 17 games for Penn State between 2018-20, notching 20 tackles and 5 pass breakups in 2019. He has 2 tackles in 7 games while playing 51 snaps for the Razorbacks.
"Gordon's been hurt, but he'd be playing a lot of ball for us now if he wasn't," Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said Oct. 11.
Oglesby opts
Former Arkansas tailback Josh Oglesby has settled on Stephen F. Austin of the Football Championship Subdivision as his transfer destination.
The former track and field standout from Katy, Texas, who missed 2020 due to injury, was buried on the deep tailback roster for the Razorbacks this season. Oglesby, a favorite of Coach Sam Pittman, had four carries for 19 yards this season in games against Texas and Georgia Southern in back-to-back weeks.
Pittman, asked last month about Oglesby, described his situation as exactly what the transfer portal is for.
"I have a high respect for him," Pittman said. "And it was, 'Coach, I know my situation on the depth chart. I've got a lot of speed. I think I can go help somebody and play. I know where I'm at here. What do you think?' I was all for it and all for him being able to do that."
Trophy snaps
The Razorbacks' three rivalry game trophies were on display for photo opportunities for several hours Tuesday at the Arkansas Union.
Arkansas won the Southwest Classic over Texas A&M by the score of 20-10, the Battle for the Golden Boot at LSU (16-13 in overtime) and the Battle Line Trophy over Missouri (34-17) this season.
It is the first time, in eight opportunities, the Razorbacks have possessed all three trophies at the same time. Arkansas snapped a nine-game losing streak to Texas A&M and five-game losing streaks to both LSU and Missouri to claim the trophies.
"Larry," the bowling ball, bought by $20 for Coach Sam Pittman before the Razorbacks became bowl-eligible with a 31-28 win over Mississippi State on Nov. 6, also made an appearance on the trophy tables, nestled between the Southwest Classic Trophy and the Golden Boot to keep everything in chronological order.
Blooming right
Count Coach Sam Pittman as a fan of at least one nationally known dish served by Outback Steakhouse.
Pittman finished his brief opening remarks on a video chat on Sunday by saying, "Can't wait to get down there to the sunshine of Tampa, Florida, and eat a couple of Bloomin' Onions."
The hearty appetizer was still on his mind at the close of the 23-minute Zoom, as he closed by saying, "Go Hogs! Bloomin' Onions baby!"
-- Matt Jones of WholeHogSports.com contributed to this report