Alabama linebacker Drew Sanders announces transfer destination

Former Alabama linebacker Drew Sanders has committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks, he announced via Twitter on Sunday. Oklahoma and Texas were the other two schools involved, with Sanders opting to stay in the SEC.

Sanders entered the transfer portal on Jan. 11, just a day after Alabama lost the national championship to Georgia. He took visits to all three schools during the week and was able to make his decision quickly.

Now, Arkansas will be getting a young pass rusher who was primed to breakout for the Crimson Tide before injuries derailed his season. Sanders replaced an injured Christopher Allen beginning with the Florida game. He recorded 24 tackles on the season with 2.5 tackles for a loss and one sack in just

Sanders was a five-star prospect on the On3 Consensus coming out of Denton Ryan High School. He ranked at No. 25 on the national level and No. 3 within his home state of Texas.

Defensive coordinator Barry Odom will now have a fun new pass rusher to unleash. He and head coach Sam Pittman have turned around the Arkansas program and will soon be ready to compete within the SEC West. Adding a player like Sanders accelerates the process.

Drew Sanders not only portal win for Arkansas

Arkansas quarterback Malik Hornsby has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal, On3’s Matt Zenitz reported. Hornsby will return to the Razorbacks in 2022, where he will likely remain a backup to KJ Jefferson.

Hornsby was a member of the Razorbacks 2020 recruiting class, coming in as a four-star recruit out of Texas. He was the No. 12 quarterback in his class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He chose Arkansas over offers from Alabama, Oregon, Texas and others.

The quarterback saw action in seven games this past season as a backup. He finished the year with 46 yards passing, 136 yards rushing and one touchdown on the ground. The Razorbacks finished with a 9-4 record, their best since 2011. They also won their first bowl game since 2015, taking out Penn State in the Outback Bowl.

With Malik Hornsby withdrawing his name from the transfer portal, Arkansas has more depth at quarterback going forward. The Razorbacks did not sign a quarterback in their 2022 recruiting class, which ranks 20th in the country.