Sam Pittman confirms Kee'yon Stewart is back with Arkansas after arrest

Arkansas cornerback Kee’yon Stewart missed the season opener on Saturday after being arrested for reckless driving. Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman revealed Monday that he is now back with the team, but not exactly when he’ll return to the field.

According to Pittman, Stewart still has to complete some community service hours before being cleared to play. That puts his status in doubt as Arkansas awaits a matchup against Kent State in Week 2.

“He’s back,” Pittman said. “He’s got five events that he needs to go to community service-wise and things of that nature. Obviously, he wasn’t at the game. We suspended him for Saturday’s game. But he’s back on the team.”

Stewart was arrested on Friday at 9:36 a.m. after policed clocked him driving at 126 miles per hour in a zone where the speed limit was 70 miles per hour. He was booked into the Washington County Detention Center and released later that evening on a $385 bond.

A transfer from TCU, the 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback stood a chance to make an impact this season after the Razorbacks lost several players in the secondary. A former three-star recruit, Stewart started six games for the Horned Frogs as a true freshman in 2019 to record 18 tackles and four passes defended.

Unfortunately, injuries limited Stewart to just eight games over the next two seasons. He returned to health this past season to appear in 13 games and finish with 14 tackles, three passes defended and a forced fumble.

Now he’ll have to bounce back from another setback as he aims to make an impact in 2023. Four different Arkansas players came away with an interception in the season-opening win against Western Carolina, so it’s clear Kee’yon Stewart has competition.

Arkansas kicks off against Kent State at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday in Fayetteville.

Sam Pittman gives update on injured Arkansas players after Week 1 win

As Arkansas went through its season opener against Western Carolina, the Razorbacks dealt with a couple injuries along the way. Sam Pittman provided an update on some of them after the game.

Rashod Dubinion and Quincy Rhodes both got hurt in the 56-13 victory to start the 2023 campaign, but Pittman sounded optimistic about both. Dubinion appeared to hurt his back and Rhodes hit his head on the turf, but Pittman said he wanted to get back out on the field and was in the locker room with the team following the win.

“Dubinion, I think, is fine. It was a back deal. I think he’s fine,” Pittman said. “Quincy Rhodes, I think, will be fine. He hit his head on the ground, but when I got out there, he was fine. He wanted to get up the whole time, but of course they were very cautious with him. But he was in the locker room after the game.”