Sam Pittman reveals long snapper Eli Stein no longer with team

Arkansas is without a key member of the team heading into the season opener, with coach Sam Pittman confirming Eli Stein is no longer with the team.

Pittman was asked about Stein on Wednesday during an SEC teleconference call.

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“Well that’s between Eli and myself, but he’s no longer on the team, you’re correct about that,” Pittman said. “I’ll go into that in a little bit more detail next week.”

Stein has been the team’s primary long snapper for the last two seasons. He started 11 games in 2022 as a freshman before a finger injury scrapped his final two games.

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Then Stein started all 12 games during the 2023 season as a sophomore.

Pittman also confirmed that Ashton Ngo will serve as the team’s primary long snapper now with Stein off the team. Ngo was placed on scholarship over the weekend, Pittman said, using the team’s final scholarship available.

Austin Armstrong’s availability unclear

While the Razorbacks now know that Eli Stein won’t be available for the season opener, the status of top receiver Austin Armstrong is a little less clear.

Sam Pittman noted Armstrong as someone else who was questionable for the Razorbacks in the first game during his press conference on Monday. He said that the ‘Hogs likely wouldn’t know if he’s at his best and ready for the game until it comes on Thursday.

“He has practiced every day,” said Pittman. “He has practiced every day and just hasn’t really practiced a complete practice.”

2023 was Armstrong’s first with the team after a four-year career at Texas A&M Commerce. In his debut as a full-time starter with the Razorbacks, he led the offense in receiving with 56 catches for 764 yards and five touchdowns. With that, he was the leading receiver in two-thirds of the games last season.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this report.