Arkansas defensive back Khari Johnson announces plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Arkansas defensive back Khari Johnson shared his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday. Johnson provided much-needed depth for the Hogs secondary in 2022 as Barry Odom’s unit dealt with injuries throughout the year.

In 2022, the redshirt sophomore put up 25 tackles, including 10 solo tackles, to bring his three-season total to 38. He will have three years of eligibility remaining to play at his next school of choice. This is his first transfer so he will be immediately eligible next season.

Johnson was a three-star prospect out of Suffield Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. He came all the way to Arkansas as the No. 187 corner prospect in the nation in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the On3 Consensus.

Thank you Razorback Nation. Next Chapter! 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/KTjW6r1Me2

— Khari Johnson (@EliteKhariJ) November 29, 2022

Johnson is one of several Razorbacks to announce their departure from the team since the final whistle on Friday. Class of 2020 signees Jacorrei Turner and Eric Thomas revealed they would be leaving Fayetteville this week.

Backup quarterback Malik Hornsby and redshirt freshman tight end Erin Outley also announced their intent to transfer on Monday. Starting safety Myles Slusher also put his name in the portal over the weekend after sitting out the final game of the year.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Transfer portal background information

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal starts with the school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship is no longer valid. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school does not have to cover their scholarship.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask for a “do not contact” tag on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want contact from schools unless they initiate the communication.