Arkansas defensive end Eric Thomas declares intention to enter NCAA transfer portal

Arkansas edge rusher Eric Thomas declared his intent to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday. Thomas contributed each season since his arrival to Fayetteville in 2020, but only recorded stats in the first two games of the 2022 season.

The Pensacola, Florida native had 11 total tackles during his time with the Hogs. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining wherever he chooses to play next.

Thomas was a three-star prospect coming out of Booker T. Washington High School in Florida in the 2020 class. He was the No. 151 recruit coming out of the Sunshine State, according to the On3 Consensus.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝙴𝚃 (@ericthomas.et24)

Thomas is one of several Razorbacks to announce their departure from the team since the final whistle on Friday. Fellow class of 2020 signee Jacorrei Turner revealed he would be leaving Fayetteville in a post on Monday night.

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 However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship is no longer valid.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.