Arkansas QB Jacolby Criswell plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Arkansas quarterback Jacolby Criswell plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Pete Nakos. Criswell spent the first three years of his collegiate career at North Carolina before transferring to Arkansas ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Criswell made four appearances in his lone season with the Razorbacks, tallying 17 completions for 143 yards and three touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions. He boasted a 63% completion rate this past season.

In three seasons with the Tar Heels, Criswell played in 15 games. He recorded a combined 18 completions for 204 yards and one touchdown. Again, he did not throw an interception while with the program.

Jacolby Criswell played high school football at Morrilton (AR), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 270 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Before offensive coordinator Dan Enos parted ways with the program last season, he complimented Criswell’s potential.

“He’s got tremendous arm talent, like elite arm talent. He can make throws into windows — I mean he threw a post the other day like 60-some yards in the air into a breeze. So he can make some of those ‘Wow’ throws that a lot of guys can’t make,” Enos said.

“But then, when you throw on top of it that he can run. He ran 21-plus miles [per hour] this summer, I believe,” Enos said. “He’s a guy that can do ’em both.”

Now, Criswell will look to “do ’em both” elsewhere. Criswell is the 26th Arkansas player to enter the transfer portal during or since the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. The program has added 13 players to soften the blows of its losses.

For its efforts, Arkansas is listed at No. 17 in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings. The Razorbacks are looking to turn things around this offseason after posting a 1-7 record in conference play last season, the worst in the SEC West.

Earlier this week, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman revealed his attitude toward the transfer portal’s spring window.

“We don’t want to lose any of our players,” Pittman said. “And I had to talk with our team and I said, ‘Hey, we just don’t lose anybody that we have and don’t add anybody, we’re gonna have us a fine football team. So the number one thing is I don’t want to lose anybody.

“We’re going to. I mean, I hope not but we could. I don’t know why you’d want to leave this team. This is a good football team, but I understand the landscape of football.”