Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Morgan heads list of Hogs’ honorees
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan made a little history Tuesday, much like the senior’s 2020 football team did.
Morgan was voted firstteam All- SEC by league coaches to become the first Razorback with that distinction since offensive tackle Dan Skipper in 2016.
Morgan, who said he’ll be “good to go” for the Texas Bowl on Dec. 31 after a knee injury knocked him out of the season finale, was also named one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy on Tuesday.
“It means a lot to me because knowing where I come from and just being able to just go and do that and be able to show that anything is possible, you’ve just got to work hard,” Morgan said. “But it definitely wouldn’t have been done without my teammates.”
Morgan wasn’t the only Arkansas player honored by SEC coaches. Sophomore receiver Treylon Burks, junior linebacker Bumper Pool and freshman safety Jalen Catalon were all selected to the AllSEC second team.
“I felt like my play was pretty good throughout the
year, but obviously I’m second team,” Catalon said. “That means I’ve got work to do. I’m honored but not satisfied. It’s just fuel for me to keep going and make the list next year.”
Catalon, a native of Mansfield, Texas, has 99 tackles to rank third on the team behind Morgan (111) and Pool (101), and he is 26th nationally with 9.9 tackles per game. Catalon was the first Razorback defensive back to earn AllSEC honors since Tramain Thomas in 2010, and the first to earn the nod from league coaches since Michael Grant in 2007.
Catalon is the only freshman in the FBS with 95-plus tackles and 3 interceptions, and he’s the first SEC freshman since Tennessee’s Eric Berry in 2007 with at least 86 tackles and 3 interceptions.
Burks leads the Razorbacks with 51 receptions for 820 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Warren native ranks 18th in the nation in receiving yards and 29th with 91.1 receiving yards per game.
“I appreciate it, but I just want to thank our football team for pushing me every day throughout the offseason,” Burks said of making the All-SEC team. “I mean, I wouldn’t have been able to get it without them, so I just thank them for it.
“I just went out every Saturday and played my heart out for Arkansas nation, and this team and Coach Pittman. I know it means the world to all of us, so I just put it all on the line for them.”
Burks is the first Arkansas wide receiver to earn AllSEC recognition since Drew Morgan, the brother of Grant Morgan, was recognized by the Associated Press in 2015.
Additionally, Catalon, guard Brady Latham and tight end Hudson Henry, all redshirt freshmen, were chosen to the SEC All-Freshman team.
“That’s really cool,” said Latham, who started all 10 games at left guard alongside left tackle starter Myron Cunningham.
Latham also thanked offensive line coach Brad Davis and veteran linemen Cunningham,
Ty Clary, Dalton Wagner and Ricky Stromberg.
“Without them, they make this fun every day, they make that cool,” Latham said. “I really want to thank them and Coach Davis preparing us. It’s really cool.”
Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks, who turned 23 on Tuesday, was asked about his teammates’ honors.
“It’s good. I think when they get recognized, it’s a good thing,” Franks said. “Those guys come to work every day and do their job and go out there on Saturdays and make a name for themselves. So it’s something that I see every day in practice.
“To have their work recognized, it’s a relief that it pays off. I’m sure those guys are happy and I’m happy for them. They should be happy because it’s a big moment for them.”
The Razorbacks had four players on the coaches’ AllSEC teams for the first time since 2015, and three players on the All-Freshman squad
for the first time since 2013.
Morgan had an FBS-high 111 tackles when he suffered a left knee injury that knocked him out of the Razorbacks’ game at Missouri on Dec. 5. The Greenwood native still leads the country with 12.3 tackles per game to go along with a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss, 5 pass breakups, 2 sacks, 2 hurries and 1 interception, which he returned 23 yards for a touchdown to clinch a 33-21 win over Ole Miss on homecoming.
Morgan was also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.
He joins BYU junior receiver Dax Milne and Pitt senior center Jimmy Morrissey as the three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy. Named for former Arkansas All-American lineman Brandon Burlsworth, the trophy has been presented each year since 2010 to the nation’s top
player who began his career as a walk-on.
“It’s an honor to be up for this award and hopefully have a chance to win it,” Morgan said. “That would mean the world to me, just because that’s the story we’ve heard growing up. That’s the story that coming here, we wanted to be that next guy.
“We wanted to be the next Brandon Burlsworth story. The story of going from being a walk-on to being a team captain and being drafted. That’s just what you want to do. That’s what you fight for. That’s what I’ve really pushed for. That’s what I’ve tried to be.
“Everyone always says, ‘Live your life the Burls way.’ But that’s the way people should live their life. They live being nice to people. They live being a good leader. They live to be good just on and off the field.”