Kelley announces transfer from Hogs
FAYETTEVILLE — As had been anticipated after he did not travel with the Arkansas football team for the last two games of the season at Mississippi State and Missouri, third-year sophomore quarterback Cole Kelley posted on Twitter this week he will transfer from the university after the fall semester’s final exams.
Kelley began the season as the starter at quarterback, but he was replaced after a 44-17 loss to North Texas (9-3) at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville in Week. 3. Kelley was 16-for-35 passing for 185 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions in the loss.
“This was one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make,” Kelley posted. “And through great difficulty, I have decided that I will be transferring from the University of Arkansas. After talking my family, friends and my coaches, I feel it is best that I move on from this university.
“Arkansas will always hold a special place in my heart. I have made some really special friends here and I love all my brothers that I went to work with everyday. I will always love the Razorbacks and I hope nothing but the best for my brothers in the future.”
Touted for his size at 6-7, 260 pounds, and strong arm, Kelley redshirted as a freshman for former Arkansas coach Bret Bielema out of Lafayette, La. He was the backup in 2017 to senior Austin Allen and started four games when Allen was injured.
Kelley completed 87 of 151 passes for 1,030 yards and eight touchdowns against four interceptions last season. He started the team’s only Southeastern Conference victory at Ole Miss as Bielema was 4-8 overall and 1-7 in conference play in his final season.
New head coach Chad Morris announced Kelley as the starter ahead of a 55-20 season-opening victory against Eastern Illinois (3-8). Junior Ty Storey started the next game against Colorado State (3-9), but Kelley helped give the team a 27-9 lead in the third quarter and the Razorbacks (2-10) lost, 34-27.
Storey did not play in the loss to North Texas. Freshmen Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones each threw interceptions in the fourth quarter.
The loss to the Mean Green marked Kelley’s last start.
he later threw a touchdown pass against Ole Miss (5-7), but he was mainly used for the rest of the season in goal-line situations.
Kelley was 35-for-67 passing this season for 455 yards with five touchdowns versus five interceptions. He rushed for three touchdowns and 73 net yards on 28 carries.
Senior offensive lineman and junior linebacker De’Jon “Scoota” Harris played well enough to be earn All-SEC Second-Team honors from The Associated Press. The Razorbacks were left out of the coaches’ All-SEC first and second teams for the second consecutive year.
Froholdt, a native of Denmark first gaining football prominence as a high school foreign exchange student in Ohio, was signed by Bielema as a defensive lineman. He moved to offense in
2016 and started every game through the rest of his career.
Froholdt played 542 snaps at guard and 260 snaps at center this year. He did allow a sack on
440 pass-blocking snap,s according to Pro Football Focus, which graded Froholdt fourth-best among SEC offensive linemen.
Harris, is a three-year letterman from Harvey, La. He repeated on the All-SEC Second Team while leading the SEC in total tackles, with 118, and solo tackles, with 62.
For the second consecutive year, Harris led the Razorbacks with nine tackles for lost yardage. He was Arkansas’ leading tackler in seven of its
12 games and made 10 tackles or more in seven games.