Arkansas Football: Razorback fans stunned by QB’s transfer announcement

Arkansas Football fans were quite surprised to learn that back-up quarterback Malik Hornsby has decided to transfer and leave the Razorbacks.

The Missouri City, Texas native posted a tweet on his Twitter account in the early evening on Jan. 6, stating that he’ll “be in the transfer portal tomorrow morning.”

The tweet was capped with an emoji that features a face with an index finger over its mouth, as if to let his followers in on a secret.

https://twitter.com/1MalikH1/status/1479252710784385032?s=20

Malik Hornsby transfer will put the Arkansas Football team in a bind

The 6’2″ freshman appeared in seven games for the Hogs this season, including the 2022 Outback Bowl. He was primarily used on gadget plays or for quarterback scrambles almost exclusively.

He finished the season completing 5 of 12 pass attempts for 46 yards. Additionally, he attempted 24 rushes for 136 yards and a touchdown.

Hornsby was QB2 for the Razorbacks and was the only quarterback besides KJ Jefferson to complete a pass this season.

The departure will create a huge opportunity in the offseason for Lucas Coley, John Stephen Jones or Kade Renfro (depending on the recovery timeline for his torn ACL) to battle it out for the QB2 position.

The Razorbacks have plenty of time to figure out what to do and create a contingency plan in the event Jefferson goes down with an injury, Covid-19, etc.

It’s a shame that we won’t get to see the continued development of Hornsby, who displayed unparalleled speed on the field.

Whichever team lands the young quarterback will be working with someone that has speed the likes of which few have seen at the position.

Here are some reactions for Razorback fans, who were shocked by the announcement.

We’ll get our first glimpse of the new back-up quarterback whenever the annual Red-White game takes place in the spring.