Somehow, Arkansas tends to have a good running back room year in and year out, despite the Transfer Portal decimating the roster. Last season, Arkansas made up for losing a great talent in Raheim "Rocket" Sanders to South Carolina by adding Ja'Quinden Jackson from the transfer portal and true freshman Braylen Russell. However, to replace Jackson in 2025, Arkansas may have found a hidden gem in Mike Washington.
Mike Washington primed to lead Arkansas running backs in 2025
Washington wasn't a highly regarded recruit in high school. He wasn't even rated as a 3-star, according to the 247Sports composite ratings. However, after spending three seasons in his home state of New York at Buffalo and one season at New Mexico State, he's worked his way into vying for the starting RB spot for a team in the SEC.
On the first day of fall camp, Washington ran onto the practice field with the first team. "We expect a lot out of him, because we saw a lot of good things out of him in the spring," said Sam Pittman during the press conference following the first day of practice. "He's earned the right to be where he's at on the depth chart."
When he earned that right was over the summer. During the offseason, the strength and conditioning staff introduced a competitive edge by awarding points to players who came out on top in various summer challenges. Washington was the champion this season, and in part, it's because of his performance in the weight room.
Arkansas offensive lineman Fernando Carmona shared a story at Friday’s press conference that revealed the kind of ‘dog’ Arkansas landed in Washington when he first arrived in Fayetteville.
"I think it was like week 2 of him being here," Carmona recalled. "He had to work out early Friday mornings for an early class, and I had to work out early for some reason, and I had to work out with him, and I was struggling to keep up. Just the way he throws around weight, I was like, ‘Man, this dude is something special.’ Like [defensive back Larry Worth III] said, he’s a dog."
Worth backed up Carmona’s account, saying Washington isn’t much of a talker. The 6-foot-2, 228-pounder just shows up, puts his head down, and grinds, and the results speak for themselves. One of the standout moments from Arkansas’ summer workouts came when Washington was clocked at 22 mph, well above the positional average of 21.3.
"Only thing I can say about Mike Wash...he's a dawg."
— Inside Arkansas (@InsideArkansas) August 1, 2025
DB Larry Worth & OL Fernando Carmona speak highly of newcomer RB Mike Washington. pic.twitter.com/3MhPF0AYzM
That kind of explosiveness is exactly what makes him such a valuable addition to an already talented backfield. With Washington joining Russell and a healthy Rodney Hill, the Hogs may have quietly built yet another dangerous backfield—one that’s ready to carry the load in 2025.