FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas tailback Trelon Smith surely made his Coach Sam Pittman and position coach Jimmy Smith proud this season.
Smith switched roles with sophomore Dominique Johnson at about the halfway point of the season after starting the first six games. The senior from Houston started just the Arkansas-Pine Bluff game since the halfway point of the season, but it hasn't shown up in his performances.
Smith leads the Razorbacks in rushing with 592 yards and 7 touchdowns on 117 carries, while the bigger Johnson has 498 yards and 7 touchdowns on 86 carries.
"It was a little rough," Smith said of losing the starting job. "With me being the football player and the man I am, you know I'm a team person first, so my whole mindset was to keep doing what I do best.
"I faced a few injuries this year, but I'm good, man. I just did what I had to do to help the team out and continue to win."
Since the Ole Miss game, Johnson has 59 carries for 322 yards, while nursing a lower leg injury in the last couple of games. Smith has 44 carries for 205 yards in that span.
With quarterback KJ Jefferson already at 545 rushing yards, the Razorbacks can boast four 500-yard rushers if Johnson runs for 2 yards in the Outback Bowl and Raheim Sanders (101-499, 3 TDs) runs for 1 yard.
KJ on Haselwood
Quarterback KJ Jefferson said he tracked Wednesday's signing day on all his social media apps as the Razorbacks added 22 players to the mix, including 18 early enrollees.
Among the group who will enroll next semester and be available for spring training is former 5-star receiver Jaden Haselwood, a transfer from Oklahoma whom the Razorbacks signed out of the transfer portal.
"Just extremely excited," Jefferson said of his reaction to Arkansas landing Haselwood. "I can't wait. ...Just knowing the type of guy he is and the type of skill set that he brings and the leadership and him just being able to play in big games and knowing how to operate and just make sure those guys coming in, he can be a leader for those guys on the outside, making sure they're grasping everything and just maturing."
Pitt 'boss'
University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman is a semifinalist for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, it was announced Thursday.
Pittman, who went 8-4 in his second season as head coach of the Razorbacks, is one of 15 semifinalists as selected by the Maxwell Football Club national selection committee.
Arkansas has posted its highest regular-season win total since the 2011 team went 10-2 before downing Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl under Coach Bobby Petrino. The Razorbacks completed an unbeaten nonconference schedule for the first time since 2016 with wins over Texas, Rice, Georgia Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Pittman also led the Razorbacks to wins in all three of their trophy games -- the Southwest Classic against Texas A&M, the Golden Boot against LSU and the Battle Line Rivalry against Missouri -- for the first time in eight chances.
Pittman, 60, had previously been named the American Football Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year, which makes him a candidate for the AFCA National Coach of the Year. That award winner will be announced Jan. 9.
Semifinal voting for the Munger Award will be conducted today through Dec. 29 and will reduce the candidates to five finalists.
The winner will be announced Jan. 13 with the presentation at the 85th Maxwell Awards Gala, which will be held March 18 at Harrah's Atlantic City (N.J.) Resort.
Practice points
Redshirt freshman quarterback Malik Hornsby, who arrived to Wednesday's practice within minutes of the end of the media viewing period, was a full participant in Thursday's workout, which was held inside and outside of the Walker Pavilion.
Practice No. 5 out of 15 bowl practices was conducted with the Razorbacks in shoulder pads and shorts.
Offensive lineman Ray Curry was not involved during the media viewing portion of the practice.
Portal news
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Darin Turner joined the growing list of Razorbacks who have entered the transfer portal Thursday.
Turner, a 6-3, 205-pounder from Memphis, was a consensus 4-star recruit and the No. 215 player in the 247Sports composite rankings in the class of 2020. He had offers from a wide list of powerhouse programs such as Alabama, LSU, Clemson, Auburn and Miami among others. However, he did not appear in a game as a Razorback.
Razorbacks known to be in the portal include running back Josh Oglesby, defensive linemen Solomon Wright and Andy Boykin, linebacker JT Towers, defensive back Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan and kicker Vito Calvaruso.
In-state work
The Razorbacks secured letters of intent from eight of the top 10 prospects in the state, as judged by 247Sports's composite rankings, and all 10 of the Hogs' in-state signees were in the top 15 of those rankings.
The in-state haul was the most by the Razorbacks since 2015.
Arkansas landed each of the top six prospects in those rankings, in this order: Receiver Isaiah Sategna of Fayetteville, offensive tackle Andrew Chamblee of Maumelle, offensive tackle E'Marion Harris of Joe T. Robinson, receiver Quincey McAdoo of Clarendon, defensive lineman Nico Davillier of Maumelle, and linebacker Mani Powell of Fayetteville.
After that, tailback James Jointer of Little Rock Parkview checked in at No. 8 in the 247Sports' composite rankings, followed by defensive lineman JJ Hollingsworth of Greenland at No. 10, tight end Dax Courtney of Clarendon at No. 11, and linebacker Kaden Henley of Shiloh Christian at No. 15.
The other top 10 players were Bentonville receiver Chas Nimrod at No. 7 (Tennessee), and tailback Joseph Himon of Pulaski Academy at No. 9 (Northwestern).
Early 18
The Razorbacks will welcome a record 18 early enrollees to campus in January, giving a larger number of incoming freshmen and transfers a stronger shot at picking up the schemes and contributing in 2022.
The list of signees who will enroll early features, in alphabetical order by last name: defensive back Anthony Brown, offensive lineman Andrew Chamblee, linebacker Jordan Crook, tight end Dax Courtney, running back Rashad Dubinion, punter Max Fletcher, receiver Jadon Haselwood, offensive linemen E'Marion Harris and Eli Henderson, linebacker Kaden Henley, defensive end JJ Hollingsworth, running back James Jointer, defensive end Landon Jackson, defensive back Jaylen Lewis, receiver Quincey McAdoo, linebacker Mani Powell, deep snapper Eli Stein and tight end Tyrus Washington.