Andrew Armstrong is ready to make a name for himself with the Arkansas Razorbacks

The Arkansas Razorbacks football program has been a long-overlooked unit. Ever since Bobby Petrino left in 2011, the Razorbacks have been the laughingstock of the SEC, consistently demolished by their rivals in arguably the toughest conference in all of college football.

Since 2011, Arkansas football has only eclipsed a .500 record five times. They did so three times in a row from 2014-2016 under Bret Bielema, winning the Texas Bowl in 2014, then the Liberty Bowl in 2015, before dropping the Belk Bowl in 2016. After that short stretch of moderate success, the Razorbacks took a significant step backward, failing to surpass four wins in a season between 2017-2020. This included two miserable seasons under Chad Morris in which they won only two games in each campaign and went 0-8 against SEC opponents in both years.

Despite a 3-7 record in his first year at the helm, it appears that Head Coach Sam Pittman could bring Arkansas Razorbacks football back to relevancy again and keep them there. In 2021, Pittman led them to a 9-4 mark, their best win percentage since 2011. That year, the Razorbacks also grabbed an impressive victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions to capture the 2022 Outback Bowl.

He followed up that performance with another commendable effort in 2022, grabbing seven wins and a thrilling 55-53 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks to take the Liberty Bowl. Now, all eyes are on Pittman to see if he can take the Razorbacks to another level in this upcoming season.

He's off to a great start already, despite the season having yet to kick off. That's because, under his leadership, Arkansas has landed several high-level commitments this year, giving Pittman the 22nd-best recruiting class in the country. That has them ahead of multitudes of blue-blood football programs such as Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Stanford and some of the country's best sportsbooks have taken note and adjusted the Razorbacks' odds accordingly.

While landing high-profile freshmen such as Selman Bridges will be a huge boost for the Razorbacks roster for years to come, Pittman's most impactful addition for the 2023 campaign might not be a new recruit. Back in December 2022, Pittman landed a top talent via the transfer portal in Andrew Armstrong.

Armstrong has had a unique college football career thus far. He began his collegiate foray missing two straight seasons: the first as a redshirt in 2019 for Texas A&M Commerce and his second season was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Finally, in 2021, as a redshirt sophomore three years removed from high school, he made his debut as a college wide receiver.

He had a solid season as a utility player, grabbing 15 balls for nearly 300 yards in 10 games. After getting acclimated to his offense following two years off from competitive football, Armstrong exploded onto the scene in 2022. As a redshirt junior, he pulled in 62 catches, racking up a team-high 1020, leading to a team-high 13 touchdown receptions. With such an explosive season, there was little doubt why he was considered one of the top talents available in the transfer portal.

Now, Armstrong has a chance to be an underdog success story for an underdog program that has a lot of eyeballs on it. With more talent all around him, including an NFL hopeful slinging him the ball in Quarterback K.J. Jefferson, Armstrong could very well expand on the success he had in his 2022 season, with much higher stakes on the line.

As a redshirt senior, this is his chance to make a name for himself for those who don't watch Texas A&M Commerce football, including NFL scouts.

With Pittman on the sidelines, a top-25 recruiting class, and a top transfer with a chip on his shoulder in Andrew Armstrong waiting to make his mark in the NFL realm, the Arkansas Razorbacks are a team to watch in 2023.