FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas junior quarterback Nick Starkel announced Friday he has put his name in the NCAA transfer portal after an up-and-down season with the Razorbacks.
"Thank you to everyone who has believed in me this far! The fight isn't over yet!" Starkel wrote on his Twitter account.
Starkel said he made the decision after talking to new UA Coach Sam Pittman, and he hopes to continue playing either on another level or professionally.
Starkel was the second of two graduate transfer quarterbacks for Arkansas last summer, following senior Ben Hicks' move from SMU.
Starkel had a good second half in the Razorbacks' conference-opening loss at Ole Miss in Week 2, and he had his best game the next week in a 55-34 victory over Colorado State. That was the final victory for Arkansas in a 2-10 season.
The 6-3, 214-pounder from Argyle, Texas, made five starts and played in eight games, completing 96 of 179 passes for a team-high 1,152 yards, with 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
He wound up with a 109.42 passer efficiency rating, last among the 12 qualifiers in the SEC.
Starkel's transfer leaves three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster in junior Jack Lindsey, redshirt freshman John Stephen Jones and true freshman KJ Jefferson. All three of those players started one game each in 2019, while Starkel and Hicks (4) combined for the other nine starts.
Starkel is the second Arkansas player in two days to put his name in the portal, joining freshman defensive end Collin Clay.
Clay, a 6-5, 285-pounder from Putnam City High in Oklahoma City, tied for 17th on the team with 17 tackles, all in the final eight games. He also notched a half-tackle for lost yardage.
Clay was credited with helping the Razorbacks land the No. 23 recruiting class in the country last season with his work on social media.
Sports on 12/14/2019