FAYETTEVILLE -- Drew Morgan played in the shadow of Keon Hatcher during his first two seasons as an Arkansas receiver.
A twist of fate changed that dynamic in 2015, and now the pair of productive wideouts will be checking out of college football as graduates together after the Razorbacks take on No. 22 Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C.
Keon Hatcher and Drew Morgan will wind up as one of the best receiving duos in Arkansas football history. A look at their career numbers entering Thursday’s Belk Bowl against Virginia Tech
Player;Rec-Yards;TDs;YPC;Comments
Keon Hatcher;124-1761;18;14.1;Tied for 4th at Arkansas in career receiving TDs
Drew Morgan;134-1688;14;12.6;Ranks 6th among active SEC receivers with 134 catches
Morgan, a native of Greenwood, ranks sixth among active SEC players with 134 career receptions, while Hatcher is eighth with 127 catches. In receiving yards among active SEC players, Hatcher, from Owasso, Okla., is sixth with 1,761 yards while Morgan is ninth with 1,688 yards. Hatcher's 18 career touchdown catches rank third among current SEC players, and Morgan's 14 touchdown catches are tied for sixth.
"I would say they're two different types, two different people, but also one common thing: They have been very, very valuable," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said.
Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith echoed the "valuable" traits while lamenting that neither Hatcher nor Morgan made the All-SEC teams selected by conference coaches and media.
"For a guy to back up his junior season the way he did and play as well as he did, it was a shock to me, but we're in a good league with some really good football players," Smith said of Morgan. "I just would have liked to see either him or Keon, being seniors, get noticed the way I thought they played this year.
"I think when you turn the tape on and you watch their whole game, they're definitely two of the better receivers in this conference."
Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen said the duo has been invaluable.
"They're the rock of this team," Allen said. "Those guys are team leaders. They come out to practice every day with the same mentality, and it really rubbed off on the young guys.
"I think whenever they leave, those guys will see how hard they worked and they'll want to be just like them. I couldn't say enough good things about those guys."
Hatcher's senior season of 2015 was derailed by a broken foot two games into the year. He doesn't regret returning for his fifth year.
"It's been good," he said late in the season. "I'm glad I got to come back, be with this team and try to help lead this team to a great season."
Hatcher, a 6-2, 207-pounder, said he feels like he's leaving the program in better shape than when his class reported in the summer of 2012.
"For sure," he said. "There was some problems going on here when the 2012 class got here. We're leaving on a higher note."
Morgan said the lack of All-SEC consideration didn't bother him.
"I go out there and try my best to help the team win," he said. "As long as we're winning, I'm doing my job. All-SEC and all that kind of stuff, that's great. I applaud the guys that make it.
"I reflect on what could I do better, but there's not a next year for me. I'll take my playing time to the next level."
Hatcher came to the Razorbacks with big credentials after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Owasso High. He was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in Oklahoma by 247Sports.com and the No. 5 prospect by Rivals.com.
Coming in one class behind Hatcher, Morgan had been lightly recruited out of Greenwood High. Still, the 6-foot, 193-pounder earned a pair of most valuable player honors in state championship games and he was always considered scrappy and super confident. He was the No. 7 prospect in Arkansas in 2013 by Rivals.com.
While Hatcher was racking up 70 catches for 904 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2013 and 2014, Morgan was having big scrimmage performances in the springs and summers, but only accumulating 10 catches for 181 yards with 1 touchdown during his sophomore season of 2014.
The 2015 season took a turn for them both. Hatcher had snared 13 passes for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns before a broken foot ended his season after two games.
Morgan filled in the void at Hatcher's starting spot and became Brandon Allen's favorite target -- particularly in big victories at Tennessee and Ole Miss -- as well as a four-overtime thriller against Auburn. Morgan wound up with 63 catches for 843 yards and 10 touchdowns.
With Austin Allen under center this year, he's spread it around to Hatcher, Morgan, and fellow seniors Jeremy Sprinkle and Dominique Reed, as well as other targets such as Jared Cornelius.
"They've been great," offensive coordinator Dan Enos said of Hatcher and Morgan. "Drew Morgan, in my opinion, has been one of the best players in this league the last two seasons. There aren't many guys I would look at other teams and trade Drew Morgan out for if it was third and 5 in a clutch situation. I think he's been a phenomenal football player. He makes plays, gets open, doesn't drop the football. Knock on wood.
"The bigger the game, the more he wants the ball and wants to be involved. He's smart, he's tough. I can't say enough about him, obviously."
Enos was equally complimentary of Hatcher.
"I've been really impressed with his demeanor, his leadership, how he's handled this season," Enos said. "He's made big catches in big moments. He's gotten open. He missed a little time with an injury, or his stats would be even better. When it's game day, you can count on Keon that he's going to get open, and when you throw to him, he's going to fight for the ball and compete. He does a lot as a blocker that I think gets overlooked sometimes.
"I'm not taking away anything from anybody that got voted [on All-SEC teams], but in my opinion, those two guys are as good as there is in this league. I'm just glad they're on our team."
Bielema sees both of the senior receivers in the pro ranks.
"Hatcher, he's a big receiver," Bielema said. "I've had a lot of receivers that don't play big when they're big, and he does that. He goes up and gets it. For me, the high point of his career was this year in the Alabama game. He had some big catches down the middle of the field ... but also in those games, he's gone in and whacked the linebacker, defensive end.
"He plays very physical. I think the NFL is going to like the market that he has."
Bielema said Morgan is gifted and intelligent and can play all the receiver spots in the Arkansas offense.
"He's always 'on.' There's never a dull moment," Bielema said. "I had a meeting with him and his dad the other day, trying to help with their agent selection, and I think there is a niche market for those receivers right now.
"You see some of the better teams in the NFL have that guy that Drew can be just like, I think. He may not have all 32 teams interested in him, but I bet you there's going to be half a dozen of them that are pretty interested."
Up next
ARKANSAS VS. VIRGINIA TECH
WHEN 4:30 p.m., Thursday WHERE Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. RECORDS Arkansas 7-5; Va. Tech 9-4 BETTING LINE Va. Tech by 7 SERIES First meeting TELEVISION ESPN RADIO Razorback Sports Network
Sports on 12/25/2016