The University of Arkansas have received oral commitments from defensive line transfers Markell Utsey of Missouri and John Ridgeway of Illinois State.
"I'm very excited to get there," Ridgeway said. "I'm excited to be a Razorback because of the family feeling I was feeling from the coaches, and they're really friendly, and I felt really accepted by them. Also, the defensive scheme is similar to the one I'm use to while I was at ISU. Just being able to play in the SEC as well, one of the toughest conferences to play football in and the culture being built at Arkansas."
Rideway, 6-6, 325 pounds, had 22 tackles, 3 for losses, and 1 interception as a junior during the Redbirds' four-game spring season. He had offers from 13 schools such as Arkansas, Texas, Penn State, Michigan, Arizona State, Southern Cal and others.
He was an All-Missouri Valley Conference honorable mention selection as a sophomore and started all 15 games at nose guard for the Redbirds. He had 50 tackles, including 28 unassisted, and 3 tackles for loss.
Ridgeway was able to develop bonds with Coach Sam Pittman and defensive line coach Jermial Ashley during online meetings.
"Coach Pittman is a real friendly guy," Ridgeway said. "He met my parents. I felt the bond the way he talked wit his players. A lot of head coaches don't talk to their players enough, or when they do talk to them they don't know a way to connect with them, or even interact with them in a way to have a bond. With him being able to talk to me and me being able to pick up conversations, and talk defense, and being an overall good person I just wanted to play underneath him."
He's looking forward to playing for Ashley.
"I trust him and I know he can make me into a real good defensive lineman," Ridgeway said. "He's a real good coach. I was able to learn things off of just the meetings we had. I just felt like Arkansas would be an overall great fit for me."
Ridgeway was a FCS Freshman All-America selection by Phil Steele and was on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team after playing in all 11 games with 10 starts. He recorded 30 tackles, 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss.
He had 102 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 interception during his three seasons at Illinois State.
Ridgeway reports a 385-pound bench press, 550-pound squat and 335-pound power clean. He plans to report to Fayetteville on May 23.
"To be able to play in front of 76,000 fans is nice, too," Ridgeway said.
Utsey, 6-4, 295, recorded 19 tackles, including 16 unassisted and two for loss, for the Tigers last season.
In 2016, he signed with then-Missouri coach and current Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom out of Little Rock Parkview. ESPN rated him a 3-star recruit.
Utsey entered the transfer portal April 16 and is taking advantage of the NCAA allowing an extra year of eligibility because of the covid-19 pandemic.
He played in all 12 games as a redshirt junior, finishing with 9 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss. Utsey played in three games the season before and was able to redshirt.
As a sophomore, he started 6 of 11 games for the Tigers, and had 6 tackles while playing in 7 games as a true freshman. Utsey made 40 tackles and 4 tackles for loss in 42 games at Missouri.
Ridgeway and Utsey are the fifth and sixth transfers to join Arkansas for the 2021 season. Offensive tackle Ty'Kieast Crawford (Charlotte), defensive back Trent Gordon (Penn State) along with quarterback Kade Renfro (Ole Miss) and safety Darrell Wilson (Marian (Ind.) University) enrolled at semester and participated in spring practice. Receiver Warren Thompson (Florida State) is a walk-on who will report in May.
Renfro and Wilson are walk-ons. Wilson has since entered the portal and will transfer from Arkansas.