FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas receiver Sam Mbake will miss the 2023 season with a knee injury, a team spokesman confirmed Monday.
Mbake suffered the injury two days earlier during the Razorbacks' first scrimmage of the preseason. Afterward he posted a photo of his left leg on Instagram, indicated he wouldn't play again until 2024 and wrote, in part, "trust the process."
Mbake, a 6-3, 205-pound sophomore from Kennesaw, Ga., drew praise from Arkansas coach Sam Pittman two days before the injury.
"He's going to be able to help us," Pittman said last Thursday. "Mbake is a wonderful person and he plays 90 miles an hour all the time. It's important to him. He has improved in every aspect of his game — speed, strength, awareness of what he's doing. Mbake will be on the field as much as anybody this year. I really like the kid. He's an awful hard worker."
Mbake played in nine games last season, primarily on special teams. He briefly changed positions from receiver to defensive back as a freshman, but transitioned back to receiver by the end of the year.