Beyond the NFL, there is a slew of professional football leagues with former Razorbacks playing in them. There are four summer football leagues in which former Arkansas football players are either trying to get back onto an NFL roster or just finishing out their careers playing the game they love.
Seven former Razorbacks are playing in these leagues currently, each with an interesting road to where they are now.
Canadian Football League
WR Keon Hatcher – BC Lions
Hatcher spent four seasons in Fayetteville and became the go-to wide receiver for Austin Allen in the 2016 season. He bounced around NFL practice squads, having small stints with the Oakland Raiders twice, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers twice, and the New York Jets.
For the last two years, he has played for the BC Lions in the CFL. Hatcher was second on the team in receiving yards with 1,043 on 70 catches and recorded five touchdown receptions in 2022.
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Hatcher is currently on the six-game injured list but is expected to return for the Lions’ game against Saskatchewan in late July.
USFL
QB Cole Kelley – Memphis Showboats
Kelley is one of two players on this list to play for the Razorbacks before later transferring to another school. He played two seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Southeastern Louisiana, where he won the Walter Payton Award, the FCS-version of the Heisman Trophy.
Kelley went undrafted but was signed by the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent. He was released about three months after being signed and began preparing for the USFL.
The “Louisiana Steamboat” is appropriately playing for the team in Memphis and has been the starter since Week 3. Kelley rallied the team after an 0-3 start and they had won five in a row until a 31-3 loss to the New Orleans Breakers a week ago.
RB Alex Collins – Memphis Showboats
Before making it to the pros, Alex Collins set school rushing records not seen since Darren McFadden and in 2015 he became the first Razorback since 1969 to score 20 rushing touchdowns in a season.
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Collins was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016 and he played one season with them before going to the Baltimore Ravens. After two seasons on the East Coast, he returned to Seattle but was cut from the practice squad during the 2020-21 season.
Collins has not played for the Showboats since April 29 and is not listed on the team’s Week 10 depth chart. This season, he has scored one touchdown and has rushed for 98 yards on 33 carries.
TE Cheyenne O’Grady – Memphis Showboats
O’Grady has had a roller-coaster career dating back to his time at Arkansas. He played four seasons at Arkansas, recording his first touchdown reception in the 2016 Belk Bowl against Virginia Tech. In 2019, he tied Jeremy Sprinkle for the most touchdowns by a tight end but a few weeks later he left the team for undisclosed reasons.
He participated in a Cincinnati Bengals minicamp in 2021 but did not make the team. He spent 2022 playing in the USFL for the now-defunct Tampa Bay Bandits and he currently plays for Memphis. He has just two receiving yards on one catch so far this season and like Collins, is not listed on the Week 10 depth chart.
National Arena League
WR/DB Marquel Wade – Jacksonville Sharks
Wade might be most well known for his infamous hit on a Vanderbilt punt returner that ended in his ejection and later suspension in 2011 but he also played wide receiver at Arkansas. Most of his time on the field was for special teams, ranking seventh all-time in kickoff return average at Arkansas.
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He has become a household name in the indoor football world, playing for five different teams in multiple leagues, spending time with the Cedar Rapids River Kings, Spokane Shock, Albany Empire, and two versions of the Jacksonville Sharks.
Indoor Football League
WR Jonathan Nance – Tulsa Oilers
Nance started his career at Mississippi Gulf Coast before transferring to Arkansas in 2017. He played two seasons at Arkansas before transferring to Missouri for his final year of eligibility, when he led the team in receptions and receiving yards.
He currently plays for Tulsa’s newest indoor football team, the Oilers. Nance has played in five games, has recorded six touchdown receptions on the season and had a kick return for a touchdown in a game against the San Diego Strike Force.
DB Britto Tutt – Tulsa Oilers
Tutt started his college career at Ventura College in California before transferring to Arkansas, where he spent most of his time on special teams but also played some on defense.
He spent 2022 in the IFL with the Frisco Fighters before going to Tulsa. Tutt has played four games this season and had a kick return touchdown against the Iowa Barnstormers. In that same game, he also recorded an interception and returned it 21 yards.
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**JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH ARKANSAS FANS ON THE TROUGH, HAWGBEAT’S PREMIUM MESSAGE BOARD**
While the Arkansas Razorbacks have been hitting the transfer portal hard, it is partially as a result of having more than 20 scholarship players decide to enter the portal after a 6-6 regular season that was capped off with a Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech on Dec. 27.
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The transfer portal officially opened Dec. 9 and it was open for a 30 day window through Dec. 28. There is also an additional five-day window for players to enter once their season is over, plus there will be an additional 10-day portal window from April 16-25.
ALSO READ: Arkansas Football 2025 Roster Tracker
HawgBeat provides a look at where former Razorbacks have transferred so far…
Note: “GP” denotes games played. Even if a player appears on special teams, that counts as a game played.
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OL Patrick Kutas – Ole Miss
From: Christian Brothers High School (Memphis, TN)
MEMPHIS –While Beale Street is famous for being the Home of the Blues, red was the color of the day Dec. 26 at the Beale Street Parade, where many watchers were clad in red — a team color for both teams playing in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl the following day.
Marching bands, vintage vehicles, cheer squads and floats marched, strutted and cruised down the historic street in downtown Memphis as fans of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas Tech Red Raiders lined the streets, cheering as bands and cheer squads from their schools passed by.
The University of Arkansas Razorback Marching Band, cheerleaders and pep squad brought up the rear of the parade, creating a grand finale as they marched to meet Texas Tech’s Goin’ Band from Raiderland at Beale Street’s Handy Park for a festive Bash on Beale Pep Rally. Both the parade and the pep rally were sponsored by the Beale Street Merchants Association.
— Story and photos by Cary Jenkins
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Maddie Hayley, Kim Hayley, Spphie Haley, Layne Haley, Toomy Haley, orey Hale and Abbie Hayley on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Caden, Colton, Amber and Drew Cates, all of Little Rock, on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
D.J. Stutts, Shante Stutts and DAnte Stutts of Batesville, mother and siblings of the late Razorback football team member Dion Stutts on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Aspen Coad, Mattie Grace Fortenberry, Aylin Coad, Milli Fortenberry and Mac Fortenberry on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Aspen Coad, Mattie Grace Fortenberry, Aylin Coad, Milli Fortenberry and Mac Fortenberry on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Rhett, Dana Asher and Cooper Daniel of Rogers on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Jeff Box of Memphis on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Elivs Moya, Jennifer and Hunter Yurachek on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Sue E. Pig on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Sue E. Pig on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Jonathan and Brittany Hays with Paxton and Brooke Kellett, all of Jonesboro. on 12/26/2024 on Beale Street, Memphis, Liberty Bowl Parade. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Cary Jenkins)
Watch the postgame press conference from Arkansas head coach John Calipari and center Jonas Aidoo after the 71-63 loss to Florida on Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Visit our homepage for complete coverage of Arkansas basketball, including everything you need to know from the Hoop Hogs’ game.