Arkansas

Purdue’s SEC transfer QB brings winning mentality that ‘makes you stand a couple inches taller’

Published

5 months ago

January 7, 2025

Purdue’s SEC transfer QB brings winning mentality that ‘makes you stand a couple inches taller’

WEST LAFAYETTE — New Purdue football quarterback Malachi Singleton wants to win and doesn’t care what he must do to make it happen.

North Cobb High School coach Shane Queen saw everything he needed in a two-game span of Singleton’s junior season. Playing top-ranked Milton in their second game in 2021 — with a national ESPN audience — the North Cobb planned to showcase its budding quarterback prospect’s passing talents.

That strategy fell apart almost immediately.

“We went out the first drive and we felt like, man, we’re going to throw the football,” Queen said. “We had a couple receivers run the wrong routes, offensive linemen jump offsides. And our coordinator said, no, we’re going to go back to running the football.”

Singleton ran, too — for 224 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-21 upset victory. A week later against Alpharetta, he ran only twice, because he completed 18-of-22 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns.

Those dual-threat abilities prompted multiple programs to reach out to Singleton when the former Arkansas quarterback went into the transfer portal after his freshman season. He chose Purdue, starting a quarterback room restock under new coach Barry Odom. Former UCF quarterback EJ Colson and former Washington State quarterback Evans Chuba also signed up.

New offensive coordinator Josh Henson knows about winning with dual-threat talents, most notably 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at USC. Queen said Singleton dealt with the running quarterback stigma as a prospect. North Cobb always believed in him as a full-service quarterback, though, folding more run-pass options into its offense over time.

“Sometimes we would have three plays called in one,” Queen said. “He’s a very cerebral football player. You tell him once, he gets it.

“That’s what kind of player they’re getting. They’re getting somebody that’s not only competitive and has the mindset that we’re never going to lose a football game, but also one that’s going to play within what the coaches give him, and he’s going to take what the defense gives him.”

North Cobb’s 2021 team finished 10-2 and reached the second round of the Georgia state playoffs. One of Singleton’s top receivers on that team — De’Nylon Morrissette — is Purdue’s only projected returning receiver with multiple touchdown catches last season.

Singleton and Morrissette played together only for that 2021 season. Singleton, though, first started for North Cobb as a freshman when its three-year starter suffered a late-season injury.

His biggest moment thus far as a college quarterback came in similar circumstances. Arkansas starter Taylen Green suffered a fourth-quarter injury with his team trailing 14-10 against then-No. 4 Tennessee on Oct. 6.

Singleton’s entire career to that point consisted of 18 snaps of mop-up duty against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and three against Auburn. He took over in the red zone, but the Razorbacks settled for a field goal to cut the defict to one.

Arkansas went three-and-out on its next two drives with its green quarterback. On the third, Singleton took over at his own 41 with three minutes left and completed three consecutive passes to move back into the red zone. Then he kept it himself on a zone read for a go-ahead 11-yard touchdown run.

Tennessee had allowed him to score in order to get the ball back with as much time as possible, but the Razorbacks defense secured the 19-14 victory. It was the program’s first home win over a top-five opponent in 25 years.

“The last two drives, he was phenomenal,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman told reporters after the game. “He ran (the offense) very, very well and scored the touchdown to go ahead.

“He’s been here a long time and hasn’t gotten to play. To go in there and score the winning touchdown — with the help of 10 other guys — has to be really fulfilling for him.”

Queen said the North Cobb coaches were excitedly trading text messages while watching the game from their homes that night. Purdue hopes it puts itself in position for similar clutch moments one year after a 1-11 collapse.

Singleton’s competitiveness can be contagious, Queen says. He expects him to challenge teams and hold them accountable. He’ll also willingly take contact at 6-1, 225 pounds — something teammates tend to appreciate in their quarterback.

“What I love about him is, even in high school — and I always explained to college coaches — he didn’t care if we walked out and played the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night. He always felt like we had a chance to win,” Queen said.

“As a coach, that makes you stand a couple inches taller. You feel the same when your quarterback, the guy who’s making those decisions, goes out there and has that mentality.”

Purdue arguably needs that win-at-all-costs attitude as much as it needs dyanamic quarterback talents. In Singleton, it hopes it found both.

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Arkansas

Tennessee vs Arkansas Game Two Betting Odds – Fayetteville Super Regional

Published

9 hours ago

June 8, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee vs Arkansas Game Two Betting Odds – Fayetteville Super Regional

A look at the betting odds for game two between Tennessee and Arkansas.

The Tennessee Volunteers lost a close one against Arkansas on Saturday in game one of the Super Regional. The Razorbacks took an early lead but a two-run shot from Dean Curley gave Tennessee the lead in the top of the fifth. Unfortunately for the Vols, Arkansas smacked a two-run home run of their own in the inning and added on another run in the sixth inning to make it a 4-2 ball game. Andrew Fischer added another run in the ninth but that was all Tennessee scored.

Tennessee will now have to win game two on Sunday in order to keep their season alive. If Arkansas wins, they will advance to the College World Series. Tennessee and Virginia are the only two programs that have appeared in three of the last four Men’s College World Series.

According to Vegas, Tennessee is in good shape heading into Sunday. The Volunteers are a 1.5-run favorite over Arkansas and the moneyline is set at -130 in favor of Tennessee, according to Draft Kings. The over/under is set at 10.

The Volunteers have not named a starter yet but it is expected that Liam Doyle will be the man on the mound in this crucial matchup.

First pitch is set for 3 PM ET and the game will be broadcasted on ESPN for thos who want to watch.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Arkansas

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello has funny apology on ESPN at super regional vs Arkansas

Published

1 day ago

June 7, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello has funny apology on ESPN at super regional vs Arkansas

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello only talked for a short time when being interviewed during his team’s Super Regional showdown against Arkansas, but he got a big laugh.

Vitello spoke with ESPN broadcaster Tom Hart and the broadcast crew before the fourth inning of the Vols’ Game 1 at Arkansas. The interview did not start immediately after the commercial break, for which Vitello apologized.

“Sorry for the delay,” Vitello said. “I have a small bladder.”

Vitello also commented on pitcher Marcus Phillips’ outing. Phillips has allowed one run. He got out of trouble in the bottom of the third by stranding three Arkansas runners with a double play ball.

“A couple of two-strike mistakes,” Vitello said. “A couple of pitch out mistakes. I don’t know if you guys can see that from the camera angle. A couple pitch outs that were mislocated and a couple two-strike pitches that weren’t located.”

Sam Hutchens covers sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

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Arkansas

‘Devil in the Ozarks’ fugitive captured after 12-day Arkansas manhunt

Published

2 days ago

June 6, 2025

Press Room

‘Devil in the Ozarks’ fugitive captured after 12-day Arkansas manhunt

A former Arkansas police chief who escaped from a prison where he was serving decades-long sentences for murder and rape was captured June 6 after a 12-day manhunt involving federal, state and local law enforcement.

Grant Hardin, known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” was caught around 3 p.m. local time just a mile and a half from the prison he escaped nearly two weeks earlier, according to Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion. Hardin, 56, was thought to have fled the state.

Tracking dogs picked up Hardin’s scent west of the prison near Moccasin Creek in Izard County, according to Champion. Photos of Hardin’s arrest show him wearing a sullied shirt. His face appears thinner than in earlier mugshots.

“Thanks to the great work of local, state and federal law enforcement Arkansans can breathe a sigh of relief and I can confirm that violent criminal Grant Hardin is back in custody,” said Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “I am grateful for all law enforcement who contributed to his capture and give special thanks to the Trump administration and Secretary Kristi Noem, who sent a team from Border Patrol that was instrumental in tracking and apprehending Hardin.”

Arkansas law enforcement authorities and U.S. Border Patrol agents participated in the arrest, according to Champion.

“This was a great joint operation by a number of agencies, and I’m so thankful for their tireless efforts,” said Dexter Payne, director of the Arkansas Division of Correction. “The Arkansas State Police, U.S. Marshals, FBI, Border Patrol, Game and Fish, all the state and local agencies, along with the dedication of our Department employees, all played an indispensable role and I express my extreme gratitude.”

Hardin had gained notoriety as the subject of the 2023 documentary “Devil in the Ozarks’’ about his 1997 rape of a school teacher and 2017 murder of a water department worker.

Hardin fled the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock, Arkansas, through a secure entryway on May 25 wearing a fake law enforcement uniform. His disguise caused a corrections officer to open a gate and let him walk out of the medium-security facility.

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The escape followed the May 16 jailbreak of 10 inmates in New Orleans – several of them charged with murder – which drew national attention and caused consternation in area communities.

Hardin was regarded as no less dangerous a fugitive. In 2017 he was convicted of killing James Appleton, an employee of the northwest Arkansas town of Gateway whose brother-in-law, Andrew Tillman, was the mayor. Tillman told investigators they were talking on the phone when Appleton was shot to death in his pickup truck.

A DNA test conducted following the murder connected Hardin to an unresolved 1997 rape in Rogers, Arkansas, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case. The teacher was attacked at gunpoint after leaving her classroom to go to a restroom near the teacher’s lounge, according to the affidavit.

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Where did Hardin work in law enforcement?

Hardin’s combined convictions, including two counts of rape, added up to 80 years in prison sentences.

“He’s a sociopath,’’ former Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith told Arkansas ABC affiliate KHBS/KHOG. “Prison’s not full of people who are all bad. It’s full of a lot of people who just do bad things. Grant’s different.’’

Hardin had an erratic career in Arkansas law enforcement starting in 1990, working for police departments in Fayetteville, Huntsville and Eureka Springs before briefly serving as Gateway’s police chief in 2016.

He was fired from the Fayetteville job after less than a year because of subpar performance and failure to accept constructive criticism, according to KHBS/KHOG. In Huntsville, where he worked from April 1993 to October 1996, the former police chief told the TV station Hardin used excessive force and made poor decisions.

Escaping from prison, for which he now faces charges, may be just the latest one.

Contributing: N’dea Yancey-Bragg, Michael Loria and James Powel, USA TODAY

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