Arkansas is expected to host another transfer defensive tackle on Friday for an official visit.
He’s expected to leave Fayetteville on Saturday.
Texas Southern defensive tackle Elinus Noel III, 6-2, 330 pounds, received an offer from Arkansas last Thursday and has others from Baylor, Kansas State, Maryland, Arizona State and Temple.
He announced he was entering the NCAA transfer portal on April 16.
Advertisement
He recorded 52 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as a junior in 10 games last year. He signed with Nichols State as a senior at John Curtis High School in New Orleans in 2021.
Noel had 18 tackles and 2 tackles for loss as a freshman for the Colonels in 2021. He recorded 35 tackles and 3 tackles for loss in 2022 before training to Texas Southern.
CLAY COUNTY, Ark. (KATV) — Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division Special Agents are investigating a double shooting that occurred on Saturday, May 16, in the town of Corning in Clay County.
At approximately 4 p.m., the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) and the Corning Police Department (CPD) responded to a shooting call at the Baker Sawmill Company in Corning.
Upon arrival, deputies located two victims suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
According to officials, the suspect fled on foot but was apprehended near the scene at around 4:30 p.m. They were also suffering from a sustained gunshot wound.
Advertisement
The two victims were transported to local hospitals and later transferred to medical facilities in Little Rock and Memphis for further treatment.
ASP assumed the investigation at the request of the CPD and CCSO.
The suspect, identified as 52-year-old William K. Donald, of Corning, was transported to a local hospital for treatment. After release, he was taken into custody and booked into the Clay County Detention Center on two felony counts of first-degree battery.
The investigation is ongoing.
Note: All accused of a crime are assumed innocent until proven guilty.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – John Daly II fired a 2-under-par 69 on Tuesday to lead the top-seeded and sixth-ranked Razorbacks. Arkansas shot a 1-over 285 in round two and sits in fifth with a 26-hole score of 560 (-8) at the NCAA Corvallis Regional, played at the par-71 Trysting Tree Golf Club.
Oklahoma had three players shoot 5-under and one 4-under for an impressive 19-under round of 265, for a two-day score of 540 (-28), to vault into the lead. Round one leader Purdue is second (-20) and host Oregon State is third (-13). UCLA was 8-under Tuesday, climbed six spots up the leaderboard and sits in fourth at -9. The Razorbacks are fifth at -8. Georgia Southern and Liberty are tied for sixth at -6.
The top five teams after tomorrow’s final round will advance to the NCAA Championships next week.
Daly is tied for ninth after 36 holes with his rounds of 68-69 (137 / -5). Ryder Cowan (Oklahoma) leads at -9 with two players tied for second (8), one player in fourth (-7) and four players are tied for fifth (-6).
Advertisement
Daly opened his day with four pars. He dropped shots on holes 5 and then reeled off four pars to stand at 2-over after 10 holes. From that point, he birdied holes 11, 13, 16 and 17 to finish at 2-under (69).
Erich Fortlage and Gerardo Gomez are tied for 24th, each shooting a 1-over 72 and sitting at 2-under for the Regional. Fortlage got off to a slow start with bogeys on holes 1, 4 and 6. He then played his final 12 holes bogey-free with birdies on holes 10 and 14. Gomez was 1-under through 11 holes with 10 par and a birdie on hole 8. After a double bogey on 12 and a bogey on 13, the sophomore played his final five holes at 1-under with a birdie on 17.
Cam Smith, who posted an even-par round Monday, joined Fortlage and Gomez by shooting a 1-over 72 on Tuesday. He is tied for 40th with a 36-hole total of 143 (+1). Thomas Curry carded a 73 for the second-straight day and is tied for 55th (146 / +4).
The third and final round is set for Wednesday.
2026 NCAA Corvallis Regional Dates: May 18-20 (Mon.-Wed.) Host: Oregon State Location: Corvallis, Ore. || Trysting Tree Golf Club Par: 71 || Yards: 7,384 yards
Advertisement
Results Thru Rd2 (Top 5 teams after Rd3 advance to NCAA Championship): 1 #17 Oklahoma 275-265=540 / -28 2 #43 Purdue 272-276=548 / -20 3 #60 Oregon State 276-279=555 / -13 4 #30 UCLA 283-276=559 / -9 5 #6 Arkansas 275-285=560 / -8 T6 #80 Liberty 282-280=562 / -6 T6 #56 Georgia Southern 282-280=562 / -6 8 #7 Texas Tech 283-282=565 / -3 9 #42 San Diego 280-288=568 / E 10 #19 Charlotte 280-291=571 / +3 11 #93 Xavier 281-291=572 / +4 12 #31 Notre Dame 287-291=578 / +10 13 #151 Sacramento State 287-299=586 / +15
When the NCAA super regionals were set a record-tying nine SEC programs remained and six were hosting, including the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks who will entertain No. 12 Duke.
With LSU going to Alabama, Mississippi State to Oklahoma and Georgia to Tennessee, the SEC will be vying for six of the Women’s College World Series slots.
Advertisement
While Nebraska is currently ranked No. 1, the SEC has No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 10 Florida, No. 11 Georgia, No. 18 LSU and No. 20 Mississippi State in the top 25.
Texas A&M is No. 16 but was eliminated at home 9-1 by Arizona State.
Since 2016, when then-Athletic Director Jeff Long hired Courtney Deifel, the Razorbacks have had one losing season, her first, and have made the NCAA Tournament every year since with the exception of 2020 when the entire sports world came to a halt because of COVID-19.
This is Deifel’s fifth time taking the Razorbacks to the super regional round.
Deifel graduated from Cal-Berkeley with a degree in American business, but she immediately went into coaching.
Advertisement
She was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma, where she got her master’s degree, and then had subsequent assistant coaching stops at Maryland and Louisville. She returned to Maryland as the head coach in 2015.
After one season she jumped to the Razorbacks and has never looked back.
Arkansas is a feared competitor in a very tough SEC.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive when the voting was announced Sunday.
He and his Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending NBA champions and on a course to repeat.
Advertisement
Gilgeous-Alexander connection to Arkansas goes deeper than having former Razorbacks and Fort Smith Northside standouts Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams as teammates.
A native of Hamilton, Canada, he finished his high school career at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn. He was a 4-star recruit who committed to Florida in November 2015, then decommitted 11 months later and finally picked Kentucky and, who else, John Calipari.
He started the season as a backup point guard, but by conference time was the starter. He was MVP of the SEC Tournament and he helped the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
Gilgeous-Alexander, a one-and-done, was drafted with the 11th pick of the first round by the Charlotte Hornets, who almost immediately traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
He played there a season before being traded to Oklahoma City, where he became a star.
Advertisement
Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged more than 30 points per game in each of the past four seasons.
Now that the NCAA has officially announced its basketball tournaments will expand to 76, it appears baseball and football would like to have larger tournament numbers as well.
It has been guessed that the College Football Playoff’s current 12-team field will expand after this coming season to 24 teams.
More than likely that would end the Power Four conference championship games.
The Big Ten, winner of the last three CFP championships as well as the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments last April, apparently is the one pushing for the expansion to 24.
Advertisement
TV may balk but they won’t walk, they will ante up to stay in the game.
The possible expansion of the football playoffs has brought up the old realignment argument, except this time the theory is 24-36 major programs will start their own football league.
Over the months and possible years as this plays out, the advice here is follow the money.
Wally Hall
Advertisement
whall@adgnewsroom.com
Wally Hall is assistant managing sports editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A graduate of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock after an honorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force, he is a member and past president of the Football Writers Association of America, member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, past president and current executive committee and board member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and voter for the Heisman Trophy. He has been awarded Arkansas Sportswriter of the Year 10 times and has been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Arkansas Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame.
