NFL Draft Scout
Featured In/On:
 |
Name: Rakeem Boyd (+) Coming off Oct 2020 Foot INJ
College: Arkansas
Number: 5
School Bio/Stats Link: HERE
Height: 5-11 Weight: 213
Position: Pos2: KR
Class/Draft Year: Sr/2021
40 Low: 4.62 40 Time: 4.70 40 High: 4.75
> Projected Round: Stock: 
|
|
 |
|
Data Scout Notes: **Slower/INJ Prone/Knocked for not playing good vs Top Defenses 2020: NAC...12-01-20-Opting-Out remainder of 2020 Season...(+) Coming off Oct 2020 Foot INJ...PMaxwell/PDoak...2019: (+) Coming off Oct 2019 Shoulder INJ...PDoak...184-1133-6.2-8 rush, 19-160-8.4-0 rec, 1-1-1-0-100.0 pass, 2 TT in 12 gms in '19. Was 200 i
|
Combine Results |
Pro Day Results |
Combine Invite: Yes
Height: 5113
Weight: 213
Zybek PD3X AKA "Official"
40 Yard Dash (ET):
40 Yard Dash (HH):
20 Yard (ET):
20 Yard (HH):
10 Yard (ET):
10 Yard (HH):
|
225 Lb. Bench Reps:
Vertical Jump:
Broad Jump:
20 Yrd Shuttle:
3-Cone Drill:
|
Dates: 03/10/21
Hand: 08 5/8 Arm: 32 1/2
Wingspan: 76 1/2
Height: 5113
Weight: 213
40 Yrd Dash: 4.70
20 Yrd Dash: 2.69
10 Yrd Dash: 1.60
|
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 06
Vertical Jump: 32 1/2
Broad Jump: 08'02"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.38
3-Cone Drill: 7.22
40 Time Range: 4.68-4.72/Projected 4.46/+7 LBs
|
|
|
|
Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas, Player News
|
Boyd said everything during Pro Day went well for him except the broad jump. He went through running back position drills, caught the ball out of the backfield and even in the slot. Arkansas coaches mentioned last fall that catching passes out of the bac kfield was one area of Boyd's game that could stand improvement. Boyd talked about how he was "dinged up" the entire 2020 season. He added that his roommate contracted covid-19 and he had to miss games because of it. He still stays in touch with the Razo rbacks' staff, particularly running backs coach Jimmy Smith and offensive line coach Brad Davis. Boyd has been training in Frisco, Texas, and he focused on getting healthy. That is about the only concern NFL people had, he said. He is 100% now. He suffer ed a bone bruise against Mississippi State in Week 2, missed the Auburn game the following week and attempted to rush back despite not being fully ready. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021  RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Former Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd was honorarily selected to the 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl on Monday. The annual all-star game will not be played as scheduled in January due to the coronavirus pandemic, but game organizers are announcing selectio ns to recognize players who would otherwise participate in the game. Those selected to this year's roster will be eligible to participate in virtual training and informational sessions with NFL coaches and executives prior to the 2021 NFL Draft.Bo yd left the Razorbacks' football team last week with two games remaining in the season. Arkansas coach Sam Pittman characterized Boyd's decision as an opt out due to concerns over the virus. Boyd said he would use the time to prepare for next year's draf t. Boyd rushed 82 times for 309 yards and three touchdowns in seven games this season. He rushed for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Even as he tweeted thanks to Razorbacks fans and coaches of the past Chad Morris regime and current Sam Pittman staff "for the best three years of my life," feelings echoing that old Van Winkle quote likely lurk somewhere within Rakeem Boyd. Not for his first two Arkansas years. This current one. Especially if he follows social media. As a senior captain taking the "opting out" route the NCAA made easier in these coronavirus times, Boyd by some on message boards and presumably Twitter, too, is called "q uitting on his team" with two games to play. Boyd tweeted Tuesday he no longer plays for the Razorbacks and now solely prepares for the spring's NFL draft.Blame him some do, but these are different days. They were even before covid with the transf er portal. Before bemoaning this generation of players lacking loyalty, how about so many recent years bowl teams with interim coaches because the head coach jumped ship to a better job? Or college coaches pressuring high school seniors to graduate early and enroll in January, though perhaps they pledged to play high school basketball, baseball or run track. A running back's career seems most injury risked. Boyd risked it for Arkansas likely at a lower draft cost. A nicer remembered Razorbacks legacy, o f course, had he fully stayed the course. But wish Rakeem Boyd well. Simply by returning he's already taken one for the team. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman kept his comments to a minimum Wednesday regarding tailback Rakeem Boyd's decision to opt out of the final two games of the regular season. Boyd, a 1,133-yard rusher in 2019 when he averaged a healthy 6.1 yards pe r carry, has not had a successful season. The senior suffered an ankle injury in a Week 2 win at Mississippi State that kept him out of the Auburn game, and he also missed the LSU game Nov. 21 due to coronavirus issues. He's second on the team to Trelon Smith with 309 rushing yards, and he averages 3.8 ypc. Boyd announced he was opting out Tuesday."The thoughts on Rakeem, he opted out," Pittman said on the SEC teleconference. "So opting out means that you're concerned about the covid virus and be cause of those concerns he opted out." Pittman also talked about what the tailback situation looks like now. "The tailback situation looks exactly like it did last [game] against LSU, with adding Dominique Johnson," Pittman said. "So, Trelon Smith will b e our starting tailback, and you have T.J. Hammonds and you have Dominque and you have [Donte] Buckner." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
University of Arkansas tailback Rakeem Boyd is opting out of the final two games of the season, he said Tuesday via Twitter. "I will be preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft," Boyd wrote. Boyd, a 1,133-yard rusher in 2019, has not had a big follow-up senior s eason as he was hoping. Voted by teammates as an offensive captain along with quarterback Feleipe Franks, he ranks second on the team with 309 rushing yards on 82 carries and leads the team with 3 rushing touchdowns.The 6-foot, 206-pounder missed the Razorbacks' last game, a 27-24 loss to LSU on Nov. 21 after being caught up in a outbreak of covid-19 testing and tracing along with many of his teammates. The Razorbacks' low roster numbers caused a postponement of last week's road game at Missouri, which has been rescheduled for Saturday. Boyd, who made six starts at tailback, also suffered an ankle injury in the first half of a 21-14 victory at No. 16 Mississippi State that caused him to miss the road game at No. 13 Auburn the following week. Boy d is the fifth Arkansas player to opt out since the summer. Offensive lineman Chibueze Nwanna, receiver Shamar Nash and defensive back Jarques McClellion did not play this season, and cornerback Jerry Jacobs left the team after four games. - Northwest Ar kansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd has opted out of the rest of this season to focus on preparing for the NFL draft. Boyd made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday. Boyd, a senior, rushed for 2,176 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 52 passes for 358 ya rds in his career for the Razorbacks. Last season was his best - he ran for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named to this year's preseason All-SEC second team, but health issues limited his action, and he finished with 309 yards rushing and thre e scores. - AP College Football
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: AP College Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
The Aggies won 42-31 at Kyle Field, but a bright spot for the Razorbacks was establishing a running game that had been lacking through the first four games. Arkansas came into the game averaging 102.3 rushing yards -- 12th in the SEC and 88th nationally -- but the Razorbacks ran well from the start. Rakeem Boyd gained 10 yards on Arkansas' first snap of what became a 12-play, 87-yard touchdown drive highlighted by 63 rushing yards. The drive included a 28-yard run by quarterback Feleipe Franks. It was t he longest rushing play by a Razorback this season, and Franks had another 28-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter on a touchdown drive.Boyd, who prior to Saturday night had 33 carries for 88 yards after missing most of the Mississippi State game and sitting out at Auburn because of an ankle injury, had 18 carries for 100 yards. He capped his game with a 14-yard touchdown run. "It seemed like he ran really hard and did a nice job carrying, holding onto [the] ball and getting extra yar ds," Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said. "It was good to see him have a game like that." It was Boyd's ninth game with 100 or more rushing yards in three seasons with the Razorbacks after he redshirted at Texas A&M in 2016 as a true freshman and played at I ndependence (Kan.) Community College in 2017. Boyd has 2,055 rushing yards at Arkansas, the first Razorback with 2,000 or more since Alex Collins had 3,703 from 2013-15. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
These next two weeks the Razorbacks owe it to Rakeem Boyd and he owes it to himself to return to Arkansas' premier running back. Whether rest healing his injuries or practices polishing his game, or doses of both, this bye week and next week's game week appear pivotal for Boyd before Arkansas next plays Oct. 31 at Texas A&M. The senior running back can run remarkably. He was terrific for horrific 2-10 teams in 2018 and 2019. Arriving as a sophomore junior college transfer just as the 2018 preseason bega n, Boyd opened behind in the playbook. He finished the team's leading rusher with 729 yards on 118 carries. Last year Boyd led and netted 1,133 rushing yards with eight touchdowns on 184 carries. Boyd could have turned pro and been junior drafted. New Ar kansas Coach Sam Pittman marveled watching Boyd's 2019 game film. "He can run over you, he can run around you and he can run by you," Pittman said. And run to riches in the 2021 draft off what Pittman accurately foresaw would be Razorbacks improved. "I b elieve that with another year he can certainly raise his value in the NFL," Pittman said during the summer. "And I believe he believes that as well." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Arkansas star tailback Rakeem Boyd and cornerback Montaric Brown did not make the travel squad to No. 13 Auburn for the Razorbacks. Boyd wore a walking boot on his right foot on the sidelines during the second half of last week's 21-14 win at Mississippi State. He hurt the foot during a second quarter drive inside the Bulldogs' 5-yard line. Boyd was starting to jog by Thursday, but was not ready for game action. Brown came out after a tackle for loss in the second quarter at Mississippi State. Receiver Treylon Burks, who also came out of last week's game, was dressed out during pre-game warmups and wearing a compression sleeve on his right knee. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Arkansas is expected to get at least two starters back at practice Monday after they missed the majority of the Razorbacks' 21-14 victory over Mississippi State. Receiver Treylon Burks and running back Rakeem Boyd are expected to practice, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. Both players left during the first half of Saturday's game against the Bulldogs. Burks said in a video posted to his Instagram account Saturday that he was going to undergo an MRI on his knee Sunday. Boyd's injury was undisclosed, but it appeared to be to his lower body early in the second quarter. Boyd had eight carries for 28 yards prior to the injury. Burks had a 10-yard reception at Mississippi State and was coming off a career-best game against Georgia during which he caught seve n passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Arkansas was 3 of 14 on third-down conversions and had just one drive penetrate the red zone outside of Burks' 49-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Georgia got one of its two sacks on that possession, on a third-and-goal pass play from the Bulldogs' 3, and A rkansas had to settle for A.J. Reed's 25-yard field goal for a 10-5 lead early in the third quarter. Tailback Rakeem Boyd's longest gain on 15 touches came on a 6-yard reception. His longest run was 5 yards as he totaled 11 carries for 21 yards. Pittman said Boyd would bounce back."He's been fine. I mean, he blocked really well at the game," Pittman said. "Obviously we knew against Georgia it was going to be tough running the ball, and it was. But there's other things where he can help our footba ll team. He understands that. He was a very good blocker in pass protection, and he led the entire game on the sidelines. "Certainly he wants to do better for the football team and himself than 20 yards, but it was what it was, and you have to move on an d keep working. The O-line's got to get better. A lot of things go into that. Certainly if he'll stay the same as he has been, he'll end up having a good year." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Georgia snuffed out the Arkansas running game and ace tailback Rakeem Boyd by dominating the line of scrimmage. Boyd never found a crease and finished with 21 yards on 11 carries. "Rakeem, it was tough sledding in there," Pittman said. "He was going to h ave to make his own for the most part today. We couldn't move those guys. It wasn't that they were playing any kind of special defense. They were just playing their gap, and they were hard to move." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Tailback Rakeem Boyd said the thought of opting out of the season didn't appeal to him. "I can't do that to my team, you know what I mean," he said. "I owe so much to my team. I feel like this is my team. "I came back to establish something, so opting ou t wasn't even in the talk. You know what I mean? It's not even in the talk. We're just finding ways to get through all this mess and we've done it." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
In 2020, his final go-around at Arkansas, Boyd is locked in and eager as ever to lead the program to success it hasn't experienced in years. "Last season, I thought I did well," said Boyd, a Houston native. "I think I could have done a little bit better in a couple of games, but that's just how life works. I think the Kentucky game when I was the (SEC's) leading rusher and ended it as the leading rusher, that's when I finally started to heat up. "This is probably my biggest year. I'm stepping up and rea lly working out because I'm taking things a little more serious than I did in the past. I'm still that same dude. I'm just taking things a little more serious."On Dec. 23, 2019, Boyd announced that he would be bypassing the 2020 NFL Draft and retu rning to the Razorbacks for his senior season, bolstering Arkansas' running backs group. The announcement came as a surprise to some. Boyd has flashed NFL readiness on a number of occasions with the Razorbacks, namely when he rushed for 100-plus yards ag ainst Alabama in 2018, becoming the first Arkansas player to do so since Darren McFadden more than a decade ago. The game was the starting point in an impressive four-week run in which he totaled at least 99 yards on the ground. Last fall, Boyd ran for 1 00-plus yards in four games, including a career-best 185 and two scores against Western Kentucky, and 89-plus three other times. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Four seniors have been named captains on Arkansas' football team for 2020. Quarterback Feleipe Franks, running back Rakeem Boyd, defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall and linebacker Grant Morgan were chosen as captains during a team vote this week. It is th e first time the Razorbacks have had permanent captains since 2017. Captains were primarily chosen on a game-by-game basis under former head coach Chad Morris. Franks, Boyd and Marshall are presumed starters at their position this season, while Morgan is jockeying for one of the team's starting linebacker positions. Prior to the announcement of captains, Morgan spoke about being a leader at his position during a Zoom interview Tuesday. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Boyd's presence this season is a huge bonus for the Razorbacks, as many thought he would declare early for the NFL Draft. His production a year ago included touchdown runs of 59 yards against Colorado State, 74 yards at Kentucky, and 76 and 86 yards agai nst Western Kentucky, when he was given just 8 carries. Boyd's 6.2 yards per carry were higher than Hill (5.6), Harris (5.9), Texas A&M's Isaiah Spiller (5.4) and Auburn's Boobie Whitlow (4.9). It was basically on par with Georgia's D'Andre Swift (6.21), and a bit behind LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire (6.58). Boyd said he came back to Arkansas to work on his pass catching and pass protection, and to help Arkansas football win more games in its climb back.He is in very limited full-contact work in ca mp, which has given him a good eye for scouting the talent behind him. "Man, A'Montae Spivey has impressed me," Boyd said early in camp. "I think he runs literally just like me. The kid has some of my ways, but he's young, so he's still learning. Once he gets it, it's there. "You've got Oglesby, [who] is really fast. He can hit the hole. You've got Dominique, who is big and fast. He has good vision. Really good vision. He reminds me of myself with the vision he's got." Boyd said the more features a back brings -- such as pass catching, pass blocking and knowing all the nuances of the offense -- help him stay on the field longer. "You have all those packages as a running back, you get to do more things," he said. "You get to be a first-down, second-down and third-down back. All of those guys are becoming every-down backs. I'm still trying to become one. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
2021 SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas,...Boyd led the team in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2018 and 2019, totaling 1,867 career rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons on the Hill. As a junior, he ran for 1,133 ya rds and eight scores, while rushing for over 100 yards in five games. The Houston, Texas native ranked fourth in the SEC and 27th nationally averaging 94.4 yards per game; in addition, Boyd’s 6.4 yards per carry ranked ninth in the conference. - Arkans as Football
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Arkansas Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
A trio of Arkansas offensive standouts highlights the initial Reese's Senior Bowl watch list released on Thursday by the postseason all-star game held in Mobile, Ala. Running back Rakeem Boyd, tackle Myron Cunningham and quarterback Feleipe Franks are am ong the 73 SEC players on the watch list. Two other collegians from Arkansas - Arkansas State defensive lineman Forrest Merrill and University of Central Arkansas cornerback Robert Rochelle - also made the list. Boyd returned for his senior season after rushing for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns last year. Cunningham (6-7, 325 pounds) started in 10 games last season, seven at left tackle, and allowed one sack in 383 pass plays. Franks led Florida to a 10-3 record, a 41-15 rout of No. 8 Michigan in the Peach Bowl and No. 7 final ranking in 2018 as a sophomore. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
After the Razorbacks' first preseason practice under first-year football head coach Sam Pittman on Monday, Boyd said he believes he played a bit on the heavy side as a junior. The tailback was listed at 213 pounds, according to Arkansas' roster. Regardle ss, he ran for better than 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and at one point led the SEC in rushing as Arkansas played its way through the second full month of the schedule. Entering a critical year in regards to his draft stock and dreams of playing in the NFL, Boyd is at his ideal playing weight, 206 pounds. He is feeling better than ever physically. "This year, I think I'm seeing a 4-pack. I think I'm seeing a 6-pack," Boyd joked during a Zoom conference with reporters. "I've never seen one of those bef ore on my body. My body has been different. I think I'm just ripping up or something."It's a different strength program and I love these guys. They do all the things we need. If you see me at 215, I probably ate a pizza before I got on the scale." On top of that, in another Zoom conference last week, Razorbacks offensive coordinator Kendal Briles spoke highly of Boyd, complimenting the senior's character and willingness to lead. He believes Boyd is an all-around, every-down back. "He's been unbel ievable. He's been really, really good," Briles said. "Not just with the running back group or offense - he's been a great teammate overall. I can't say enough good things about Rakeem and how he's been." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
2020 PRESEASON MAXWELL AWARD WATCH LIST: RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas,...Boyd ran 184 times for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns last season, leading the Razorbacks in rushing yards for the second consecutive season. The Houston, Texas native ranked fourth i n the SEC and 27th nationally averaging 94.4 yards per game on the ground; in addition, Boyd's 6.4 yards per carry ranked ninth in the conference. - Arkansas Football
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Arkansas Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
2020 PRESEASON DOAK WALKER AWARD WATCH LIST: Rakeem Boyd (Sr.), Arkansas,...Boyd, a senior from Houston, Texas, was the team's leading rusher for the second consecutive season, totaling 1,133 yards on 184 carries, scoring eight times in 2019. He ranked f ourth in the SEC and 27th nationally with an average of 94.4 rushing yards per game and ninth in the conference with 6.2 yards per carry. He ran for 100+ yards in five games, posting a season-high 185 yards against Western Kentucky on Nov. 9, his most ru shing yards as a Razorback. - Arkansas Football
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Arkansas Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Arkansas running back Rakeem Boyd is on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the best running back in college football. It is the second consecutive season Boyd, the Razorbacks' leading rusher in 2019, has been placed on the award' s watch list. "I'm taking things a little more serious than I did in the past," Boyd told Hawgs Illustrated this summer. "I'm still that same dude. I'm just taking things a little more serious." The Houston native totaled 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground as a junior, averaging 94.4 rushing yards per game, which ranked fourth in the SEC. Boyd surpassed the 100-yard mark in five games last season and rushed for 90-plus yards in seven games. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Six Arkansas football players were named to Phil Steele's preseason All-SEC teams on Tuesday. Senior running back Rakeem Boyd highlights the group as a second-team selection, and sophomore receiver Treylon Burks received third-team recognition. Senior ce nter Ty Clary, junior linebacker Bumper Pool, senior receiver De'Vion Warren and senior long snapper Jordan Silver were listed on the fourth team. Boyd, Warren and Silver landed on Steele's fourth team last season.A native of Houston, Boyd has led the Razorbacks in rushing each of the last two seasons. He rushed for 1,133 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark against Western Kentucky in early November. Boyd has rushed for 100-plus yards eight times at Arkansas, making him one of 16 running backs in program history to do so. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Boyd, who last season rushed 184 times for 1,133 yards and 8 touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 160 yards, considered entering the NFL Draft, but decided to return to Arkansas after meeting with Pittman and the new coaching staff. "He's working extremel y hard and obviously he knows what this senior season holds for him and for the football team," Pittman said. "The better he is the better our football team is going to be as well and the people around him. "I've been really, really excited for him and I think he's going to have a heck of a football season."Boyd had touchdown runs last season of 74 yards at Kentucky and 76 and 86 yards against Western Kentucky. He was the first Razorback to have two rushing touchdowns of 76 ore more yards in the same season since Felix Jones in 2006. "I'm expecting an incredible season," Arkansas redshirt junior cornerback Montaric Brown said about Boyd. "Rakeem is the best running back in the conference to me, so I'm expecting great things for him." Brown said speed is what impresses him most about Boyd. "A lot of people don't think Rakeem is that fast, but Rakeem is very fast," Brown said. "It will surprise you and sneak up on you." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
The length of Sam Pittman's tenure as head coach at the University of Arkansas is a story that will unspool in the coming years. The quality of Pittman's tenure? Now that's another matter worth some evaluation as he nears his seventh month on the job. Pi ttman has not conducted one practice as the Razorbacks' 34th head coach, but he's already made the kind of connections with players that can pay short- and long-term dividends. "He's definitely a player's coach," receiver Trey Knox said this spring. "I l ove Coach Pittman and the way he approaches running this team. From the first day he was there he's like, 'This is not my team, this is your guys' team, and you need to take charge and self-police yourselves because I'm not going to do it for you."Pittman's suggestion of everyone's ownership in the program has come across as reassuring for players who struggled to become fully vested in the short-lived Chad Morris era. The Razorbacks have three consecutive losing seasons, a 19-game SEC losing str eak and an 8-28 record since the start of 2017. Tailback Rakeem Boyd credited Pittman as a major factor in his decision to return for his senior season, and he gave the longtime offensive line guru a significant stamp of approval last week. "He was at Ge orgia, so he knows what winning is like," Boyd said. "That's why I came back. I trusted in him, and I trusted in the guys on the team already. "Obviously, a guy like that, I know what we have on the team. Some outsiders don't know what we have, but peopl e are going to see that Pittman is the guy." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Rakeem Boyd said his mind was on making the move to the NFL early in December. But the University of Arkansas' 1,133-yard rusher was going to hear from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, talk to his parents and hear out new UA football Coach Sam Pittman befor e making a decision. "I really wasn't planning to come back until I started talking to Coach Pittman," Boyd said in a recent interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "He said, 'Why don't you come in and we'll talk a little bit.' It wasn't until like the fourth time I talked to him … and I went back and talked to my mom and dad and then I decided to come back." Boyd announced his decision to return to Arkansas on Dec. 23, one of the best pieces of news the program has received since hiring Pittman two weeks before that. Boyd pointed out that Pittman was at Georgia with star running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, and another year in a system that puts a premium on running the ball will help him.Pittman talked last week about his discussi ons with Boyd on the subject of turning pro or returning. "When you have those discussions with kids that are debating whether to leave or not, the number one thing you have to find out is their NFL eval[uation]," Pittman said. "You have to find out what their worth is in the National Football League. We had a conversation about that, and at that point you have to let them know how much you would like to have them back. "Just like at Georgia, you had the conversation with Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson . Their eval came back first round. What do you say? 'Bye.' I mean there's not a whole lot you can sit there and say when a guy is gonna sign 28 million guaranteed and $6.5-7 million guaranteed. Boyd excelled on an offense that struggled much of last sea son, ranking 13th in the SEC with 340.1 total yards per game and 11th in the SEC with 147.2 rushing yards per game. - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Chad Morris was candid when asked about his team's offensive performance in a narrow season-opening 20-13 win against Portland State on Saturday. With 11 new starters on offense following last season's dismal 2-10 effort, the offensive mastermind whose o ffenses were explosive at both Tulsa and Clemson when he was the country's highest paid offensive coordinator, pulled no punches Saturday. "It was not the performance I wanted to see," Morris said. "Just very disappointed. We never got into a rhythm." The Razorbacks rushed for 204 yards, which was a bright spot, Morris said. But the combined 18-of-35 passing effort from transfer quarterbacks Ben Hicks and Nick Starkel was well below what Morris envisioned when they joined the program. Junior runni ng back Rakeem Boyd was a bright spot offensively for Arkansas with 114 yards on 18 carries. Boyd's third quarter touchdown, set up by a Jarques McClellion interception, gave Arkansas a little breathing room with a 17-6 lead with 2:20 left in the third q uarter. - AP College Football
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: AP College Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
Rakeem Boyd was unable to lift his left arm above his head when he arrived at Arkansas for preseason camp last year. But despite the bum shoulder and playing catch-up with the playbook for a chunk of the schedule, Boyd put together a solid season, one th at sparked a great deal of excitement among coaches and fans as he enters his junior year. He averaged six yards per touch on a team-best 123 carries and ran for at least 99 yards in consecutive games against Alabama, Ole Miss, Tulsa and Vanderbilt last October. He became the first Razorbacks running back to top 100 yards against the Crimson Tide since Darren McFadden in 2007 - with McFadden in attendance.Boyd also caught 23 passes out of the backfield, serving as a safety valve for Arkansas quar terbacks Ty Storey and Cole Kelley. Now, with one year in Chad Morris' system under his belt, he's grown much more comfortable and proficient within the offense. "My knowledge (of the playbook) has been really good," Boyd said Monday following the Razorb acks' ninth practice of the preseason. "I've paid attention to detail and really got in the playbook a little bit, and started watching a little film with my linemen. "I kind of like them to critique me every time I run the ball or make a pass play, or s can the defense. I've got a little bit better at it. Last year I just came in and wasn't ready to focus in. Now I'm just locked in." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
University of Arkansas running backs coach Jeff Traylor had two big takeaways from top tailbacks Rakeem Boyd and Devwah Whaley last season. They weren't highlight-reel runs, 100-yard games or great blitz pickups, although Whaley and Boyd pulled off plent y of those. Traylor's takes revolved around how Boyd and Whaley played through pain and sacrificed for the team in the face of adversity in 2018."The shoulder, he was just holding on," Traylor said of Boyd, who had 100-yard games against Alabama ( 15 carries, 102 yards), Ole Miss (7-109) and Vanderbilt (19-113) during a four-game span, with a 99-yard effort against Tulsa among the stretch. Boyd injured his lower back halfway through the Ole Miss game and could not return, then dinged his shoulder along the way. He kept on trucking until needing surgery on his right labrum after the season. "The labrum, a rotator cuff, is not something that's easy to play through, and the kid played through it," Traylor said. "Two major surgeries. And now he's 18 pounds heavier." - Northwest Arkansas Times
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
2019 PRESEASON DOAK WALKER AWARD CANDIDATE: Rakeem Boyd (Jr.), Arkansas,...Boyd, a junior from Houston, Texas, recorded a team-best 734 yards on 123 attempts last season in his first year with the Razorbacks. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry with 61.2 per game, scoring twice, while leading the team in all-purpose yards with 899. Boyd put together three games of 100+ yards rushing in three contests, all against conference foes, with a season-best 113 yards against Vanderbilt on Oct. 27. - Arkansas Footbal l
(DS#19 RB) Sr/2021 RB Rakeem Boyd, Arkansas
News Source: Arkansas Football
Share/Comment/External News Feed: Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|