Bumper Pool’s special season continues to get better

Good luck finding another linebacker corps in the country as rough-and-tumble as Arkansas’. The Razorbacks main trio of Bumper Pool, Grant Morgan and Hayden Henry have been the backbone of the defense for the last two years. This year has been especially impressive as the Hogs sit at 7-3 and have a chance for their best regular-season record in 10 years with one more win.

Pool, who earned some All-SEC love last year, is even going to get more this season. He leads the team in tackles by 20 and is second in the SEC with 100. Saturday, in Arkansas’ 16-13 overtime over LSU, Pool led all players with 13 tackles, including two for-loss.

And he did it while injured.

“He was beat up a little bit last week on a Tuesday practice, or maybe it was Wednesday, came back Thursday and we didn’t know quite his status,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “But he went in there and played outstanding.”

Pool, who grew up an Arkansas fan in Texas, was going to do everything he could against LSU, the team largely considered the Hogs’ biggest rival. He had 10 tackles the week before against Mississippi State and he has recorded back-to-back games of double-digit tackles three times this season.

Pool didn’t redshirt upon arriving in Fayetteville, meaning he could have another season. He, Henry and Morgan are all seniors and the players behind them have a limited experience. If he were to return in 2022, the Hogs have a player around which to rebuild the defense. Pittman is trying.

“I’m trying to get him to come back next year.”