Flashback: Arkansas Football’s Class of 2013
Bret Bielema’s first signing class as the Arkansas head coach ultimately proved to be one of his best.
Bielema was hired on Dec. 4, 2012, just weeks after John L. Smith was dutifully let go following a 4-8 debacle after starting in the AP Top 10.
He had quite a bit of ground to make up, and the transfer portal wasn’t a thing at the time, but he and his staff did a relatively good job of securing some talent.
We look back at the top 10 most impactful players from that class today, which was ranked 23rd nationally by 247 Sports and 26th by On3.
No. 10 Korliss Marshall
Marshall had lightning-fast speed, and the Osceola native made an impact in both his freshman and sophomore seasons before off-field issues got the better of him.
The picture above is one of his major highlights, and he was a change-of-pace back to Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins.
No. 9 Sam Irwin-Hill
Everybody remembers the above play, of Irwin-Hill pulling off the fake punt touchdown and CBS cameras catching Johnny Manziel muttering how stupid it was that the Aggies gave that up.
He was a very reliable punter in his three seasons with the Razorbacks.
8. Tevin Beanum
Beanum was one of Bielema’s first signees and became a mainstay at defensive end during his four seasons, consistently getting pressure from the outside and helping in the run game.
7. Denver Kirkland
Kirkland was an Under Armour All-American and was a huge part of Arkansas’ run game and pass blocking for Brandon Allen during his three seasons. He was a massive get out of the Miami area for the Razorbacks.
6. Martrell Spaight
Spaight only played two seasons, but he left his presence felt.
He was a thumper who controlled the middle of the field and made the 2014 Arkansas defense a sight to behold.
5. Dan Skipper
Skipper was an absolute behemoth of a man at right tackle and he helped pave the way for Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins to make SEC defenses look silly.
4. Brooks Ellis
Ellis was a tackling machine and also underrated in pass coverage. His interception return for a touchdown against TCU on the road in 2016 comes to mind.
3. Austin Allen
Allen sat behind his brother for two seasons and then got two seasons as the starter.
He was brilliant in 2016, throwing for 3,430 yards and 25 touchdowns in helping Arkansas to a 7-5 record and a Belk Bowl trip.
In 2017 he struggled with injuries and only appeared in 8 games as the Razorbacks couldn’t keep offensive linemen healthy either.
2. Hunter Henry
He will forever be remembered for the above photo, but Henry was as gifted a tight end that has ever played for the school.
The two-time All-American won the Mackey Award in 2015 and parlayed that into an early second round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers. He is still in the NFL today.
1. Alex Collins
It wasn’t hard to decide who the most impactful player of this signing class was.
Collins was a touchdown machine for the Razorbacks.
But he almost never made it to campus. The infamous story of his mother running off with his letter of intent. Good thing he did.
He had a nice NFL career and is now with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL.
