FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — First-team honorees Treylon Burks, Ricky Stromberg and Grant Morgan headline the six Razorbacks standouts who earned 2021 Preseason Coaches All-SEC recognition on Tuesday. Jalen Catalon landed on the second-team defense, while Myron Cunningham and Ty Clary each appeared on the third-team offense.
Burks has racked up numerous accolades this preseason, including spots on the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year. The wideout led the Razorbacks in catches last season, hauling in 51 passes for 820 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished third in the SEC in receiving yards per game (91.1) and fifth in total receiving yards, logging six games of 90+ receiving yards and four games of 100+ receiving yards as a true sophomore.
The Warren, Ark., native, who earned second-team All-SEC honors after the 2020 campaign, was one of only two FBS receivers to log 800+ receiving yards and 70+ rushing yards on the year.
Stromberg, named to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, played in nine games with eight starts last season, lining up at center in all of them. He played 628 offensive snaps on the year – the fourth most on the team and third most among offensive linemen – and played every offensive snap of a contest seven times during the campaign.
The junior from Tulsa, Okla., totaled a 69.7 run-blocking grade for the season, ranking second among Hog offensive linemen. He allowed only one sack on 355 pass-blocking plays, posting six games with a pass-blocking grade of 70-plus.
Morgan, like Burks and Stromberg, has compiled a long list of accolades this preseason. The redshirt senior is a candidate for the Bednarik Award, Butkus Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy headed into the 2021 campaign after emerging as one of the best players in all of college football last year when he produced one of the greatest seasons in Arkansas history.
The Greenwood, Ark., product, who was named a Walter Camp and AFCA Second Team All-American following the 2020 campaign, posted an SEC-leading 111 total tackles, including 7.5 for loss, with 2.0 sacks. The linebacker finished tied for the nation’s lead in tackles per game (12.3) while intercepting one pass, breaking up five and registering one quarterback hurry. Originally a walk-on, Morgan joined Martrell Spaight (2014) as the only two Razorback defenders to garner both AP and Coaches All-SEC recognition in the last 10 seasons.
Catalon, one of the best safeties in all of college football, was named a preseason All-American by The Associated Press on Monday after logging 99 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles as a redshirt freshman last year. His 9.9 tackles per game tied for the FBS freshmen lead and was fourth among all SEC defenders.
The Mansfield, Texas, native grabbed FWAA Freshman All-American and All-SEC First Team (AP) honors last season, becoming the first SEC freshman since Tennessee’s Eric Berry in 2007 to post at least 86 tackles and three interceptions. Catalon heads into the 2021 campaign with numerous accolades, including watch list recognition for the Bednarik Award, Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
Cunningham and Clary, meanwhile, anchored Arkansas’ offensive line last year. Cunningham started all 10 games while playing 705 snaps – the most of any Razorback. The redshirt senior from Warren, Ohio, produced four games with an 80-plus passing grade, allowed only two sacks and was flagged just four times during the 2020 campaign.
Clary played in eight games with seven starts in 2020, making five starts at right guard and two at center. The Fayetteville, Ark., native was penalized only two times – the fewest among any Razorback offensive lineman that played at least 400 snaps.
Arkansas opens the season at home against former Southwest Conference rival Rice at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, on SEC Network+/ESPN+. Season tickets are available now and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at (479) 575-5151.
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