As he continues assembling his first Arkansas coaching staff, Sam Pittman is on the receiving end of an early Christmas present, courtesy of Rakeem Boyd.
On his personal Twitter account Monday, Boyd announced that he has “made a decision that is best for me to not enter the 2020 NFL Draft.” Instead, he “will come back to the University of Arkansas for my senior season and to finish my education.”
“There’s more left for me to do to fulfill my dreams, break more records and bring the program back to the top,” Boyd stated. “The only way I can do that is in that number five Razorback jersey.”
#WPS 🐗 pic.twitter.com/D8xJs1TMAP
— Rakeem boyd (@boyd_rakeem) December 23, 2019
Boyd was far and away the Razorbacks’ leading rusher in 2019. The junior totaled 1,133 yards; next closest was Devwah Whaley‘s 278. Those were the only two players on the team that finished with more than 100 yards on the ground.
This was the second-straight year Boyd was the Hogs’ bellcow back. In 2018, he was tops on the team with 734 yards. In two seasons in Fayetteville, Boyd has rushed for 1,867 yards and 10 touchdowns (eight in 2019) on 307 carries.
Boyd is also a weapon coming out of the backfield. In those two years, he’s caught 42 passes for another 325 yards.
Coming out of high school, Boyd was a four-star prospect who signed with Texas A&M in 2016. However, after one season in College Station, he left the Aggies and spent the 2017 season at a junior college. With offers from Arizona State and Colorado, Boyd signed with Arkansas as part of its 2018 recruiting class.
