If you ask Jadon Haselwood what is his favorite thing about Arkansas, his answer might surprise you. It’s hiking at Devil’s Den on Sundays in the fall. He gets his body some light activity after a Saturday on the gridiron, and this time of year, he enjoys taking in the views of the peak-Arkansas fall foliage.

“That’s how I get peace of mind, bro,” Haselwood told SDS. “I feel like I give my energy to so many people, and when I go there, it’s like regrouping.”

Haselwood certainly gives all of his energy to Arkansas on Saturdays. In his first 9 games with the Hogs, he played an average of 57 snaps and he has a career-high 44 catches (5th in the SEC) for 553 yards. More often than not, that production came via a reception in traffic and/or throwing a defender off of him after the catch.

Ask Haselwood where that edge comes from and his answer might surprise you there, too.

“I just kinda let my soul cry on the field. I’ve been through a lot,” Haselwood said. “That’s how I cope with my anger and stuff … it’s kind of like my therapy, if that makes sense.”

If you know Haselwood’s journey to get to Arkansas, that makes perfect sense. He was the 5-star, No. 1 overall receiver who never quite found a home in 3 years at Oklahoma. A torn ACL during a lost COVID season, a struggle to get on the same page with 3 different starting quarterbacks and some admitted self-doubt all played a part in that.

But a home — along with some peace of mind — is exactly what Haselwood found at Arkansas.

“I just thought we would hit the jackpot if we were able to get him,” Sam Pittman said on the SEC Coaches Teleconference, “and in our opinion, we certainly have.”

The love is mutual between player and coach.

“It’s fun. That’s the name of the game,” Haselwood said. “It’s supposed to be that way.”

“Fun” wasn’t the word that Haselwood used to describe his high school recruitment process. He called it “stressful.” Not everyone gets offered a scholarship by Power 5 programs as a freshman in high school (Illinois was first in December 2015). Haselwood did. Not everyone blossoms into a can’t-miss prospect by playing at a powerhouse metro-Atlanta program and leading them to a state title. Haselwood did.

But the pressure of having his pick of schools from coast to coast took its toll on the 6-3 wideout. After an early commitment to in-state Georgia, which offered him a scholarship in May of his freshman year, Haselwood thought twice about playing for the Dawgs because of the offense they operated before Todd Monken arrived. That’s what ultimately led to him committing to Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, where his dad went to school and he had family (though his mom wasn’t thrilled to have her son 12 hours from home).

Even as an Atlanta native, nobody in the college football world questioned why the nation’s top receiver recruit in 2019 would sign with a program that just had consecutive Heisman Trophy quarterbacks leading high-octane passing attacks. But some questioned why Haselwood’s star didn’t take off upon arrival, which was outside noise that he admittedly paid too much attention to.

A 19-catch, 273-yard true freshman campaign and that lost 2020 season because of the knee injury — he also got COVID and missed a game — put Haselwood in a funk in the middle of his college career. Living up to lofty expectations and watching other receivers in his class shine led to frustration.

“I didn’t choose to give myself a big name. I didn’t choose to be the No. 1 receiver in the nation. Somebody else made me that,” he said. “All I did was just play the game.”

Haselwood’s junior year at Oklahoma was his most successful season at Norman (he led the team in catches and receiving touchdowns), but it wasn’t the breakout year he desired. A well-documented midseason quarterback switch from classmate Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams yielded a 3-touchdown game for Haselwood in Williams’ first career start, but he totaled just 12 catches for 161 yards and 1 score in his final 5 games.

The idea of transferring became more realistic.

“Sometimes it just kinda doesn’t work out. I felt like that’s what happened when I was at OU. It just didn’t work out,” Haselwood said. “I wanted it to work out so bad. Me being stubborn, I’m like, ‘Maybe it’s me.’ I try not to put the blame on anybody else.”

Haselwood debated staying at Oklahoma. But he got the sign he needed the day after the regular-season finale loss to Oklahoma State when Riley’s stunning departure for USC became official.

“Lincoln (Riley) leaving was probably the last straw,” Haselwood said. “I did go through so much stuff, not just on the field, but off the field down there. I just felt like it was mentally draining me and I was … I wouldn’t say I was distracted, but it was hard to stay focused on the job that I was trying to get done.

“Being far away from home, that definitely played a factor … it was just so much going on with me outside of football. Then I did tear my ACL … it was 6 months, but even post-(ACL tear) it was mentally draining. I’m in a dark place. I just felt like nobody was really there for me, you know?”

It took Haselwood all but a week to announce his commitment to Arkansas after entering the transfer portal. A visit with offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and receivers coach Kenny Guiton sold Haselwood on his role replacing NFL-bound Treylon Burks out of the slot in the up-tempo scheme. It also helped that he got to reunite with Cedar Grove (Ga.) coach Jimmy Smith, who was the running backs coach on Pittman’s staff.

“It was an easy decision,” Haselwood said. “(Arkansas) may be far away from home, but it’s like, I know I got some people who genuinely care. Not saying they didn’t at OU, but I actually feel the love and I actually trust it. It’s hard to really trust. It’s not easy at all, especially from some people you met during the recruiting process. It’s hard. When things don’t work out, you put your guard up. So when Lincoln left, it was just like, ‘Yeah, it’s time for me to go.’”

Time was something that Haselwood didn’t want to waste upon arriving on campus. He was so eager to get on the same page with KJ Jefferson that he made sure he ran routes with him that first day in Fayetteville.

“I don’t think I was even fully moved in yet,” Haselwood said. “I would be harder on KJ than KJ would be on KJ. I’d be like, ‘Come on, bro. Let’s go throw.’ It would be late, it would be dark outside and I’d have to catch the indoor (facility) right before it closes … I’d tell him to come in and tell him, ‘Let’s just get 30 minutes.’ But, really, I’m gonna make him stay for an hour or something.”

That rapport is evident. Haselwood hauled in at least 3 catches in all 9 games with the Razorbacks. Between Haselwood and fellow transfer Matt Landers, the Hogs maintained their 2021 levels of efficiency (8.9 yards/attempt) while increasing the passing game production by 38 yards per game.

That was the program’s biggest preseason question mark after losing Burks early to the NFL. It wasn’t whether Haselwood could step in and be Burks 2.0; it was whether Haselwood would add a much-needed veteran presence and prevent the passing game from taking a step back.

So far, so good.

“Obviously, he’s done well on the field. He’s blocked well, he’s caught the ball well. His major impact on our team is what he did for the receiver room,” Pittman said. “He’s influenced them with his toughness, his work ethic and as an entire team, he brings that toughness and that competitiveness because he’s been hurt, as well. But he just doesn’t miss anything. He brought a lot to us in intangibles … I’m really, really happy that he’s on the team.”

Same with Haselwood.

His presence is different than it was at Oklahoma. Being vocal doesn’t come naturally, but as a 4th-year player with 2 1/2 seasons worth of Power 5 reps, he understood that was going to be part of his duties when he signed with Arkansas. “Outside of the building, I’m on mute. I’m in my own world,” Haselwood said. “I hang around my teammates, but other than that, I’m Mr. Solo Dolo, man.”

At this stage of his high-profile career, Haselwood has been called plenty of things by others. Search his name on Twitter and you’ll see “bust” or perhaps you’ll find his tweet from February wherein he said he “never understood how the OU fans call me soft when I literally joined the toughest conference.”

Better yet? Take Haselwood’s own advice and put down the phone.

Devil’s Den is lovely this time of year.