Yessirrr: 7th Arkansas senior returning for 2021 as d-lineman is latest Razorback to announce plans
The Arkansas Razorbacks will have another senior returning for the 2021 season.
Senior Dorian Gerald announced on his Twitter account on Tuesday that he would return next year following another injury-plagued campaign.
see y’all in 2021 💪🏾 #wps pic.twitter.com/AfQacn1qZF
— Dorian Gerald (@dorianmgerald) December 30, 2020
Gerald transferred to the Razorbacks in 2018 from junior college and made an immediate impact, recording 21 tackles and 2.5 stops for a loss despite dealing with an ankle injury that limited his playing time. However, he played in just 1 game in 2019 before suffering a bruised artery in his neck and redshirting the remainder of the year.
In 2020, he appeared in 5 games, hampered by an ankle injury suffered against Georgia in the season opener.
Gerald is the 7th Razorback senior that has announced his intent to return for another year in 2021. The group will be a large part of an Arkansas team that showed some improvement from past seasons despite finishing 3-7 under 1st-year head coach Sam Pittman.
Been waiting on this one. Big things coming in 2021. Love this kid. #7aintenough #gohogs https://t.co/Kxgn6lZZAY
— Coach Sam Pittman (@CoachSamPittman) December 30, 2020
Some players college and pro alike are injury prone and can’t shake it thus never live up to their potential. Seems to be the case with Gerald. Hope for the best, but anything we get out of him will be a bonus.
I think this is a win-win. These guys get another year of expert tutelage and improve their draft stock. Most of them would be a stretch to make it in the NFL at this point, maybe easier after another year of learning and conditioning. We also gain experience players that know the system and this should reduce the learning curve of the team going into next year. They will need it to ensure we take down Texas in week 2.
Its good that players like Gerald can have one last chance to play and to show something to NFL eyes. May or may not be any better, but at least guys in his situation can say they gave it every shot they could. In this case, even if he is healthy, its chances of being drafted are pretty slim or none. Now he and others have one last shot to make something positive happen.