FAYETTEVILLE — Head coach Bret Bielema addressed the status of three football players Tuesday in an interview with Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly.
Freshman cornerback Chris Murphy, who was an early enrollee in the spring semester, has not reported back to Fayetteville for the summer semester.
Bielema said some of the assistant coaches had been in contact with Murphy, but he is unsure of his status.
"When he was leaving campus, he was coming back for the summer at least," Bielema said. "He's a confused kid. He went back home and saw his buddies that were still in their senior year."
One player the Razorbacks will for sure not have next season is Jovan Pruitt, a member of the 2014 signing class that failed to qualify academically.
Instead of coming to Arkansas, the offensive lineman will attend Trinity Valley Community College for three semesters. That did not come as a surprise for Bielema.
"We signed him with the idea that would be the outcome," Bielema said. "(He) was going to be a pure bonus. We felt really good about the three other (offensive linemen) we signed."
While the Razorbacks will be without Pruitt and could be without Murphy, they will have junior college transfer Josh Williams.
The linebacker played at Dodge City Community College in Kansas last season and has one year of eligibility left, but he wants to play three years at the Division I level.
"I think without a doubt he'll help us in some capacity," Bielema said. "He can run. He's very athletic. He plays at one speed - that's 100 miles per hour."