One of Netflix's biggest original hits has been the junior college football-based Last Chance U. The eight-episode third season was dropped July 20 by the streaming network.
The series' first two years chronicled the 2015 and 2016 seasons of East Mississippi Community College but branched out to Independence (Kan.) Community College for the 2017 season.
That makes it of interest to Arkansas football fans because the Razorbacks signed Pirates tailback Rakeem Boyd (6-0, 200) after also having defensive lineman and eventual Tennessee signee Emmit Gooden (6-4, 320) committed to them throughout most of the season.
Boyd is scheduled to arrive in Fayetteville in early August. He was unavailable to comment on the show. He and Gooden were featured early and late in the this year's edition.
Boyd is a former Houston prep star who rushed for 3,915 yards and 48 touchdowns as a junior and senior before signing with Texas A&M and spending one year there.
He then transferred to Indy and rushed for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns in 10 games this past season.
Boyd got off to a slow start but flourished down the stretch with 34 carries for 313 yards and a touchdown in the regular season finale and adding 35 carries for 215 yards and three scores in his team's Midwest Classic bowl game victory while being named the Offensive MVP.
Boyd will have three years of college eligibility left with the Hogs. He will join a backfield at Arkansas that includes juniors Devwah Whaley and TJ Hammonds, sophomore Chase Hayden and redshirt freshman Maleek Williams.
Gooden, who became good friends with Razorbacks defensive lineman McTelvin Agim during high school, committed to Arkansas in June 2017 after taking an official visit to Fayetteville.
I spoke with him numerous times during the season, and he loved participating in the series, at least after the Pirates were humbled 70-21 by Iowa Western in their season opener.
Independence would rally to go 9-2 during the season, including the bowl win with Gooden shining on defense with 61 tackles and 13.5 sacks and helping lead his team to a Kansas Jayhawks Conference title.
There seemed to be a strained line of communication at times between the former Arkansas staff and Gooden, who had an Alabama offer but committed to both Mississippi State and Tennessee at different times while in high school in Brownsville, Tenn.
I remember one time talking to Gooden while I was on the golf course, and he told me that the Razorbacks' staff had pulled his scholarship offer when it became apparent he would not be a mid-term qualifier. Three holes later there was another text saying that the Razorbacks staff had changed its mind and he still had a scholarship.
Whatever the story was when the new December signing period and the February late period arrived, Gooden did not end up a Razorback. He became a Vol after a scholarship opened Feb. 7.
While Boyd and Gooden were two of the stars of this year's Last Chance U, the main standout has to be Independence head coach Jason Brown.
Brown has been very cordial and accommodating to me over the last couple of years. He's is quite the character with many of his interviews coming while in the hot tub.
Give it a look. It again presents the picture of how junior colleges give many kids the last chance to make it to the next level. Some take advantage of the opportunity, and some just literally fumble the ball out of bounds.
Sports on 07/26/2018