FAYETTEVILLE — Rakeem Boyd had plans to play a big role in the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium when he enrolled in college.
He’ll have a chance to do so Saturday, just for a different team than he first intended.
Boyd (6-3, 210 pounds) signed with Texas A&M in 2016 and redshirted after a late arrival to College Station, spent the next season at Independence, Kan., Community College where he was featured on the Netflix series Last Chance U and then signed with Arkansas, where was added to the roster in August.
"There is a lot on the line and I am ready to get out there,” Boyd said. “I’ve been waiting on this one for a long time.…It means a lot. I want to beat them. They are all buddies, but when it comes to the field, I have got to get it in.”
Boyd, who rushed for 6,436 yards and 80 touchdowns in high school at Stratford, Texas, has been communicating with a few of his old Texas A&M teammates this week.
“It’s just ‘can’t wait to play you’ and stuff like that,” Boyd said. “I’m just ready to get the pads on and see what happens.”
Boyd, who was an academic casualty in College Station, seems to harbor some ill will at the Aggies program and admits he wanted to sign with another SEC team.
“Yes, to get back at them,” Boyd said.
Boyd will go into this game off the best effort of his Razorback career. He rushed eight times for 69 yards and caught two passes for 39 yards in a 34-3 loss at Auburn last Saturday.
“They threw me in there, I stepped up so it felt good,” Boyd said. “I just played my role and did what I was supposed to do.”
Arkansas' offense improved last week over the week before against North Texas, but still only put up three points. Boyd said that has to change.
“It’s like I said last week - execute, finish drives, finish plays,” Boyd said.
His effort was lauded by some of his teammates after Tuesday’s practice as he filled in with the first offense with starter Devwah Whaley listed day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
“Rakeem’s a hard-running back, and he’s fast,” Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey said. “You saw the explosiveness he has, so just getting him on the edge and being able to use him. Who knows about Devwah? If he can play, that’s awesome. Whatever happens, happens.”
Storey said he thinks Boyd has made up for lost time in the playbook after his late arrival this summer.
“Any guy coming in that late is going to have to pick up the playbook pretty quick," Storey said, "and he was quick about picking it up and I think now is really comfortable, and you can see that when he’s out there on the field.”
Arkansas starting left guard Hjalte Froholdt liked what he saw out of Boyd last Saturday.
“He’s a very patient back,” Froholdt said. “He’s very explosive in the hole. Many guys, they get too anxious when they get the ball and they want to advance it.
“It sucks having Devwah out, because he’s been extremely consistent in the pass pro and in the run game the past couple of weeks. But we have so many guys in the back that the level’s not going to drop.”
Wide receiver Deon Stewart even brought up a comparison in style to former Razorback All-American running back Darren McFadden, who also wore Boyd's jersey number, 5.
“I thought that he really stepped up,” Stewart said. “ I was telling somebody that whenever he had that big run, he looked just like D-Mac running down the field. I’m really impressed with what he did last week.”
Boyd is aware of the production of McFadden, the two-time Doak Walker Award winner and two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up.
“Yes, sir, I have some big shoes to fill wearing number five,” Boyd said.
He asked for No. 5 because it was high school number and his one at Independence CC. He wore No. 32 during his season at Texas A&M.
Boyd rushed for 1,211 yards at Independence with a 303-yard effort late in the season while the Nexflix cameras followed his every move.
“It feels pretty good,” Boyd said. “It is a relief off my back. I didn’t really think nothing of it. I was just playing my game and doing what I was told to do.”
He hasn't seen much of his time on Last Chance U.
“I have not watched the series yet,” Boyd said. “I have watched a few clips of it, but not many.”
Boyd has added 11 or 12 pounds since his arrival in Fayetteville.
“I arrived at 195 and now I think I am at 209 or 210,” Boyd said. “…It was just eating protein and working out."
He doesn’t feel like the extra weight has slowed him down.
“Not at all, I feel comfortable at the weight I am,” Boyd said.