Arkansas Coach Chad Morris is ecstatic about having veteran linebacker De’Jon “Scoota” Harris back in the fold for his senior season.
Harris, the SEC tackles leader with 118, made his return official earlier this month, then got to work for the program.
“Scoota has been … and is going to be one of the top leaders of our football team this year and moving forward,” Morris said at his signing day press conference on Wednesday. “I’ve shared that with him. I’m going to place an incredible amount of demand and leadership style that he can do.
“I know Chief [defensive coordinator John Chavis] is going to do the same thing. The SEC’s leading tackler coming back. We expect him to be ‘the guy.’
“He has been very instrumental in our recruiting process and that says a lot about that young man.”
The Razorbacks might get all three top-shelf junior defenders back, though defensive lineman McTelvin Agim and cornerback Ryan Pulley have not made a definitive decision. Agim, Harris and Pulley all filed paperwork to have their NFL Draft status evaluated.
“I don’t know if we’ll have anybody declare early at this stage today,” Morris said. “I having nothing really to report on that. Talking to the guys … I think they’re in a position to come back. They can improve their draft status going into their senior year. We’ll see.”
Pulley posted a message of encouragement and a challenge to the incoming signees on his Twitter account this week, which also seemed to indicate he was ready to return. Pulley wrote to the signees, in part, “The time is NOW. You coming in to play NOW. No waiting!! Let’s GET READY TO WORK.”