Erin Outley promises there’s nothing overly interesting about his day-to-day regimen since he arrived at the University of Arkansas earlier this summer to get a jump start on his freshman season.
Working out is paramount on his list, which is understandable considering he’s coming off a senior year that was cut short after suffering a leg injury early in the season.
Other than that, he insists he’s just a regular kid that likes to hang out with his long-time buddy and fellow Razorback freshman, Landon Rogers.
“I don’t really have a hobby that I do,” Outley said. “Outside of football. … We do go bowling sometimes. Besides that, I don’t really do anything all that special.”
Outley At a Glance
CLASS Freshman
POSITION Tight End
AGE 18 (Born Sept. 23, 2002)
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-4, 255 pounds
HOMETOWN Little Rock
HIGH SCHOOL Parkview
NOTEWORTHY Graded as the country’s No. 19 tight end in the Class of 2021 by ESPN. … Was the 15th commitment for the Hogs. … Had numerous offers other than Arkansas, including Florida State, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan and Oregon. … Caught 48 passes for 721 yards and 8 touchdowns as a junior. … Was limited to just 2 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown his senior season which ended early because of injury. … Finished his career with 99 catches for 1,464 yards.
For as regular as Outley claims, the Razorbacks are expecting him to be just as irregular on the football field as he was at Little Rock Parkview when he was healthy.
Outley caught the eyes of colleges nationwide as a sophomore when he collected 27 passes for 322 yards and 6 touchdowns as a tight end, but his status really shifted upward after he tallied 48 receptions for 721 yards and 8 scores as a junior. That season was supposed to set the stage for an explosive 2020 until an injury to his meniscus sidelined him.
But there was never much doubt that he’d be able to bounce back, especially with his athletic background.
The 6-4, 255-pounder was a budding basketball prospect as a sophomore when he played at Parkview under then-coach Al Flanigan. But the notoriety that Outley began to receive after putting together a strong season on the field ultimately forced him to make a decision.
“It was kind of tough,” Outley said of having to choose between the two sports prior to his junior year. “It took me a couple of weeks to decide, actually. But I think I really wanted to make the best decision for myself, though.
“I am where I am right now, so I think it was the right one.”
Outley backed up that choice with a highly productive season the following year. And it wasn’t just his pass catching or ability to run that stood out. He was also a stout blocker, which is one of the things that Little Rock Parkview Coach Brad Bolding admired the most about his prized tight end.
“When he gets that weight off, he’s as good of a blocking tight end as I’ve ever had,” he explained. “He runs great routes, and he’s worked hard to get to where he is. I think the pandemic kind of caused him to get a little heavier than he’d like, but I know with what Arkansas does up there, they’ll be able to get him back to where he was because he’s an outstanding player.”
The road back has been a grind for Outley, but according to him, it’s all paying off.
“You’ve got to be a grown man out here,” he said, referring to Razorback practices. “The tempo is quicker for sure, but Coach Bolding prepared us the best way possible for college. I really can’t thank him enough that because he taught us early, and it’s been a great thing.
“Me and Landon came up already knowing how things were going to go, and we’ve been able to do well so far.”
It was also because Outley and Rogers did so well at Parkview that Arkansas heavily recruited both. Outley had offers from other Power 5 schools, namely LSU, Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee, but he said it was the Razorbacks’ staff, led by Coach Sam Pittman, that drew him in. Outley committed to Arkansas in July 2020 only days before Rogers, a standout quarterback, recommitted to the school.
“The chemistry me and the coaches had,” said Outley, who was the first in-state prospect to receive a scholarship offer from Pittman. “I didn’t have a bond with any other coaches in the country like Arkansas. That was the main dagger for me.
“And plus, to stay home. Why not stay and play for a state where you’re from?”
While Rogers and Outley weren’t able to bring a state championship to Parkview, the pair did become the first football recruits from the Little Rock School District to sign with Arkansas in 15 years. The last duo to do so was Little Rock Central’s Antwain Robinson and Kevin Thornton in 2005.
He’s hoping to have left his mark on the university when his playing days are done.
“I just want to help contribute to the team,” Outley said. “I kept that hunger and drive throughout high school, and the biggest thing that I’ve taken with me [Fayetteville] is the knowledge Coach Bolding gave me to produce in college. I just want to help the team win.”