Nick Starkel To Transfer To Arkansas

You thought Arkansas was done adding to their quarterback room? Nope, the Hogs have still been warping through that transfer portal and have landed another QB, this time with SEC experience. Former Texas A&M quarterback Nick Starkel announced he is transferring to Arkansas.

Starkel, who will have two years of eligibility, joins Ben Hicks as the second grad transfer QB to head to Fayetteville. With Ty Storey and Cole Kelley’s outbound transfers, that puts Starkel, Hicks, Connor Noland, John Steven Jones, Daulton Hyatt, and true freshman KJ Jefferson as the Hogs’ quarterbacks on scholarship.

In 2017, Starkel missed about half the season with an injury, but finished the year with 1,793 yards, 14 touchdowns, and six interceptions. His biggest game as an Aggie came in the Belk Bowl that season, where he threw 42/63 passes for 499 yards and four touchdowns in a loss. In 2018, he played in spot duty behind Kellen Mond.

The likely quarterback battle for the Hogs will be between Starkel and Hicks going into 2019. Hicks has the advantage of playing under Chad Morris before at SMU and getting to participate in spring practice, but Starkel’s SEC West experience will also be valuable for him. If this past season is any indication, we’ll likely see both get playing time early on in the season unless one just blows the staff away in fall practice.