Arkansas offers tight end in portal

Former Arkansas State and Colorado tight end Seydou Traore has announced an offer from Arkansas.

Traore initially committed to Colorado on Christmas Day and took part in their spring practices.

Here’s what a 247sports insider recently said about Colorado’s loss of Traore:

From a perception standpoint, just from the outside, it was a big deal just because we have seen such a wave of Colorado players entering the portal, and it never seems like a good look. When you brought in a four-star transfer, and he is leaving 3.5 months later, that does not look good from the outside. But on the field, I don’t really know how big of a deal this is going to be for them.

“I don’t know how well of a fit he was going to be at Colorado from a tight end perspective. Their new offensive coordinator Sean Lewis doesn’t really use tight ends. Traore is also somebody who’s not the best blocker in the world. Long term, he might be looking for a different fit. This is not a huge loss on paper. But I just think the continuous headlines of Colorado losing players to the portal does have a slightly negative impact on the program.”

The former London, England native had a productive season for a disappointing Arkansas State team under Butch. Traore recorded 55 receptions for 655 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. The numbers he put up in receptions and yards led the Sun Belt Conference.

With an exceptional season in Jonesboro, Traore received quite a few honors as a sophomore. He was named all-American honorable mention and first-team All-Sun Belt as a sophomore. Traore was third among FBS tight ends for receiving yards and yards per catch and got things done in the classroom as a member of the Arkansas State Athletics Director’s Honor Roll.

The former Buffalo tight end (6’4 230 pounds) has also graded out as the second best returning tight end in the FBS, per Pro Football Focus.

Since entering the transfer portal five days ago he has received offers from not only Arkansas but Tennessee, Oregon, Washington State, North Texas, Purdue, Miami, Western Kentucky and Illinois.

The Razorbacks lost a tight end commitment earlier this week in Var’Keyes Gumms from North