University of Arkansas Head coach Bret Bielema announced jersey numbers for each of the newcomers.
Devwah Whaley has been handed the number 21 jersey.
Bielema is entering his 11th season as a head coach, and he has had at least one 1,000-yard rusher in each of his previous 10 seasons, twice he has overseen teams with two 1,000-yard rushers.
There is no proven tailback on the 2016 roster, though. Arkansas leading returning rusher is sixth-year senior Kody Walker, who had 394 yards last season in a career-high nine games. There also is sophomore Rawleigh Williams III, who rushed for 254 yards in seven games before being sidelined by a neck injury. For Bielema to maintain his run of 1,000-yard runners, true freshman Whaley may be the key guy.
Bielema obviously has had great success with his running backs, but Alex Collins is the only one who had been considered an elite prospect. That changes with the signing of Whaley (6 feet 205 pounds), a four-star prospect from Beaumont Central. He was considered one of the top three running backs nationally and a top-100 prospect overall. Collins was a top-five running back but also a top-50 player overall.
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