LITTLE ROCK — Until the specific criteria is revealed, the premise that Arkansas’ graduate-transfer quarterback from SMU is positioned to outperform more coveted transfers at Oklahoma, Missouri and Ohio State sounds ludicrous.
The catch is measuring Ben Hicks, College Football Playoff starters Jalen Hurts and Kelly Bryant, and five-star recruit Justin Fields against the 2018 season of their predecessors, including personal statistics and W-L records.
Consider the degree of difficulty in the matchups:
• Hurts, graduate transfer from Alabama, vs. Kyler Murray and 12-2 Oklahoma.
• Bryant, graduate transfer from Clemson, vs. Drew Lock and 8-5 Missouri.