How Trey Knox 'stuffing his face' could get Arkansas football back to tight end glory days

FAYETTEVILLE — As Trey Knox came off the field after his second touchdown of the day against Cincinnati, Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman had a question for him: Was the senior glad he'd made the switch from wide receiver to tight end?

"I told him, 'Heck yes,' " Knox said after the game. "I might not have said 'heck.' "

Knox moved from wideout to tight end in Arkansas' second game of the 2021 season. One year and about 30 pounds of weight gain later, Knox is the starting tight end. He led the No. 17 Razorbacks (1-0) with 75 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six catches in the 31-24 win over the Bearcats. Against South Carolina (1-0) on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN), he'll look to match his impressive start.

Arkansas has a recent history of exceptional receiving tight ends, but in the last few seasons, highly touted prospects at the position haven't panned out as expected. The Razorbacks hope Knox can restore the tight end glory days of the early to mid-2010s and have a shot at an NFL career.

NATIONAL RANKINGS:Where Arkansas football ranks in latest polls after win over Cincinnati

MORE:Arkansas football's secondary needs improvement with Spencer Rattler, South Carolina next

Recent excellence at tight end

The 2008 season kicked off almost a decade of consistent success for Arkansas tight ends. D.J. Williams was a sophomore and posted 723 receiving yards, which remains the most in a single season by a tight end in program history.

After two more strong seasons, Williams was selected in the fifth round in the 2011 NFL Draft. Not missing a beat, receiver-turned-tight end Chris Gragg finished with 518 yards and two scores as a junior in 2012. He was selected in the 2013 draft. A Razorback tight end was then selected in the draft each year from 2015-17: first AJ Derby, then Hunter Henry, and finally Jeremy Sprinkle.

Arkansas expected that success to continue after Sprinkle with some highly anticipated tight end prospects in subsequent recruiting classes. But after those didn't go as well as the Razorbacks hoped, Pittman turned to his wide receiver room and found Knox.

'The best thing that happened for Trey'

Dwayne Beasley suspected Knox might move to tight end. As owner of Beasley Elite Sports Training, Beasley has worked with athletes such as Major League Baseball pitcher Sonny Gray and others from the Murfreesboro area. He had worked with Knox since middle school. Beasley saw in Knox a happy kid with good grades and the potential to be great.

When Knox came home for spring break after his freshman season at Arkansas, Beasley saw a young man who had physically transformed. The collegiate conditioning and nutrition programs had made Knox bigger and stronger.

"I was just like, 'Dude, you gain all this weight, you may end up being a tight end,' " Beasley said. "Trey was like, 'I'm not going to be a tight end.' "

The more Beasley thought about it, the more sense it made. Knox had always been "a hell of a blocker," and athletic, pass-catching tight ends were in fashion in the NFL.

Knox was moved to tight end after the Razorbacks' first game against Rice last season. He played behind starter Blake Kern and had 141 receiving yards with 20 receptions and a TD in 12 games.

Making the position switch during the season was a challenge. Knox had always been big as a receiver, but at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, he was slight for a tight end. Now, in his senior season, Knox has had months of work with tight ends coach Dowell Loggains. He's bulked up to 245 pounds by packing on muscle the weight room and food in the kitchen. Knox said he was "stuffing his face," drinking chocolate milk before bed and consuming plenty of steak and potatoes.

But moving from receiver to tight end is about more than weight. Knox has had to adapt his footwork and learn how to block much bigger defensive ends and linebackers.

"It's a mindset, and that's where the mental toughness comes in," Loggains said in August. "Not everybody can make this transition, but Trey is a mentally tough kid."

Knox considered transferring after that freshman season. The Razorbacks were going through a coaching change, and Beasley saw Knox was frustrated. But after he spoke with Pittman, he decided to stay. Now, he could be the tight end Arkansas has been searching for for years. And with two four-star tight ends leading Arkansas' 2023 recruiting class, Knox could be the first in a new line of Razorback greats at the position.

"He talked to Pittman, and he told (Knox) what he had in store for him," Beasley said. "He embraced that, and you see now he's first in Pittman's offense. I think Pittman coming in was the best thing that happened for Trey."

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA Today Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football hopes Trey Knox can restore tight end glory days