RECAP: Top Pig Trail Nation Stories of 2023

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — 2023 was somewhat of a rollercoaster year for Razorback Athletics, but one thing was certain. The year delivered in exciting moments.

While the program delivered excitement, heartbreak followed as several fan-favorite Hogs passed away.

(Photo Courtesy: AP Photos/Michael Woods, John Raoux, Michael Woods, Michael Woods)

2023 had coaching changes, big marquee wins, disappointing losses and plenty of firsts.

Here's a month-by-month breakdown of the year that was in Razorback sports.

January

Former Razorback fullback Peyton Hillis was hospitalized in Florida following a swimming accident on Jan. 5. It was later revealed that Hillis was trying to save his kids and did so but was injured in the incident and spent several weeks in intensive care. He was discharged later that month, according to his sister, who said it was "truly a miracle!"

Following a 6-6 season, head coach Sam Pittman saw his defensive coordinator Barry Odom leave before the Liberty Bowl in December and his offensive coordinator Kendal Briles departed for the open position at TCU on Jan. 19.

It really did not take long for Pittman to find Briles' replacement as he hired Maryland offensive coordinator Dan Enos to fill the spot a day later. Enos spent three years with the Hogs from 2015 to 2017 under Bret Bielema.

Coming off of four straight losses, the men's basketball team finally got back on track on Jan. 21 defeating Ole Miss 69-57 behind Anthony Black's 17 points and Davonte Davis' 16 points.

February

On Feb. 12, the women's basketball team held Missouri to just 33 points in a convincing 61-33 win over the Tigers. Arkansas forced 23 turnovers and led 47-18 after three quarters. The 33 points were the fewest allowed by Arkansas in an SEC game in school history.

The baseball team began their season from Feb. 17 to Feb. 19 in Arlington, Tex. playing three teams from the Big 12 and receiving a mixed bag of results. The Hogs defeated Texas to open the season 3-2, dominated by TCU the following night 18-5 and clobbered Oklahoma State from the first pitch with an 18-1 to close out the weekend.

March

After the baseball team opened their series against Lousiana Tech with a win, pitcher Will McEntire backed it up with a complete game win over the Bulldogs, allowing one unearned run in a 6-1 win on Mar. 11. It was the Razorbacks' first complete game since 2016.

On Mar. 16, the women's basketball team learned their postseason fate after being snubbed from the NCAA Tournament earlier in the week. They opened the Women's NIT with a convincing 69-47 win over Louisiana Tech.

That same day, the men's basketball team opened their NCAA Tournament run in Des Moines, Iowa as the eighth seed against nine-seed Illinois. Ricky Council IV's 18 points helped power the Hogs past the Illini 73-63.

Two days after defeating Illinois, the Hogs faced the defending national champions in one-seed Kansas. Despite trailing for much of the game, the Hogs accepted the challenge and eliminated the Jayhawks as Davonte Davis scored 30 points in the 72-71 win. Their run would fall short the following week as the Hogs were overwhelmed by the eventual champions, the Connecticut Huskies in Las Vegas.

Tied at 1 in the first game on Mar. 24 of the LSU series in Baton Rouge, the baseball team went to extra innings. The Hogs took full advantage of their opportunities as Reese Robinett pinch-hit and delivered a three-run homer. A few batters later, Kendall Diggs hit a grand slam to help Arkansas score eight runs and defeat LSU 9-3 in 10 innings.

April

Eric Musselman and the men's basketball team reloaded yet again, picking up Jeremiah Davenport from Cincinnati, Keyon Menifield Jr. from Washington, El Ellis from Louisville, Tramon Mark from Houston and Khalif Battle from Temple out of the transfer portal.

While additions were made, subtractions also took place with Nick Smith Jr., Anthony Black and Jordan Walsh declaring for the upcoming NBA Draft.

Former Arkansas defensive end and team captain Chris Smith died on Apr. 17 at the age of 31. While he was with the Razorbacks, he recorded 123 total tackles and 21.5 sacks. He was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2013.

Linebacker Drew Sanders waited his turn on NFL Draft weekend when he was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round and 67th selection. Sanders was one of two Razorbacks selected as center Ricky Stromberg was also drafted in the third round by the Washington Commanders.

May

Pitcher Hunter Hollan threw the baseball team's second complete game of the season as the Hogs took the series from South Carolina with a 6-1 win on May 14.

Head Hog Dave Van Horn won SEC Coach of the Year on May 22 for the third time in his career, winning in 2004 and 2021. He led the team to their seventh Western Division title and fourth conference title.

Davonte (or Devo) Davis announced he would return for another season for Eric Musselman withdrawing from the NBA Draft on May 31.

June

Arkansas football commit and Memphis (Tenn.) University School defensive tackle Dion Stutts died on June 14 at the age of 18 in an ATV accident near his home in Mississippi.

Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr., and Jordan Walsh were selected in the NBA Draft on June 22 becoming three of the school's four one-and-dones to be drafted (Moses Moody in 2021).

Shock took over the Razorback world on June 27 as former quarterback Ryan Mallett drowned in a swimming accident in Florida while vacationing with his girlfriend. Reactions and condolences quickly began to pour in following his death.

July

On July 2, Ryan Mallett's girlfriend released a statement on a Facebook post following his death saying, "How do I even find the words. I prayed for you for 27 years, and we finally found each other. I trust that God has a plan for everything, but I don’t think I will ever understand why this happened. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you, and I hope you know how hard I tried."

After transferring to Arkansas from Washington in April it was announced on July 21 that Keyon Menifield Jr. would be a non-scholarship redshirt in the upcoming basketball season. He was the first player to announce his transfer to Fayetteville.

August

The heartbreak continued as former Razorback running back Alex Collins died in a motorcycle accident after he hit an SUV in Florida on Aug. 14.

One week later, former Razorback and Houston Cougar basketball player Reggie Chaney died at the age of 23. Chaney was set to start his professional basketball career in Greece later in the year.

September

The football team began their 2023 campaign with a 56-13 victory over FCS foe Western Carolina in Little Rock on Sept. 3.

The Razorbacks announced on Sept. 5 that they would be honoring Alex Collins and Ryan Mallett by putting their initials on the 3-yard lines and 15-yard lines, respectively, of Frank Broyles Field for the entire season.

After starting the season 2-0, the football team stumbled, dropping games to BYU, LSU and Texas A&M to close out September with a 2-3 record.

October

As the Israel-Hamas War got underway on Oct. 7, three former Razorback basketball players were playing professional hoops in the country, Dusty Hannahs, Justin Smith and Jalen Tate. All three were eventually able to safely exit Israel.

Fresh off a 7-3 loss to Mississippi State on homecoming, the 2-6 Razorbacks decided it was time to make a change at offensive coordinator, firing Dan Enos after just eight games on Oct. 23. Kenny Guiton would serve as the interim OC for the remainder of the season.

Arkansas and Purdue competed in a charity exhibition on Oct. 28 that interested college basketball fans across the nation. The Hogs defeated the Boilermakers 81-77 in a hostile Bud Walton Arena crowd for a game that did not count towards the teams' records.

November

Hungry for their first win since September, the football team picked up a 39-36 overtime win over the Florida Gators in Gainesville on Nov. 4, their first road win against Florida in school history.

After Hog fans finished their turkey and watched the basketball team from the Bahamas, they saw a 1-2 performance that ended with a loss to North Carolina. In the process, they also lost Tramon Mark, who was taken off the court on a stretcher in the loss. Mark had a season-high 34 points and would return two games later against Furman.

Arkansas was looking for a splash hire for the offensive coordinator opening and did so when they hired former head coach Bobby Petrino on November 28. Petrino had been the head coach from 2008 to 2012 before he was fired with cause.

Not long after the Petrino hire, fans flocked to Bud Walton Arena for the highly anticipated ACC-SEC Challenge game between the Hogs and Duke. A whiteout crowd helped propel the Razorbacks to an 80-75 victory over the seventh-ranked Blue Devils and gave Arkansas a signature win.

December

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back Raheim (Rocket) Sanders announced they would be entering the transfer portal. Sanders has recently found a home at South Carolina but as of Christmas Eve, Jefferson has yet to find his landing spot.

On December 9, Eric Musselman was ejected in Arkansas's 79-70 loss to Oklahoma in Tulsa. It was Musselman's second ejection in the last three games against Oklahoma and the third ejection in his time at Arkansas.

One week remains in 2023 and there are just a few games left on the calendar before the page turns to 2024.

What will happen in 2024? We'll just have to wait and see.

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