With four senior receivers and its top tight end departing, Arkansas is in dire need of receiving talent. Jared Cornelius is the only pass-catcher returning who had more than 20 catches last season.
Enter Brandon Martin.
The No. 2 overall player in the ESPN JC 50, Martin figures to be a prime candidate to step into a need position for the Razorbacks. Quarterback Austin Allen needs some weapons. Martin -- who enrolled at Arkansas last month -- could be one of them.
A 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect, Martin signed with LSU out of high school before detouring to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He was the Razorbacks' top-ranked recruit in the 2017 signing class. He had 23 catches for 327 yards and a team-high four touchdowns in his only junior-college season.
The Razorbacks' three top pass catchers in 2016 -- Drew Morgan (65 receptions), Keon Hatcher (44 receptions) and Jeremy Sprinkle (33 catches) are all gone. So is Dominique Reed (16 receptions) and Cody Hollister. Cornelius (32 receptions), running back Rawleigh Williams III (15) and tight end Austin Cantrell (13) are the only players who had double-digit receptions that are returning in 2017.
Martin certainly has the physical talent to contribute. Getting on campus at the midterm will only help his cause. If he has a strong spring, the opportunity to start this season is there. And should he do that, chances are Allen will be throwing to him early and often.
