Could Hogs' 30-year old wideout earn significant playing time this fall?

That just so happened Saturday during the Razorbacks second scrimmage of fall camp where Harrison, also known as "Unc" by his teammates, showed his comfort level in offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino's scheme.

Standing at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds, the former 4-star receiver in the 2014 class is in impressive physical shape going into his sophomore year.

He possesses arms as big as any professional wrestler, a body as hard as a brick wall and isn't afraid to get physical in the open field.

"We saw some things that we've seen in the past, about the throw and the catch of Monte Harrison showing up on a Saturday scrimmage," Pittman said Saturday afternoon. "He shows up every day, but he seems to make big plays in scrimmages which is really good to see."

Other Old Heads

While Harrison begins his sophomore year at 30 years old, he isn't the only student-athlete to have played college football at an unconventional age.

Former Pittsburgh Pirates minor league player Zach Von Rosenberg decided to walk-on at LSU following his six year professional career.

After joining the Tigers in 2016, he enjoyed quite a bit of success as the team's starting punter for four seasons along with being tabbed as a second-team All-SEC selection two years running, and helped LSU to a national champion in 2019.

Even Vanderbilt added a tight end Tommy Smith as a walk-on at the age of 32 in 2021 after serving time as a U.S. Naval officer, still on active duty and married with a couple of kids after playing for Notre Dame from 2009-2010.

He experienced things in life that many of his teammates couldn't imagine such as serving in the Middle East on three separate deployments.

While Smith didn't see the field as much as someone like Von Rosenberg, being able to compete in the SEC and work toward a masters degree is a chance of a lifetime.

One of the greatest non-traditional players in college football history was Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden and became NFL's oldest first round draft pick at the age of 28 back in 2012.

The former first team All-Big 12 selection rewrote the Cowboys' passing records such as single season passing yards (4,727, 2011)
and single season total offense (4,625, 2011)
. He passed for 9,260 yards and 75 touchdowns in his college career with most of the damage coming in 2010-2011.

Why Harrison will see the field

One thing Harrison has going for him at Arkansas is an unmatched work ethic.

Like Allstate, he knows a thing or two because he's seen a thing or two in a professional career turned amateur and he's ready to make an impact for the Razorbacks this season.

"[Harrison's age] doesn't feel real sometimes," Razorbacks left guard Fernando Carmona said Saturday after the scrimmage. "You see him out there, he's an old head. Just the way he carries himself, he’s kind of an older guy. But he goes out there and he balls.

"You kind of do got to pinch yourself, like, ‘Wow, this dude's 30 moving around like this, feeling amazing, making great plays against prime 21-22 year old's. And so it's all credit to what he does for himself off the field and how he trains. Because, I mean, to be playing ball like he is at 30, it's not easy."

Harrison's body is a bit more mature than most other student-athletes. He's been conditioned for a different sport such as baseball, but had to get used to the daily grind football brings a body.

With such a muscular frame, he will have a chance to spell Charlotte transfer O'Mega Blake throughout the game with an opportunity to display just how hard of a player he is bring down.

"[Harrison's] a big body SEC receiver," Razorbacks safety Caleb Wooden said Aug. 13. "He goes up and gets the jump balls, and catch balls over the middle of the field, and then gets yards after catch. When it’s time to get him on the ground, he’s 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. That big SEC presence that he brings."

Even Petrino admitted during the summer that he wanted to see what kind of receiver Harrison could be just by dropping weight and mass during the offseason, an eager move to make him faster.

Like many adults, it gets harder to trim down and keep such an impressive physique along with speed and Harrison was no different. While most teams have changed preferences toward smaller, shiftier receivers in the passing game, Arkansas might have a unicorn on their hands going against SEC defenses.

"He couldn't drop any weight, and it wasn't percent of body fat either," Petrino said last week. "He’s just a big man.  Solid and big man, so that idea, hey, let's thin him up and get him faster, that was a stupid idea by me. It wasn't working."

During fall camp, coaches have noted Harrison's knack for making the big play with one-handed receptions, contested catches and big play touchdowns. For a guy used to strolling around centerfield to locate a small white dot in the sky, he might be better off tracking down flag and post patterns for touchdowns inside Razorback Stadium this fall.

"Monte’s a different guy," Petrino said. "When you look at his height, weight, speed, vertical jump, speed, all these things are off the charts for a receiver. And you’re over there thinking, ‘We’ve got to get this guy the ball.’

"We made a conscious effort at doing it and he’s responded great to it. You know he had the most yards receiving in the scrimmage the other day, and made two really good catches and runs after the catch. So that was really good to see with him."

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