Transfer defensive end makes push for Razorbacks' starter role

Despite an impressive 2024 season, Lee was only ranked as the No. 400 overall transfer and No. 43 among defensive ends at the time of his commitment, according to 247sports rankings.

Arkansas wasn't the only Power Four program to express interest in the pass rush specialist as UCLA, Nebraska, Purdue, Florida State and Georgia Tech had also extended offers.

For someone that began fall camp running with the third string, it seem the light in Lee's head flipped on and is playing at a high level ahead of the 2025 season.

"All fall he's just been slowly climbing and climbing, I want to say, like he might have started off with 3s and he just kind of worked his way up to the 1s," Arkansas left guard Fernando Carmona said Saturday after the scrimmage. "He's been putting work in day by day, and just getting a lot better."

Arkansas went into fall camp pretty thin along the defensive line at each spot, but Lee could potentially be a solid contributor after losing the likes of Landon Jackson and Nico Davillier during the offseason.

"[Lee] is a really good pass rusher, but then even showing up in the run game, he's really came along a long way, and just seeing that day by day, progress has been really cool to see," Carmona said. "He works really hard, and he's gonna be a really big help for us this year."

During SEC Media Days, Pittman seemed to be confident in his group of linebackers being able to provide pressure in certain packages to go more Cover Zero.

"Our linebackers are good, they're fast," Pittman said at SEC Media Days. "I believe we ought to bring them [from the edge]. We can put more pressure by doing that. I think we'll continue to turn Travis loose, loose, loose to go to total zero more often, but we have to continue to be more aggressive on defense and get them in second and long instead find second-and-six or shorter."

With Lee's background as a pass rush specialist, often referred to as an EDGE rusher in modern day football lingo, is intriguing to Pittman as the defensive line lacks a lot of depth across the board.

"Talking off the top of my head who I felt like [played well], Philip Lee, guys, has come on," Pittman said Saturday. "I'm excited. We need him to. I'm excited to see him out there at that buck and defensive end position."

Not only is he figuring things out as a pass rusher in the Razorbacks' scheme, he has proven has worth against the run during fall camp.

"We got him to rush the passer, and he can rush the passer," Pittman said. "More importantly, he's made a lot of plays either running plays down from behind, setting the edge as a buck or a defensive end. So he's playing bigger than what he is physically, and so we've learned that he's more of an every down player than just third down, let's rush the passer."

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