The Hog Pod with Bo Mattingly

Britton Wilson is having the time of her life. The standout hurdler for the Razorback women's track team set nine school records in 2022, was named SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year, won a national championship, and is competing for Team USA at the World Championships. But the success hasn't come easy. Britton struggled to find her way as a freshman in college, and decided that she needed to make a c...

Jalen Catalon is one of the best defensive backs Arkansas has seen in quite some time. He's the first Razorback DB to make First Team All-SEC since Chris Houston in 2006. And he's already joined Ken Hamlin and Kenoy Kennedy as the only Hog safeties to ever be named an All-American. But his fight to bounce back from injury is just as important as his quest to be one of the all-time greats. Catalon...

Jalen Catalon is one of the best defensive backs Arkansas has seen in quite some time. He's the first Razorback DB to make First Team All-SEC since Chris Houston in 2006. And he's already joined Ken Hamlin and Kenoy Kennedy as the only Hog safeties to ever be named an All-American. But his fight to bounce back from injury is just as important as his quest to be one of the all-time greats. Catalon...

KJ Jefferson isn't sneaking up on anybody. After a standout season in which Jefferson amassed more than 3,300 total yards and 27 touchdowns, the secret is out: Arkansas' QB1 is a big-time player. But, despite leading the Razorbacks to its first nine-win season in a decade, it wasn't always easy. After a 4-0 start to the season, Arkansas lost three straight. The team—and its captain, Jefferson—vowe...

For Barry Odom, Arkansas—and coaching alongside Sam Pittman—is the place to be. Odom has helped Pittman engineer an incredible turnaround at Arkansas, and has helped a once-maligned defense turn into one of the better units in the country. After the Razorbacks gave up more than 30 points per game for five straight seasons, Odom's 2021 group allowed less than 23 a game to rank in the top half of th...

Dave Van Horn leads by example. His quiet confidence comes from being one of the best at what he does. His work ethic is second to none. And he has a burning desire to bring Arkansas baseball its first national championship—something he promised Razorback fans in his introductory press conference. That level of passion has been there in every team he's coached, but something changed at the end of...

When you think about the fact that Evan Taylor grew up in Florence, Alabama, as a big Crimson Tide football fan, you wonder how he ended up a Razorback. But that's the national pull this program has under Dave Van Horn. When you're consistently one of the top programs in the country, that's what happens. And Taylor became enamored with the Razorbacks during their 2018 College World Series run. But...

If it wasn't for today's transfer market, Michael Turner would likely have never been a Razorback. After four years at Kent State, where he earned All-MAC honors, the Ohio native decided to put his name in the transfer portal. There were other options closer to home … then he heard from the No. 1 team in the country. And Turner has been blown away by his experience at Arkansas, likening the fan su...

Linnie Malkin loves hitting bombs. That approach worked for Malkin, who led the SEC and was top-10 nationally in homers in her senior season. At Arkansas, she found happiness on and off the field. It was a journey to get here, featuring a complicated relationship with her dad, and a trip from Colorado to get noticed. But head coach Courtney Deifel and the Razorbacks have Malkin living her best lif...

KB Sides is a lot of things. Kendall Beth. Razorback. SEC Player of the Year. And, most importantly: Herself. But her journey to figure that out hasn't been a straight line. After her career at Alabama came to an unexpected end, Sides debating giving up the sport before deciding to seek a new home. And a phone call with Arkansas coach Courtney Defiel changed everything. Sides and Arkansas have bee...

When Courtney Deifel arrived at Arkansas ahead of the 2016 season, the Razorbacks were one of the cellar dwellers of the SEC. The program had won just 18 total SEC games in the three previous seasons, and Deifel's first team won just a single conference game. But she saw the potential for a turnaround. Since that first season, Deifel and her team have been setting records, including winning the pr...

Kendal Briles has found a home at Arkansas. Entering his third year with the Razorbacks, Briles has served as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas longer than at any of his previous stops. And it's paid dividends. Razorback fans have a lot to be excited about on offense with Briles at the helm, and it starts with quarterback KJ Jefferson as the returning starter. In this conversation, Quinn Grove...

Ayden Owens may be the best athlete on campus at the University of Arkansas. And it's something he's been training for his entire life. Owens developed a love for multiple sports as a kid, and had dreams of playing for his home state Pittsburgh Steelers. But Owens found a different outlet for his competitive nature…on the track AND in the field. His hard work paid off, and he's now the collegiate...

Pride in the Razorbacks is a big part of life in the Natural State. When the Hogs are winning, it affects everybody in a positive way. And thanks to Sam Pittman, that pride in Arkansas football is back. The Head Hog has the program on an upward trajectory after a nine-win season, and fans are getting to experience some great moments once again. In this conversation, Quinn Grovey sits down with Sam...

The guy they call Zeb might be the most interesting man in the world. Besides a unique name, the fifth-year senior pitcher speaks parts of multiple languages, will compete with you in ping pong or bowling, and played basketball with multiple guys who made it to the NBA. Don't expect to see Vermillion on the basketball court, though. He has emerged as a standout reliever for the nationally competit...

Danielle Gibson is an RBI machine. She's the Arkansas school record holder for career RBI, and isn't slowing down in her last season on campus. The fact that she even ended up with the Razorbacks is a bit of a surprise, considering she's from California and started her collegiate career at Arizona State. But ever since she set foot in Fayetteville, she's been dynamite. In this conversation, Quinn...

Connor Noland's talent has never been up for debate. A two-sport star at Greenwood High School, he excelled both on the football field and the mound. Noland wanted to continue playing both sports in college, which made Arkansas—his dream school—a perfect fit. Noland won his only start at quarterback for the Razorbacks. But after a year of trying both sports, he realized he needed to make a choice....

After a second-straight appearance in the Elite Eight, the Razorbacks are a program on the rise. And Matt Zimmerman is joined by legendary Razorback Joe Kleine to talk about the season, the program, and what the future holds.

Arkansas is heading back to the Sweet 16, and we're bringing you a special edition of the Hog Pod to celebrate. Join Matt Zimmerman and former Razorback Pat Bradley reminisce on Razorback past and analyze Razorback present, breaking down this year's team and what awaits in the Sweet 16.

Nolan Richardson is many things. Hall of Famer. Champion. Coaching icon. And while it all started for him in El Paso, Texas, it was at Arkansas where he became a legend. After consistent improvement in his first four seasons with the Razorbacks, Richardson broke through in 1990, with the help of some memorable wins over rival Texas. If that was the turning point, the move to the SEC proved to be w...

Stanley Umude has had a long journey to Arkansas. Literally. The son of Nigerian immigrants, he's the only member of his family—which includes two older siblings—who was born in America. And that led to a unique upbringing. That life would take Umude from Oregon to San Antonio, where he discovered basketball. But an injury in high school left him underrecruited, and he ended up enrolling at South...

Amber Ramirez has never met a 3-pointer she didn't like. The super-senior and McDonald's All-American from San Antonio returned to the Razorbacks for a third season after transferring in from TCU following her sophomore year. A big reason why? Coach Mike Neighbors, and his willingness to let his players be themselves. Ramirez was interested in playing for Neighbors at Washington, but it was too fa...

Jordyn Wieber is used to winning. From taking home Olympic gold to being part of a championship-winning program at UCLA, Wieber knows what it takes to find success at the highest levels. And so when she became the first Olympic champion to become the head coach of a collegiate program, Wieber knew what she wanted to do.   The Arkansas gymnastics program isn't even 20 years old, but has seen its fa...

Dave Van Horn's tenure at Arkansas has been defined by success. Moments fueled by some of the all-time greats, including two Golden Spikes Award winners. And those successes—and the players involved in them—continue to elevate the Razorback baseball program. The wins, accolades and trophies have raised the bar for Razorback baseball, now seen as one of the very best programs in the country. In Par...

Dave Van Horn has never been one to lack confidence. And it's served him well in his time at Arkansas. Van Horn is the active coaching leader in College World Series appearances, and has come painstakingly close to delivering a national title to Fayetteville. He's turned Arkansas into one of the best programs in the country, AND one of the most intimidating places to play. In Part 1 of this exclus...