Arkansas Inks First Football Signee In 2016 Class

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Northwest Mississippi Community College offensive lineman Terrance Deion Malone (@deionm72) is the first Razorback football signee of the 2016 class, head coach Bret Bielema announced Wednesday. Malone signed his national letter of intent on the first day of the junior college signing period.

A 6-foot-4, 300 pound lineman, Malone selected the Razorbacks over interest from Mississippi State, Memphis, East Carolina and Southern Miss. He helped Northwest Mississippi C.C. finish 11-1 and win the NJCAA national championship this season, the school’s first title since 1992.

“Deion is another example of a young man who has had success on and off the field,” Bielema said. “He will join us in January for school and drills that should have an immediate impact on the interior offensive line.”

Bielema and the Razorbacks have a great track record of molding junior college offensive linemen into stars. Senior Sebastian Tretola came to Arkansas in 2014 from Iowa Western Community College and was entrenched as the team’s starter at left guard in just the third game of his career. This season Tretola earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually to the Southeastern Conference’s top blocker and voted on by the league’s coaches. He also earned All-American honors from Sports Illustrated and the Associated Press.

The Razorbacks will play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, 2016 in Memphis, Tennessee against the Kansas State Wildcats. The game will kick off at 2:20 p.m. and be nationally televised on ESPN. Tickets to see Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl can be purchased on ArkansasRazorbacks.com or by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at 1-800-982-HOGS.

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