Hunter Yurachek did the reasonable thing. In November 2019, with the Razorbacks embarking on yet another coaching search, Arkansas’ athletic director was ready to bring some common sense back into an industry seemingly growing out of control. Firings in the…
Evin Demirel

Evin Demirel
Evin Demirel, a Little Rock native now living in Rogers, often writes about the intersection of local sports, culture, race and business.
- January 2021Magazine
After Infamous Season with Hogs, Nick Starkel Finds Success in San Jose
by Evin Demirelby Evin DemirelFormer Razorback QB says previous UA staff tossed him out ‘like an old T-shirt’ For the most part, Nick Starkel doesn’t do negativity. That eternal sunshine disposition has held him in good stead, allowing him to make friends during so many…
- MagazineOctober 2020Sports/Outdoors
Brave New World: New Rules Could Change Game in College Sports
by Evin Demirelby Evin DemirelNIL standards regarding athlete compensation could represent major shift With all the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred, this college football season has been most unusual so far. A return to normal, however, isn’t in the cards for next…
- July 2020MagazineSports/Outdoors
Eddie Sutton’s Most Impressive Accomplishment at Arkansas
by Evin Demirelby Evin DemirelNew ESPN documentary showcases most amazing part of former coach’s run with Hogs Eddie Sutton will forever be known as the man who put Arkansas basketball “on the map.” In his 11 years at Arkansas, he accomplished many things, most…
- AMP NewsSports/Outdoors
Hogs Star Treylon Burks Outhands 92 Percent of NFL Wide Receivers
by Evin Demirelby Evin Demirelby Evin Demirel If you peer hard enough into the smoldering wreckage of Saturday’s 51-10 annihilation at the hands of Auburn, you will see the faint outline of a bright spot. That faint outline is in the shape of Treylon Burks’…
- AMP NewsBusinessSports/Outdoors
Why Bobby Petrino Got a Hero’s Welcome in his Arkansas Return
by Evin Demirelby Evin Demirelby Evin Demirel Time heals. This was never so evident as in Little Rock on Monday when Bobby Petrino at long last apologized to Razorback fans, more than seven years after breaking hearts statewide. “I wanted to be able to…
by Evin Demirel | Photography courtesy of the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University UA breaks tradition by scheduling in-state schools, but Arkansas State? In football? ADs already discussing such a game Arkansas State Athletic Director Terry Mohajir knew better. …
Brought to you by Anvil Custom Graphics Nearly three years ago, the first black Razorback died. In fall 1965, Darrell Brown broke the barrier as a tailback on the UA’s freshman football team. In those first couple weeks, Brown later…
In the Marianna home of 82-year-old James Banks lies a large part of the town’s athletic heritage. Trophies, plaques, yearbooks, clippings and more form a makeshift museum where alumni of the former Moten High take tours during reunions. There,…
By Evin Demirel In spring 1969, Hiram McBeth broke new ground by becoming the first African American in a varsity-level football game at the University of Arkansas. Few believed McBeth, who had played guard at Pine Bluff’s Townsend High School…