Arkansas legend Darren McFadden describes gratitude for having iconic 'No. 5' honored

The best player to ever don a Razorback uniform will be honored on Saturday during halftime of Arkansas‘ matchup against the No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies.
Arkansas all-time leading rusher Darren McFadden’s red No. 5 will be put on display alongside Clyde Scott’s No. 12 and Brandon Burlsworth’s No. 77 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, though it will not be retired like the latter two.
The game was initially scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. CT, but was pushed back to 4:30 p.m. due to bad weather.
“It is exciting for me and I am thankful for it,” McFadden told the media on Saturday prior to kickoff. “Everything was a dream come true. All of the accolades, doing things when I was here that I put my mind to, I am honored to have this going on and the patch on the jersey.”
After some debate, the university ultimately announced the decision in July to honor McFadden with an emblazoned “DM” patch with his signature silhouette on the jerseys of the players who wear the number in the current the season.
For 2025, wide receiver Ja’Kayden Ferguson and defensive lineman Cam Ball have the number.
“Since 2005, our entire state has associated the No. 5 with Darren McFadden,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek said in a July press release. “Our fans’ memories of watching No. 5 race down the sideline, run through an SEC secondary or him ‘bringing dat wood’ will never be forgotten.
“By creating this patch and putting it on the jerseys of our current players wearing No. 5, everyone who watches the Arkansas Razorbacks will be reminded of Darren’s greatness. His legacy lives on at the University of Arkansas and this patch will serve as proof of that legacy every time we take the field.”
Hall of Fame career at dream school
McFadden burst onto the college football scene as a true freshman in 2005, earning Freshman All-American honors, along with First-Team All-SEC and SEC Freshman of the Year.
He established himself as one of the best players in all of college football as a sophomore, leading the Hogs to 10 wins while finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting and won the Doak Walker Award, then repeated as the Heisman runner-up in 2007 and become the second player at the time to win the Doak Walker twice.
“A kid growing up in Arkansas, there was no other school in the country for me,” McFadden said. “I wanted to be here. I wanted to be a Razorback and I knew that I was a good football player. I never thought about coming in, coming up here and becoming this life-sized figure, so to speak.
“That’s something I never thought about as a kid. I just want to come here and play football for the University of Arkansas, and it turned into those things. I’m just happy to be able to represent my state and just have the state of Arkansas behind me the way that they are.”
McFadden punished defenses during his three seasons in a Hog uniform, surpassing 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, an average of 5.8 yards per carry, plus passed for seven touchdowns and caught two more.
He was selected fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2008 NFL Draft and also played for the Dallas Cowboys during his 10-year professional career before retiring in 2017.