Arkansas OL Andrew Chamblee commits to SMU
SMU landed a commitment from Arkansas offensive line transfer Andrew Chamblee, he told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Monday. Maryland, Kansas State, TCU and numerous others offered as well, but the Mustangs landed the top available lineman in the portal.
SMU Basketball beat out TCU over the weekend for UMass transfer forward Matt Cross and on Monday, Rhett Lashlee’s staff kept that trend going. After an official visit this weekend, Chamblee canceled his TCU visit this week to commit to SMU.
Chamblee spent the past two seasons with the Razorbacks. He redshirted in his first year before his redshirt freshman season this past year. In 2023, he appeared in every game for the ‘Hogs, including eight starts. For his efforts, he earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
However, last month, it was shared that Chamblee was no longer part of Arkansas’ program. The original report suggested that he had “lost the love for the game” but would not be transferring as he planned to continue his life as a student in Fayetteville.
Now, that’s no longer the case for Chamblee. He’ll compete right away at the offensive tackle positions for SMU.
Chamblee played 405 snaps, which was the sixth most on the Razorbacks’ offensive line. He had a 40.9 pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, and a 55.9 run-blocking grade.
Chamblee played high school football at Maumelle in Arkansas. He was a four-star prospect there as the No. 336 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He rated as the No. 16 OT in the class and the No. 2 player in the state behind only WR Isaiah Sategna.
Lashlee identified the need for more offensive linemen after SMU’s spring game. By adding two more offensive linemen from the spring transfer window, the Mustangs filled a big need. Fellow Arkansas offensive lineman Paris Patterson committed to SMU on Sunday.
“I think that’s what we were able to evaluate in spring. We feel really good that, when we’re all healthy, our starting O-line’s going to be a really good unit,” Lashlee said. “But we do need some depth there. We’ve got some depth at the tight end position coming, which was needed. So I think on offense, you look at that, that’s probably the main areas. When you go to the defensive side of the ball, I think we’ve done a nice job in the box. We’ve got some experienced guys at safeties, but we could add a depth piece there. Again, we’ve got guys a corner who can run, but we’re going to need depth there because we’re an injury or two away from being really thin.”
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
