Arkansas Football's Most Important Players: No. 26, Donovan Faupel
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Transfer wide receiver Donovan Faupel is a name few people around Arkansas have heard of this offseason.
A 6-foot-1, 202 pound pass catcher out of Riverside, (Calif.) was a lightly known 2-star prospect coming out of Corona Centennial High School. He played a limited number of snaps at the varsity level, with hardly a handful games played over his first two high school seasons.
It was his senior year he eventually saw a jump in production by catching 16 passes for 418 yards (26.1 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. With just two FBS scholarship offers as a member of the 2023 recruiting class, Faupel signed with New Mexico State under former head coach Jerry Kill over Idaho (FCS).
Faupel had his work cut out for him in order to see the field at any point in his college career, but was able to carve out a reserve role immediately.
He caught eight passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns on an offense that also featured some guys named Diego Pavia, Eli Stowers and Star Thomas as the Aggies finished with a 10-5 overall record (7-1 Conference USA).
The Aggies went backwards following Kill's departure for Vanderbilt, resulting in just seven wins over the previous two seasons. However, Faupel didn't allow that to dampen his time on the gridiron, recording career-highs across the board by positing 61 receptions, 661 yards and seven touchdowns.
Despite team struggles in Year Two under coach Tony Sanchez, Faupel earned Second-Team All-CUSA honors as a weapon in a passing attack that ranked No. 44 nationally at 251 yards per game.
What Faupel Brings to Razorbacks
Faupel doesn't possess the recruiting pedigree of some of Arkansas' other transfer additions such as Chris Marshall and Jelani Watkins or Courtney Crutchfield. However, he checks many of the most important boxes that fit what Silverfield and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey have traditionally looked for in wide receivers.
Cramsey's offenses have often thrived among the nation's best at generating explosive plays through the air. Across his final three seasons at Memphis, the Tigers produced 18 passing plays of at least 30+ yards in 2024, 22 such plays in 2023 and 21 in 2022, while relying on receivers to make plays in space to turn short completions into chunk yardage.
Faupel has quietly developed into exactly that type of receiver who catches the ball with his hands rather than body. His ability to create separation, win contested catches and generate yards after the catch presents matchup problems for opposing secondaries.
He routinely finds ways to get open which is big in a conference full of standout defensive backfields. Having a veteran wideout in the passing game makes him a security blanket for inexperienced quarterbacks. The Razorbacks have two of them in redshirt sophomore KJ Jackson and redshirt freshman AJ Hill, who transfers in from Memphis.
With 30 career games under his belt and a completely new offensive system for the third time in his career, Faupel is probably already comfortable in his role. Being a veteran who understands how to get open, use leverage on the perimeter and catches the ball in tight windows will be invaluable in Year One under Silverfield.
Although just a 2-star recruit and the No. 2,679 prospect nationally out of high school, Faupel has certainly done more than earn a spot on an SEC roster.
The Razorbacks were able to beat out UCLA for Faupel's services and now has a chance to solidify himself in the rotation at receiver in what could be his final year of eligibility.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Arkansas Football's Most Important Players: No. 26, Donovan Faupel.
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