Once a Senator… Always a Senator, Pt. 1

As a college sports fan, I am always keeping up with some of the best high school athletes in Arkansas and where they go after their secondary education careers. Over the past two years or so, I have done extensive research into football and men’s basketball, keeping lists of everyone who has come through the state of Arkansas and has gone on to play their sport of choice elsewhere (any level of college or professionally). For this article specifically, I will cater to the Joe T. Robinson High School football fans who are probably eager for the new season to get here already.

There were 21 former Joe T. Robinson Senators who were on college football rosters this season. Instead of one long article covering all 21 players, I will break it up into two articles. This first one highlights the former Senator stars who went out of state to play football at the collegiate level, while also taking a look back at their prestigious high school careers.

Hunter Smith (University of Louisiana-Monroe)

The first former Senator I will mention is Hunter Smith, a running back for the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe (ULM).

At Joe T. Robinson, Smith was a two-year starter and was named to the 2021 West Arkansas All-Star Team by the Arkansas Activities Association. He was also all-state as a senior after racking up 1,080 all-purpose yards (592 rushing) and 13 total touchdowns (7 rushing). Smith made some plays downfield, coming up with 13 catches for 188 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns in his senior season. As a junior, Smith was even better, averaging 147.8 rushing yards per game, becoming a major contributor for the Senators who went 14-1 and won the 4A state championship in 2019. Like a lot of players who played for former Head Coach Todd Eskola, Smith played both offense and defense. Smith was a two-year starter on the defensive side, recording 45 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks while playing safety.

During his high school career, he recorded 2,838 rushing yards, 36 total touchdowns (27 rushing, 5 receiving, and 4 returning), and 3,886 all-purpose yards.

Hunter Smith has been with the Warhawks since 2021, entering the 2024 season as a redshirt junior. He did not play as a true freshman for ULM but did play all 12 games in 2022, mostly playing on special teams. He broke out as a redshirt sophomore in 2023, rushing for 507 yards on 94 attempts, and finding the endzone three times. He also added 71 receiving yards on 8 receptions. Entering the 2024 season, Smith was expected to be even better, being named to the Athlon All-Sun Belt Conference 3rd Team. However, Smith did not play in a single game for ULM this past season, and though I cannot confirm this, I believe he was out due to injury.

In his career with ULM, Smith has rushed for 516 yards (5.4 yards per attempt), recorded 3 rushing touchdowns, caught 8 passes for 71 yards, recorded 2 total tackles, and has 47 kick return yards.

I wish I had more to say about Hunter Smith’s time at ULM this past season. There is no notion where he will be entering the transfer portal and he still has college eligibility for at least one more season. Ahmad Hardy, who won the starting running back job for the Warhawks in 2024, transferred to the University of Missouri, so if Smith is aiming to return to ULM in 2025, the starting job appears to be up for grabs.

I recently had a conversation with the new Robinson Head Coach, Tyler Uptergrove, who coached Smith and everyone else on this list. He spoke a lot about his character and his impact on the future of Robinson football, saying “I think the thing that stands out the most about Hunter was how much he loved to compete, and that has rubbed off on his little brother Tank Reese.”

PJ Hall (Missouri State University)

Coach Eskola knew how to produce quality defensive backs, and PJ Hall was one of the many great Senator secondary players he coached. While at Robinson, Hall was named the 4A Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 while also being a state champion, the MVP of the state championship game, team captain, and all-state. During his career, he recorded 74 tackles and 3 interceptions, but he seemed to be just as good as a wide receiver. Hall set Robinson single-season records for receptions (59), receiving yards (1168), and touchdowns (20) as a senior in 2019. He hauled in 71 catches in his career, along with 1389 career receiving yards and 21 career touchdowns.

Coach Uptergrove noted that most of Hall’s great production occurred during his senior season, as he was mostly a rotational defensive player as a junior. “He (PJ Hall) went from being a guy who rotated series to State Finals MVP…it was all because of the extra time and work he did on his own when no one was watching.”

Hall was a star off the field for Robinson, but he made his mark in the classroom as well, being inducted into the National Honor Society and a Boys State delegate (always need to acknowledge the “student” along with the “athlete”).

Hall enrolled at Missouri State University for the 2020 season and played in one game. As a redshirt freshman, Hall played in 9 games, recording 8 tackles and an interception. He played even better in 2022, recording 30 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 pass breakups.

In 2023, Hall finally secured one of the starting safety spots, playing and starting all 11 games. In preparation for this season, Hall was recognized as a preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference 2nd-teamer, and he did not disappoint. He broke out and brought down opposing ball carriers 62 times while also breaking up 9 passes, recording 2 interceptions, and recovering 1 fumble.

After that great redshirt junior season, everyone expected him to play at a similar level, with Hall being recognized as a preseason All-MVFC 2nd-teamer in 2024. He would not be able to have the same type of strong season in 2024 as he did in 2023, but Hall would go on to record 33 tackles (15 solo), 0.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 2 pass breakups while helping Missouri State to a 6-2 conference record. He did suffer an injury before the Bears’ Week 5 game against Youngstown State, limiting him to 9 games on the year.

Hall has career numbers of 133 total tackles (65 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions (1 returned for a touchdown), 14 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery,

If I am not mistaken, PJ Hall might have his COVID year left, meaning one more year of eligibility. Missouri State did not list Hall as one of the players being honored on Senior Day this past season, so I would like to believe that Missouri State would love to have this Little Rock native back for one more season.

Traveon James (Missouri Western State University)

Traveon James was another star receiver at Robinson, being an all-conference selection, player of the week six times, hauling in 20 career receiving touchdowns, and averaging 21 yards per catch. He has had one of the longest college careers of any former Senator, spanning 6 years beginning in 2019. What I think is impressive is how James (along with Smith, Hall, and several others highlighted in this article) has played his entire college career with one school, which is rare in this day and age with the transfer portal.

James redshirted the 2019 season. Technically, the 2020 season was another “redshirt” type of year as MWSU’s conference canceled its 2020 football season, which was a common theme around the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So James did not officially touch the field in a game until 2021, his third year as a Griffon. He was ready to contribute, playing in every game and hauling in 40 catches for 639 yards (2nd on the team) and 5 touchdowns. He posted a career-high of 188 receiving yards against Washburn on September 25, 2021, which tied Jerris Evans for the 2nd-most single-game receiving yards in MWSU history. In 2022, he played even better, receiving 50 passes for 700 yards, but he did not find the endzone in any of the 11 games he played. James did have a dominant outing against the University of Nebraska-Kearney, posting 169 receiving yards on 8 catches on October 1st of that year. That performance ended up being the 8th-most receiving yards in one game in MWSU history.

James was an All-MIAA 2nd team selection in 2022, but his numbers took a dip in 2023. He appeared in every game, recording 38 catches, 385 yards, and 2 touchdowns. This past season, James posted career lows of 24 receptions, and 199 receiving yards. He also found the endzone just one time. However, I think a reason why James posted low numbers over the last 2 seasons probably has to do with the Griffon’s quarterback play, which has been lackadaisical, to say the least.

I am not sure if James has any college eligibility left, but I believe he still has that COVID year left. However, he was honored during Missouri Western’s senior day, so he looks to take the next step in his football and professional career.

Recently, James participated in the Podyum Bowl, which is an all-star event held in Miami, Florida for college seniors.

During his career at Missouri Western State, Traveon James recorded 154 catches, 1,923 receiving yards, 8 receiving touchdowns, and 12.5 yards per reception. Along with those two single-game receiving yard milestones, James has recorded 11 and 9 catches in a single game, good for 3rd and 8th for most catches in MWSU single-game history. James has cemented himself as one of the all-time great Griffon receivers.

Julian Campos (Southern Nazarene University)

Julian Campos was one of the top edge rushers to play for Coach Eskola. Campos was in the class of 2023 and was all-conference and all-state in his time in the black and gold. He recently wrapped up his 2nd season with the SNU Crimson Storm, finally finding his way onto the field as a redshirt freshman. For those of you familiar with the Campos name, it is probably because Julian’s brother Lennox is a junior (soon to be senior) defensive end for the Senators. The 2024 season was productive for both Lennox and Julian, notching career years with their respective programs.

Before we talk about Campos, I think the Crimson Storm deserves some attention. SNU was not a winning team in 2024, but through the last 3 games of the season, they were perhaps the most interesting program in the Great American Conference.

SNU entered their Halloween matchup versus Ouachita Baptist University 0-8 on the season. The Crimson Storm drove 5 1/2 hours from Bethany, Oklahoma to Arkadelphia, Arkansas to face the Tigers on their Senior Night. OBU was rolling 8-0 on the season and 2 weeks after their monumental win over Harding University, the reigning Division II national champion. However, SNU came to play and kept the game close. Eventually, SNU went back home with an 18-17 victory over the then-#3 Tigers, the biggest win in program history, and the wildest game of the Division II football season. SNU would go on to win out their season, beating Arkansas-Monticello and Oklahoma Baptist, with Julian Campos being an important part of their end-of-season run.

After not playing as a true freshman, Campos played in 9 games in 2024, recording 7 total tackles (2 solo). Campos was a reserve defensive end throughout the season, but he did participate in the win over Ouachita Baptist, being one of the several Senators on this list to be a part of major upset victories in 2024.

Those 7 tackles are all Campos has done statistically in his college football career, but I imagine he will see a boost in snaps in 2025, just like his brother Lennox, who should be the top edge rusher to return for Robinson next season. Nothing indicates Julian Campos will be leaving Southern Nazarene, so expect a career year from him as a redshirt sophomore.

D.J. Withers (University of Kansas)

Deldrick “D.J.” Withers was a 3-star recruit at Joe T. Robinson according to 247 Sports. He helped the Senators post a 9-4 record, posting 69 tackles, 13 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 2 pass breakups, and 1 interception as a senior. As a junior, Withers was a major part of the 2019 championship team, being recognized as a Sports Illustrated All-American Candidate and recording 75 tackles and 8 sacks. Withers drew interest from several schools, including Central Florida, Tulane, and Vanderbilt, but chose to be a Jayhawk at the University of Kansas.

Withers has been playing some of the most high-level football out of all the former Senators, besides an Arkansas Razorback, who we will mention later on. Withers played in 1 game in 2021 against Oklahoma State, before opting to redshirt. In 2022 as a redshirt freshman, Withers played in all 13 games for Kansas, recording 6 total tackles (4 solo) and 1 tackle for loss. He played a bit more as a redshirt sophomore, notching 10 total tackles (6 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 fumble recovery. In 2024, Withers played his best football yet.

Kansas might have missed out on a bowl game this year, but Withers was not a reason why. He posted career-high numbers all across the board, recording 21 total tackles (16 solo), 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 1 pass breakup.

D.J. Withers is back for one more season with the Jayhawks. He did talk with the Kansas media a few weeks ago and he mentioned that his offseason focus was to gain weight and he did just that, as he has already gained around 15 pounds. Kansas fans should be glad to hear that the team’s strength and conditioning program is working and their veteran defensive lineman is stronger than ever.

Deunte Moody (Black Hills State University)

Deunte Moody is the first player on this list who has publicly shared their plans after college football. Earlier in December, Moody announced that he would be leaving DII Black Hills State to play football at the next level. He kept his options open, adding the logos of the NFL, the CFL, and the UFL in the graphic he posted on the 4th. In February, Moody competed in the National Scouting Combine to help his chances of making a professional football roster.

In high school, Moody was an All-Conference defensive back as a senior for the Senators, totaling 20 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 interceptions. Coach Uptergrove mentioned how Moody was “coachable and did the little things in the offseason to put himself in a position to get his school paid for.”

In 2020, he enrolled at Black Hills State University, a Division II university in Spearfish, South Dakota. As far as I can tell, Moody traveled the farthest of any former Senator to play football at the college level, a whole 1,176 miles worth.

In 2020, the Black Hills State Yellowjackets had a COVID-19-shortened season, but Moody did play in the 2 games they were allowed to play. He recorded a tackle and a pass breakup against South Dakota Mines on October 10th of that season. In 2021, Moody made appearances in all 11 games of the season, recording 22 total tackles (10 solo), 1 interception, and 6 pass breakups.

In 2022, Moody was emerging as a lockdown corner, deflecting 13 passes on the year to go along with 25 total tackles (18 solo). He started all 11 games that season. In 2023, Moody only played 6 games but came away with 10 tackles (9 solo) and 3 pass breakups. He continued to produce on the field this past season, notching 17 total tackles (11 solo) and 2 pass deflections.

Deunte Moody was honored during the Yellowjackets’ senior day against Adams State, and he finished his college career in 5 seasons, all with Black Hills State. He leaves Spearfish with a career total of 75 total tackles (48 solo), 1 interception, 25 pass breakups, and 2 kick returns for 36 yards.

 

Part 2 covering former Senators who stayed in Arkansas will be published soon…