Arkansas Transfer OL Patrick Kutas on His Journey to Ole Miss, Playing with Simmons, and New Faces in the Trenches
OXFORD, Miss. – Among three different Arkansas transfers for Lane Kiffin’s 2025 portal class, offensive lineman Patrick Kutas was the first domino to fall on December 13th, one day before the commitment of Razorback teammates Jaylon Braxton and Luke Hasz.
While there was no influential behavior from Kutas, he reached out to Luke Hasz during the tight end’s visit and was willing to answer any questions he had about the Rebel program.
“We didn’t really have a plan to come to the same place. We were keeping in touch throughout that process, and when I committed here, I knew he was coming on the visit, so I was like, ‘awesome, let me know if you have any questions,’ and he called me that night and was like, ‘Hey man, I’m going to come here.’ I was like, ‘no way, we can get this thing rolling.’”
– Kutas on Ole Miss landing Luke Hasz
On a personal level, with two years of eligibility, Kutas wanted to join a program with profound professional experience between the coaching staff and players. After his visit and through the recent success of Ole Miss, his decision was a no-brainer.
New chapter#committedtothesip pic.twitter.com/JmEqqaehaY
— Patrick Kutas (@pwk54) December 13, 2024
“Coming to Ole Miss, it was the culture. I really like Coach Garrison, there’s a lot of pros in this facility, so we’re all working towards a goal: to get to the next level. Just the offensive lineman, we have a lot of really good guys.”
– Kutas on coming to Oxford
Over the few months he’s been here, Kutas has had the opportunity to develop a relationship with quarterback Austin Simmons, the first-year starting quarterback for Lane Kiffin. Having played for various quarterbacks over the course of his career, Patrick says he’s recognized Simmons as someone who makes practice enjoyable while keeping the offense in line simultaneously.
“Austin is a very natural leader, he commands the offense and the room, but he’s got a way to do it where he isn’t this big-head figure. He’s also your friend, but during moments when he needs to get the room in shape, he can do it. He can throw the ball really well too.“
– Kutas on the leadership of Austin Simmons
Spring szn. #hottytoddy pic.twitter.com/ZeLECawQ3R
— Austin Simmons (@austnsimmons) March 21, 2025
Snapping the ball for Austin is sophomore Brycen Sanders, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound high school signee from the 2023 class. Despite having played center occasionally at Arkansas, Kutas’ versatility to play at guard has allowed Sanders to take full command of the offensive line during spring ball.
“He lets us know where we’re going with the spot, and he gets the job done. He’s aggressive and physical, he’s what you need in an offensive lineman.”
– Kutas on Brycen Sanders playing center
In his presser Thursday, Kutas also credited the young offensive lineman for receiving and responding to a high volume of reps during spring ball. More specifically, the veteran spoke on what he’s seen from four-star freshman Devin Harper, the former LSU commit.
“Devin Harper can play, he’s a dude. He’s got a beautiful pass set, he’s super aggressive and super physical in the run game… he’s going to be a good player.”
– Kutas on what he’s seen from Devin Harper
Looking ahead to next week, be sure to stay tuned to The Rebel Walk along with our social media for all of your spring football content and more.
