Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Austin Flynn hasn’t been on the Arkansas campus long, but has already made an impression.

Flynn, who enrolled at midterm, has put up impressive numbers in the weight room. He’s already established himself as one of the most popular Razorbacks among teammates.

The defensive end’s shoulder-length hair and four-month old beard haven’t gone unnoticed, either. It is a look that for sure sets him apart among Arkansas players.

For as long as he's able to keep it.

“I’m just waiting for the big boss man to tell me to cut it all off,” Flynn joked with reporters after the first day of practice.

And if Coach Bobby Petrino doesn’t call?

“I’m just going to let it grow, man. Just let it grow,” Flynn said. “I might trim my beard a little bit, but not my hair.

“I’m just waiting for him to call me over and say, ‘Austin, you need to clean up,’ ” Flynn said. "Hey, it’s not a problem. He hasn’t said anything yet so far.”

Petrino has said plenty about Flynn, just not about the hair. Flynn, described by Petrino as one of the team’s most popular players, is expected to fill the void left by the graduation of Jake Bequette.

Flynn ended his sophomore year at L.A. Harbor College with 11 sacks and 16 tackles for loss. While the shaggy look is much different than that of the clean-cut Bequette, Flynn’s strength as a pass rusher is expected to be similar. Bequette had 10 sacks in an injury-shortened 2011.

"He’s working hard, already one of our strongest guys in our weight room, and is extremely athletic," Petrino said on signing day in February. "The thing that I like about him, he’s got great personality. There’s probably not a player on our team that doesn’t already know him and enjoy being around him.”

Currently, Flynn is No. 2 on the depth chart behind Chris Smith. Tenarius Wright is the other No. 1 defensive end and the trio are thought to be the most talented among a deep defensive end group.