The 21st in a series profiling newcomers on the 2015 Arkansas football roster.

FAYETTEVILLE -- There might be no greater X-factor among Arkansas Razorback newcomers than receiver Dominique Reed.

If Reed pans out, the Hogs could have the speed option they have been lacking at the position since the days of Jarius Wright and Cobi Hamilton earlier this decade.

DOMINIQUE REED GLANCE CLASS Junior HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-3, 180 POSITION Receiver AGE 22 (Birthday: Aug. 1, 1993) HIGH SCHOOL Camden Fairview LAST STOP Coffeyville (Kan.) Junior College NOTEWORTHY Has been assigned jersey No. 87. … Earned first-team All-Jayhawk Conference honors last season and was an honorable mention National Junior College All-American with 61 catches for 1,157 yards and 18 touchdowns. … Ranked No. 25 among ESPN’s junior college top 50 prospects and was its No. 6 junior college receiver. Rated as No. 4 junior college receiver by 247Sports. A four-star prospect according to ESPN and 247Sports and a three-star prospect according to Rivals and Scout. … Chose Arkansas over offers from Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona State and others. … Racked up 46 catches for 813 yards and 10 TDs as a freshman while catching passes from AJ Derby, the former Hogs quarterback and tight end. … Tied the school record with a 13-catch performance for 184 yards and 2 TDs on Nov. 4, 2013. … A two-star prospect at Camden Fairview, where he had 2,186 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns, both school records. Had 46 receptions for 1,070 yards as a senior, with a school-record 14 touchdowns. … Posted a 49-foot triple jump in high school. … Parents are Dewayne and Alice Reed.

In fact, Reed's speed on the perimeter might be a key to clearing more substantial running lanes for the Razorbacks' already respected ground game.

But the question looming over Reed, who started his career at Coffeyville (Kan.) Junior College and had to bear down on his academics to qualify to enroll at Arkansas, is how fast he can make the transition to SEC football.

Reed, 22, has had an adventurous academic ride since graduating from Camden Fairview.

"I kind of sat him down and said, 'Hey, whoever that guy was who had to go to juco and had to go through all this, let's leave him where he is,' " Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said of Reed, who is a junior and has two years of eligibility remaining. "Our kids have been very upbeat about him, but I'm not going to build up any pressure. I'm just excited to get him in camp and see where he's at."

Bielema said the summer testing report on Reed, 6-3, 180, from strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert was impressive.

"Coach Herbert made the comment to me that we probably have on our hands one of the freakiest kids we've had," Bielema said. "He can run and jump and do all the intangible things that don't involve running routes and catching footballs. I think he broad jumped 11-4 and ran some times that would suggest sub 4.3 40s and stuff like that."

Reed, a Camden native who teamed with former Arkansas quarterback AJ Derby for a season at Coffeyville, made a quick splash on campus this summer.

"I knew he was going to be fast, but he's even faster than I anticipated," quarterback Brandon Allen said in July. "We were throwing a couple of go balls the other day and I was trying to put everything I had on it, and AJ told me in juco that he was impossible to outthrow, and I found that out."

Senior receiver Keon Hatcher seemed equally upbeat about Reed's potential.

"He has very exceptional speed," Hatcher said at SEC media days. "He's a guy who can stretch the field ... and I just feel like he's going to be another threat we can add to our offense."

Reed was a critical pickup for Arkansas' signing class, choosing the Razorbacks over offers from Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona State and many others.

His highlight videos include examples of his raw speed, but also of a gifted pass catcher who has made some one-handed grabs.

"He has great hand-eye coordination and really catches the ball with his hands," former Arkansas quarterback Quinn Grovey said during the Razorbacks' signing day on-line presentation. "You don't see a lot of double catches with him.

"When you've got a guy like that who can get behind a secondary and cause problems, you've got to really have a defensive plan for him and he can open up some running lanes."

Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith, speaking on the same signing day special, said he is the glad the Razorbacks' defense doesn't have to worry about trying to cover Reed.

"Any time you get vertical stretch, especially on the perimeter, it kind of thins things out in the box," Smith said. "That can make it a nightmare."

Sports on 08/05/2015