Ryan Yurachek, a former Marshall football standout, a Dallas Cowboys fullback and the son of the Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, is moving on from his playing days and will take on an offensive graduate assistant role at the University of Arkansas under first-year head coach Sam Pittman.

The younger Yurachek, who played tight end at Marshall and was a team captain in 2018, was a first-team All-Conference USA performer and finished his career with 143 catches for 1,354 yards and 26 touchdowns. He announced the decision on Twitter earlier today.

"It has been one of the toughest decisions of my life, but I have officially retired from the game of football," Yurachek stated. "I am beyond excited to join the [Razorback football] staff as an Offensive GA. Something special brewing on the hill and I am thankful to be apart of it! [Woo Pig Sooie!]."

He not only joins his father, mother and youngest brother in Fayetteville but also joins middle brother Jake Yurachek, who is a linebacker for the Hogs after transferring from Colorado prior to last season.

Here is Ryan Yurachek's bio from HerdZone.com:

Named the team’s offensive captain at the end of the season … First team All-Conference USA as a tight end … Finished career playing in 51 games, with 143 receptions, 1,354 receiving yards and 26 receiving touchdowns … Ended MU career third in receptions among tight ends in school history … Ranked second in program history in touchdowns by a tight end, trailing only Gator Hoskins’ 28 … Third among Herd tight ends in career receiving yardage behind Cody Slate (2,619) and Sean Doctor (2,100) … Earned the Senior Scholar Award, given to the player with the highest GPA/toughest major … Repeat selection on the Conference USA All-Academic team … Participated in the College Gridiron Showcase in January … Named to the 2017-18 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll (3.0 or greater GPA) for the third consecutive year.

SENIOR SEASON (2017): Played in all 13 games, starting 12 … Named a 2017 game-by-game captain seven times: Miami, Middle Tennessee, FAU, WKU, UTSA, Southern Miss and Colorado State … Caught a pass in all 13 games, finishing his career with a streak of 42 consecutive games with a reception … Tied the school record for consecutive games with a reception in the New Mexico Bowl, equaling the 42-game mark set by Fuzzy Filliez from 1973-76 … Caught a pass in every game from Nov. 15, 2014 (Rice) through his senior finale in the New Mexico Bowl … Second on the team with 54 receptions .. Ranked third in receiving yards with 490 … Led the team with 10 touchdown catches … Career best seven receptions against Charlotte, Southern Miss and Colorado State … Career high 77 receiving yards in win at Cincinnati … Established a career high with three touchdowns at Cincinnati … Scored a touchdown in a win against Old Dominion … Caught two touchdown passes at FAU … Again caught three touchdown passes, this time against Southern Miss on Senior Night … Ended career with seven catches, 60 yards and a touchdown versus Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl … Second among FBS tight ends in touchdown receptions with 10, one behind the leaders.

JUNIOR SEASON (2016): Played in 11 games, including 10 starts … Finished with 28 receptions for 298 yards and five touchdowns … Tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions … Caught a pass in all 11 games in which he played, extending one of the nation’s longest such streaks … Caught five touchdown passes, raising his career total to 16 … Touchdowns came against Morgan State, No. 3 Louisville, North Texas, Old Dominion and Western Kentucky … Had multiple receptions in seven games … Snagged a career long 58-yard) … Named to the 2016-17 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll (3.0 or greater GPA).

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2015): Started all 13 games at tight end for 10-3 St. Petersburg Bowl champion team … Ranked No. 3 on Marshall receiving list, with 44 catches for 417 yards … His nine touchdowns led Herd non-kickers in scoring – one each in nine games … Only Gator Hoskins, with 10 TD catches in both 2012 and 2013, had more single-season TDs for a TE in Herd history … Also rushed one time for 27 yards in homecoming win over North Texas … Caught at least three passes in 10 of 13 games … Had six receptions twice – for 63 yards in win over Old Dominion and for 40 yards in overtime loss at Middle Tennessee … Scored Herd’s lone TD in St. Petersburg Bowl triumph over Connecticut – a first-quarter, 16-yard reception from QB Chase Litton … Had five receptions for 56 yards in bowl … Longest reception for season was 31-yarder versus ODU … Named to 2015-16 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor roll (3.0 or greater GPA).

FRESHMAN SEASON (2014): One of three Marshall players named to Conference USA All-Freshman Team after playing all 14 games in Herd’s C-USA title season … Had 17 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns … His 1-yard scoring catch with five seconds remaining in win at FIU (Oct. 18) was not only his first career TD, but also gave QB Rakeem Cato an NCAA FBS record 39th consecutive game with a scoring pass, topping the 38 by Russell Wilson at North Carolina State and Wisconsin from 2009-11 … Was No. 2 tight end behind senior Eric Frohnapfel, and helped the Herd tie Oregon for the most TD receptions by freshmen (17) in 2014 season … Top game was his four catches for 31 yards and a TD in home win over Rice (Nov. 15) … Also had three receptions for 30 yards in Week 4 victory at Akron (Sept. 20) … Made debut in Week 2 against Rhode Island with one catch for six yards … Also played on several special teams units … Had one kick return (zero yards) and one tackle … Played the season as the only football player to be a member of MU’s Big Green Scholarship Foundation (membership paid by his father).

HERD FILE: Born Aug. 27, 1996 in Greensboro, North Carolina … A two-star prospect by Rivals … Other offers: Appalachian State, Charleston Southern, Georgia Southern, Holy Cross, Liberty and The Citadel and interest from Clemson, Duke, East Carolina and South Carolina … Finished his senior season at Carolina Forest High School with 23 catches for 294 yards and one touchdown despite missing six games after tearing the meniscus in his left knee in Aug. 26 practice and Aug. 30 surgery … Caught 56 passes for 731 yards and seven touchdowns as 2012 junior … At CFHS, also played small forward for the basketball team and third base for the baseball team … His father, Hunter Yurachek, moved in 2017 from the athletic director’s job at Houston to Arkansas … He previously worked at Akron, Virginia, Western Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina and was four-year basketball letterman at Division III Guilford (N.C.).