Judge grants Arkansas safeties Wooden and Williams a restraining order

A judge in Washington County just cleared the path for two Razorbacks to suit up this fall.

Arkansas safeties Caleb Wooden and Sean Williams received a temporary restraining order this week, and that order lets both players take the field this year with the Razorbacks.

Judge Doug Martin signed off on the motion after attorneys Marshall Ney and Kael Bowling filed the lawsuit Wednesday evening. The pair works for the law firm Friday, Eldredge and Clark, LLP.

Martin’s order sided with the players almost immediately. He pointed to the complaint itself along with the evidence backing it up as reason enough to grant short-term protection while the case moves forward.

Both Hogs had already cleared this hurdle once before. That earlier ruling traced back to a separate court case out of Colorado.

But once the NCAA won a pause on that case, both players lost their eligibility again unless they went to court on their own. Wooden and Williams did just that, filing together on Wednesday.

What this means for Arkansas’ secondary

Fans watching fall camp already noticed something was off. Wooden took part in practice last week but stayed out of full pads, and Williams spent the session watching from the sideline in regular gear instead of joining in.

Now both should be able to jump back into normal camp reps as the Razorbacks push toward the season.

Wooden is coming off a rough year by his own standard. Pro Football Focus gave him a 56.7 grade last season, his lowest mark yet.

His best season on paper actually came back in 2023, when he played for Auburn and posted a 76.6 grade under coach Roberts.

Williams brings a different résumé to the Arkansas defense. He transferred in from Dartmouth, where he earned All-Ivy League honors a season ago.

Between 2022 and 2025, he was in the starting lineup for all but one of his 38 career appearances.

Last year alone, Williams racked up 31 tackles, with 16 of those solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss mixed in. He also broke up eight passes and picked off four more.

For his career, Williams now has 11 interceptions, including one he returned all the way for a touchdown.

PFF credited him with a 71.5 grade across 570 snaps last season.

Legal path clears way for fall camp

The restraining order doesn’t guarantee a permanent fix, but it does buy time.

For now, Wooden and Williams can practice and play while the legal process plays out.

Arkansas fans hoping for a deeper, more experienced safety group just got some good news heading into the year.

The Razorbacks have leaned on transfer additions and returning starters to build depth at safety this offseason, and getting two proven players back into the fold changes the math for defensive coordinator plans.