Will Caston following father’s footsteps, but creating own legacy
Will Caston had a decision to make, and it was the biggest one of his football career to that point. No one was going to make it for him, and he was going to pave his own way.
Sure, his father, Marvin, works for the Razorback Foundation and was a four-year letterman fullback (after he converted from linebacker, which is the position Will plays) for the Hogs from 1995-99.
But that’s his father’s legacy, not his. Will’s decision was his own.
“He wanted me to go where I wanted to go,” Caston told HawgBeat. “Whenever I got the Arkansas offer, everybody was like, ‘oh, your dad must want you to go there, you have to go there because of him.’ (But) he made it known from day one, ’you go where you want to go. I don’t want to have anything to do with it.’
“Because it’s my four years that I’ve got to spend up there. He’s just been so supportive and I’m just so thankful to have him in my life, because he’s had such an impact on me.”
The commitment announcement came on April 14 with a post on social media. Once his college career wraps up, he will have spent his entire high school and college career in the confines of the town that houses the flagship university for the state. It’s not just the home state team for Caston, it’s truly the home town team.
“It’s just about pride,” Caston said. “You grow up in Arkansas as a football player, all you want to do is play for the Hogs. That’s the dream, that’s what all of us want to do. I know that hasn’t been kind of a big emphasis over the past few seasons, so just seeing that now, it’s so cool for Arkansas kids like me to see.
“Because we’ll play a little bit harder on third down, just because it’s Arkansas.”
Arkansas was the second offer Caston received after Tulane pulled the trigger on May 22, 2025. It was Arkansas’ previous staff that offered him, but when head coach Ryan Silverfield took over, he made it clear the offer still stood.
“(Silverfield) just said, ‘we want you to be a part of what we’re doing here,’” Caston said. “You’re the kind of player we need in our program, the kind of person. We just want you here. And I was talking with coach (Cannon) Gibbs after the Junior Day and he just flat out told me, ‘I know you already hold an offer and the offer still stands. We want you here.’
“So it was just kind of a feeling like, okay, now I know this staff knows what I can do and they’ve embraced me, and they want me to be a part of it.”
Marvin did what every devoted father does. He showed up to games and supported him practice, among other things. He didn’t influence his son’s decision, but what he did influence was his work ethic and drive to be a better football player.
“He’s never missed a game of mine, he’s come to every spring practice to watch me,” Caston said. “He’s always giving me tips. Me and him watch film all the time, just so he can give me a better understanding of what I’m doing and how to be a better player, because he’s seen it and he’s done it.”
When Caston made the decision to commit to Arkansas, surprisingly, his dad wasn’t the first person he told. It was Razorback legend Anthony Lucas, who is the head coach at Fayetteville High School and a former teammate of Marvin’s.
“I was jacked for him,” Lucas told HawgBeat. “I’m so excited for him, man. I know Will wants to create his own path and create his own thing, but I was so happy for him. One thing I said to myself, I didn’t tell him, was, he’s following in his dad’s footsteps, but he going to do it his own way. I kind of felt like that’s where he wanted to be, too.”
Lucas has yet to coach Caston — spring ball is still a week away and he just took the job in March — but he’s known him forever, and the leadership he exudes is remarkable.
“Will is a leader,” Lucas said. “I’ve been there and I’ve been kind of observing and watching the guys. They rally around him. He’s our leader, and I’m starting to see it. He’s getting on guys when they mess up, there’s a standard that we’re trying to set (at Fayetteville) and Will has truly bought in and he’s getting guys to buy in.”
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