302. Xavian Sorey: Playing for Your Why
The Hog Pod with Bo Mattingly
Sport & Story
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 20 August 2025
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Razorback linebacker Xavian Sorey takes us inside his journey from being a highly rated recruit at Georgia to a nervous transfer looking for a fresh start in Fayetteville. He opens up about the challenges of rebuilding his confidence, how Coach T-Will's belief in him changed his game, and what it means to lead by example on and off the field. Sorey reflects on his Florida upbringing, the competitive fire that fuels him, and the lessons he's learned about finding your "why" and playing with an edge. Now a leader on Arkansas' defense, he shares his ultimate goal—to be the best linebacker to ever play the game—and why he's determined to put on for the state of Arkansas. From backyard games as a kid to SEC battles under the lights, this is the story of grit, growth, and a relentless drive to go all out, every snap.
__________
The full video version of this episode is available exclusively on HogsPlus.com
Follow us on social media!
The Hog Pod is brought to you by South by Northwest Hospitality
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Playing football, I'm using me for example, like trailer parts and things like that. |
| 0:05.0 | Like, I never want to go back to that. |
| 0:07.0 | So nothing's going to stop me from going hard out here to, you know, so things like that. |
| 0:13.0 | It'd be kind of hard to explain some time, but I feel like if you've been there and you kind of know what I'm talking about, then you just know. |
| 0:22.6 | Welcome into the hog pot. |
| 0:34.9 | I'm Bob Mattingly and this episode is made possible by our friends at South by Northwest Hospitality. |
| 0:49.5 | Exavian Sorre is one of the top SEC linebackers heading in to the 2025 season, signified |
| 0:56.2 | by his spot on the preseason Buckkiss Award Watch list. |
| 1:00.2 | And intercepted by Sori. |
| 1:03.5 | But when Xavier and Sori transferred to Arkansas, he wasn't sure what his future helped. |
| 1:09.2 | I was real nervous when I came when I hit the portal. |
| 1:12.6 | Confidence maybe wasn't where it should be. |
| 1:14.6 | It's scared a little bit. |
| 1:16.6 | You know, change is scary. |
| 1:17.6 | But it didn't take long for him to find his footing, |
| 1:20.6 | thanks to the right coach and the right mindset. |
| 1:23.6 | Coach too made it an easy transition and I really just enjoy playing for him. |
| 1:28.3 | That fresh start turns Sory into one of the Razorbacks defensive leaders. |
| 1:33.3 | You just got to go. Just got to be a dog and just go eat. |
| 1:37.3 | Not care about nothing that's not on your side. |
| 1:40.3 | And it's fueled by a relentless drive to never stop pushing forward. If you're watching nothing, you're going to do it. |
| 1:47.0 | There's nothing going to stop me. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sport & Story, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Sport & Story and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.