 Prior to the 2011 season, a writer for Arkansas Business predicted that Gragg "will figure prominently into the offense if he improves his blocking": Gragg replaced D. J. Williams, the first-string tight end who graduated in 2010. In the Razorbacks'eleventh game of the season, Gragg caught 8 passes for 119 yards, both single-game career highs, as the team defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs and moved to a 10 – 1 record. The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system subsequently ranked Arkansas as the third-best team in the nation, behind the Louisiana State University Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide, with the former scheduled as the Razorbacks' next opponent. Brett Martel of Associated Press stated that the November 25 matchup, a part of the Arkansas – LSU football rivalry, "could be even more important than the so-called 'Game of the Century'" between the Tigers and the Crimson Tide earlier in the year, as both teams in the rivalry competed for a position in the BCS National Championship Game. Though Arkansas opened with a 14 – 0 lead, the Tigers regained the lead by halftime and won, 41 – 17. Out of contention for the National Championship Game, the team finished the year ranked sixth in the BCS standings and were invited to play in the 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic, where they defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 29 – 16: with the victory, Arkansas tied a team record for most wins in a season. Over the season, Gragg caught 41 receptions, third most on the team, for 518 yards and two touchdowns.
