FAYETTEVILLE — Could it be that real college football camp coverage is about to begin in the SEC?
Barring an 11th-hour change, the University of Arkansas and the rest of the SEC will open fall practices Monday in shorts and helmets to start their acclimatization periods. Other conferences already have started on that milestone path back to games this fall, including some scrimmaging Saturday. Meanwhile, the Big Ten, Pac-12 and other smaller conferences have elected to punt on fall football due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman and his first-year staff will have their hands full trying to pump confidence back into a program that will open 2020 with a nine-game overall losing streak and a 19-game SEC skid.
Still, the Razorbacks are seemingly gaining momentum in recruiting, and a budding sense of optimism will greet the new week, based on the possibilities of actually playing football and adding depth to their roster.
Here are the top eight questions facing the Razorbacks as they open what will be a modified camp, with more restrictive hours and all kinds of coronavirus protections and safeguards.
1. Who will play quarterback?
All signs point to graduate transfer Feleipe Franks, with offensive coordinator Kendal Briles saying Friday it was the senior’s job to lose.
Franks is coming off a severe ankle injury, but he’s the best running option at quarterback that the Razorbacks have had since probably Brandon Allen. The new regime is clearly attached to dual-threat quarterbacks, which has not been the case at Arkansas for several years.
KJ Jefferson needs to show more consistency as a passer than he did in limited duty late in 2019, but the promise he provides is real. Veterans John Stephen Jones and Jack Lindsey showed they could drive the offense in limited duty late last year, but they were not as productive as their playing time increased. Malik Hornsby, another strong dual-threat signal caller, is the newcomer to the room. It would be wise to try to redshirt him.
2. Can depth issues on defense improve?
They can, but this is not a one-year fix. The Razorbacks will be vulnerable if injuries crop up. Think Dorian Gerald’s injury in the 2019 opener, and broken-handed true freshman Mataio Soli starting at defensive end the rest of the year.
Safety looks like a potentially light area, but coordinator Barry Odom will have lots of younger and/or largely untested talent to pair with Joe Foucha, such as Micahh Smith, Myles Mason, Jalen Catalon and Myles Slusher.
Arkansas should see improvement at cornerback, where Montaric Brown and Jarques McClellion are returning starters. Well-regarded athletes such as LaDarrius Bishop, Greg Brooks Jr., Devin Bush, transfer Jerry Jacobs and others are ready to contribute at corner, nickel and dime.
On Friday’s video chat, Pittman called linebacker a position of surplus, so perhaps there will be quality depth with veterans Hayden Henry, Grant Morgan, Bumper Pool, Deon Edwards and company.
3. Can the offensive line be upgraded?
Short answer, yes. In fact, it’ll be a huge disappointment if this group doesn’t make significant strides in 2020.
Players such as tackles Myron Cunningham and Dalton Wagner, and guard Ricky Stromberg have added weight to deal with the SEC’s wicked good pass rushers. Having a healthy Noah Gatlin to compete at tackle is a good thing. Ty Clary will enter his third year as the presumed starter at center, and should be better. The level and depth of competition has clearly been upgraded. And two offensive line gurus will work with the group in position coach Brad Davis and Pittman.
4. Will the lack of 15 spring practices hurt the Hogs?
The missed practice time affected nearly every school, but for a new staff, the absence of spring drills certainly hurt. However, the lengthy amount of time the players had to go over the new schemes and terminology in video sessions and at slower-paced walk-throughs has far exceeded a normal year.
Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said he thinks about 75% of his offense has been presented. Both Briles and Odom said they felt the Razorbacks were on track entering fall practice.
5. Can the Razorbacks be a better turnover-forcing team?
They really need to be. Arkansas had 16 takeaways in 2019, tied for 84th in the country with Ole Miss and ahead of only Texas A&M (14) in the SEC West.
Take the Aggies and Razorbacks out of the equation, and the rest of the West averaged 22.6 takeaways per team, led by 28 from Alabama.
Said defensive coordinator Barry Odom, “You want to try to get the ball back, eliminate explosive plays, and you want to be a really good tackling team.”
Players who accounted for five fumble recoveries and two interceptions are gone, leaving corner Montaric Brown and safety Joe Foucha — with one fumble recovery and one interception apiece — as the top takeaway artists. The Razorbacks need more of those.
6. Will a clear backup to tailback Rakeem Boyd emerge?
It’s a luxury to have a 1,133-yard rusher back this season, and Rakeem Boyd is eager to improve his draft stack and the team’s win total.
There’s a good blend of talent behind Boyd, beginning with two of the team’s faster players in senior T.J. Hammonds and transfer sophomore Trelon Smith, who proved elusive as a scout team ace last season.
A’Montae Spivey, a 6-1, 188-pounder, is coming off a redshirt season, while big back Dominique Johnson is an incoming freshman and a potential pile mover at 6-1, 240.
7. Should special teams be better?
It’ll be a travesty if the unit is not, although kicker Connor Limpert finished his career with the best field-goal accuracy in school history at .788 (41 of 52).
Because Scott Fountain is the dedicated special-teams coordinator, the Razorbacks have a strong chance of making the kicking game more productive.
“I believe coach Fountain has had more meetings or been part of more of our meeting time than any place I’ve ever been around,” Pittman said Friday. “We’ve got speed. We’ll have a good special teams. We’ve got kickers. We’ve got punters. Long snappers. … So we’ve made it a big emphasis.”
Transfer kicker A.J. Reed and transfer punter George Caratan are expected to make strong pushes for starting roles.
8. Will Arkansas be better at pressuring the quarterback?
Lord help the Razorbacks if they aren’t. The Razorbacks’ 21 sacks ranked 96th in the FBS, ahead of only Vanderbilt (20) and Missouri (19) in the SEC.
And they lose players in sack leader McTelvin Agim, Jamario Bell, Gabe Richardson, T.J. Smith, Kamren Curl and De’Jon Harris who combined for 17.5 of those sacks.
A healthy Dorian Gerald will help the ends, and players such as Mataio Soli, Zach Williams, Julius Coates and Eric Gregory need to improve the pass rush from the edge. Clemson transfer Xavier Kelly and fellow tackles Jonathan Marshall, Isaiah Nichols, Marcus Miller, Taurean Carter, Enoch Jackson and Andy Boykin could help by coming along fast.
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August 16, 2020 at 02:03PM
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