FAYETTEVILLE — It would be unwise to read too much into how Arkansas football lined up in its first team period on Day 1 of fall camp, but the occasion did provide the first glimpse of the complete 2024 version of the team.
While most of the newcomers were midyear enrollees who were on campus for spring ball, the Razorbacks did add 13 scholarship players over the summer and Wednesday marked their first official practice in Fayetteville.
It’s also worth noting that they weren’t in full pads and didn’t tackle to the ground. Now that those clarifications are out of the way, let’s observe the time-honored tradition of overreacting to what was seen during the 40-minute segment of practice open to reporters — and specifically the 5 minutes of “fastball starts,” in which the first, second and third units each ran four 11-on-11 plays.
- Two of the newcomers are running backs. Even with four of them getting reps during the team period, only Tyrell Reed Jr. – the transfer from Hutchinson C.C. – got out there and he was with the third unit. Florida A&M transfer Rodney Hill did individual drills, but didn’t get in the fastball starts. That said, Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman praised both of them after practice, saying they both “did a good job of running the ball.”
- Not surprisingly, quarterback Blake Boda from Coastal Carolina was excluded from the top three quarterbacks.
- In a bit of surprise, though, we didn’t see Khafre Brown in fastball starts. The former North Carolina and South Florida wide receiver figures to push for playing time this year, but saw a walk-on and pair of redshirt freshmen get reps on the third unit ahead of him. However, he did make a nice catch during a routes-on-air period.
- Up front, Syracuse transfer Joe More was the second-team right tackle, as expected. Keyshawn Blackstock is believed to be locked in as a starter, but More could potentially emerge as the top backup.
- Defensively, three of the newcomers were with the second unit. Stephen Dix Jr. (Marshall) and Anthony Switzer (Utah State) were at linebacker, while Larry Worth III (Jacksonville State) was at nickel. In his opening statement to his post-practice interview, Pittman actually mentioned Worth twice as someone who “flashed” on Day 1. Switzer also got a shoutout from the head Hog.
- BYU transfer Danny Saili was a third-team defensive tackle. He figures to be among the top five guys at that position, but it remains to be seen if he can climb the pecking order.
- Among the four true freshmen who joined the team this summer – which for decades was when most, if not all freshmen joined the team – only linebacker Bradley Shaw got reps in the fastball starts period. He was with the third team, surpassing returners like Carson Dean and Kaden Henley. Pittman added afterward that later in practice, Shaw even got some second-team reps when the defense went to its three-linebacker package.
- The other three freshmen – linebacker Wyatt Simmons and wide receivers Krosse Johnson and Zach Taylor – went through individual drills, but didn’t participate in the team period.
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The Highlight of Day 1 of Fall Camp
It took all of four plays for Tyrone Broden to turn in what could be the best catch of the preseason.
On the final snap of the first-team offense against first-team defense in the aforementioned “fastball starts” team period, the 6-foot-7 receiver reeled in a deep ball from Taylen Green with just one hand and top cornerback Jaylon Braxton draped all over him.
That description doesn’t really do it justice, though, so check it out in the first play of the clip below:
Sam Pittman described the play as “pretty special” and added that he looked forward to seeing many more catches like that, but also made sure to point out how the team celebrated together after it.
Needless to say, it was a great way to start fall camp, especially for the offense.
“I saw him in man coverage,” quarterback Taylen Green said. “I love my guys in man coverage and they tell me all the time, ‘Throw it up and I’m going to make a play,’ which he did. He made it and it just set the tone for the whole practice. I had to go celebrate with him in the end zone.”
Even the defense had to tip its cap because there was nothing else it could have done to stop the catch, short of blatant pass interference.
“I thought (Braxton) was in a great position, and then Broden went and made that catch,” safety Hudson Clark said. “It’s always a back-and-forth battle, so you’re just kind of in awe of it, but you just try to keep playing to the whistle. He made a great catch, though.”
Fall Camp Observations – Day 1
Here are a few other observations from the media’s viewing period of the first day of fall camp…
- A hot first day met the Razorbacks, who took the practice fields in “spiders” – light padding, opposed to full shoulder pads, and shorts. It was 94 degrees at the start of practice, but the head index was 104, according to The Weather Channel.
- On an earlier snap with the first-team units on the field, BoAS noticed defensive tackle Cam Ball really knock left guard Patrick Kutas back. They weren’t in full pads and that can be tough on the guys up front, but it was impressive physicality from Ball.
- There were no changes from the spring on the first-team offensive line, but as expected, Ty’Kieast Crawford moved inside from right tackle to right guard on the second unit. That allowed Syracuse transfer Joe More to slot in at right tackle, while bumping freshman Kobe Branham down to the third unit.
- As good as the catch by Broden was, there were also some drops. Running back Rashod Dubinion dropped a checkdown pass from Malachi Singleton during the team period and we also noticed receivers Bryce Stephens and Jordan Anthony drop passes while running routes without defenders. That is something Stephens and Anthony have struggled with in the past.
- On defense, transfers Larry Worth III and Anthony Switzer are versatile and capable of playing multiple positions. On Wednesday, Worth worked with the defensive backs and Switzer worked at linebacker.
- One of the bigger surprises on defense was freshman Ahkhari Johnson running as a second-team safety ahead of Florida transfer Miguel Mitchell. That could be a case of the coaches sending a message to an older player.
- Arkansas used 20 personnel with its second-team offense during the team period, meaning it had two running backs, no tight ends and three wide receivers on the field. The two running backs were Dubinion and freshman Braylen Russell.
- Although there was no tight end with the second unit, we noticed Ty Washington going second in some tight end drills ahead of Var’keyes Gumms, who ran with the third unit in the team period. It’ll be interesting to see how those two stack up behind Luke Hasz as camp continues.
- During an inside drill period, which is essentially a team period without receivers and defensive backs, Fernando Carmona had an impressive rep in which he got downfield really quick and knocked down freshman Ahkhari Johnson, who was serving as the nickel.
- In the portion of practice closed to reporters, Pittman said walk-on wide receiver Monte Harrison – the former MLB player who turns 29 this month – “caught a nice slant route for a touchdown in either a two-minute drill or in team period.” He also said second-team cornerback Jaheim Singletary picked off a pass in two-minute drill.
Watch List Season
Another sign of the college football season quickly approaching is the steady release of preseason watch lists for the sport’s various awards.
The process started Monday with the Maxwell Award, but no Razorbacks were included on the 80-man watch list. Despite being an overall “College Player of the Year” award, the list consisted entirely of quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.
It wasn’t until Tuesday that Arkansas football landed its first player on a watch list. Defensive end Landon Jackson had that honor, as one of 75 players on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list. That award is presented to the national defensive player of the year.
The Razorbacks had another watch list nominee Wednesday when wide receiver Isaiah Sategna appeared on the one for the Jet Award, which is awarded to the nation’s best return specialist.
Arkansas Football Injury Report
Here’s a rundown of several Arkansas football players who were dealing with injuries at the end of spring or are currently banged up…
- TE Ty Washington (shoulder): Limited during the spring as he recovered from the shoulder injury that ended his 2023 season, but back and full-go Wednesday.
- WR Davion Dozier (wrist): Broke his wrist late in spring ball, but back at practice full-go on Wednesday.
- WR Jaedon Wilson (hamstring): Missed the second half of spring ball with a hamstring injury, but was back full-go Wednesday.
- RB Rashod Dubinion (cramps): Missed the middle portion of practice because he was struggling with the heat, but was able to return, per a UA spokesperson. Pittman said he was one of four or five guys who dealt with cramps during the practice. Defensive tackle Cam Ball was another one.
- LB JuJu Pope (hamstring): Pittman mentioned that Pope would be limited for the first week because of a hamstring injury. Sure enough, he did not dress out Wednesday
- DB Jaden Allen (knee): Pittman said the freshman had “cartilage repair” done on his knee and that he’s not expected to play this season.
- LB Justin Logan (shoulder): After being limited and wearing a green non-contact jersey, Pittman said he probably won’t play this season.
- OL Zuri Madison (ACL): Missed the spring and will miss the 2024 season with a torn ACL suffered in a scooter accident.
Arkansas Football Depth Chart
Here’s how the Razorbacks lined up during the aforementioned “fastball starts” team period…
Offense
| POS | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Taylen Green | Malachi Singleton | KJ Jackson |
| RB | Ja’Quinden Jackson | Rashod Dubinion Braylen Russell | Tyrell Reed Jr. |
| TE | Luke Hasz | n/a | Var’keyes Gumms |
| WR | Andrew Armstrong | CJ Brown | Kamron Bibby |
| WR | Isaiah Sategna | Isaac TeSlaa | Dazmin James |
| WR | Tyrone Broden | Jaedon Wilson | Davion Dozier |
| LT | Fernando Carmona | E’Marion Harris | Aaron Smith |
| LG | Patrick Kutas | Brooks Edmonson | Josh Street |
| C | Addison Nichols | Amaury Wiggins | Tim Dawn |
| RG | Joshua Braun | Ty’Kieast Crawford | Kobe Branham |
| RT | Keyshawn Blackstock | Joe More | Jonas Nantze |
Defense
| POS | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE | Landon Jackson | Quincy Rhodes Jr. | Charlie Collins |
| DT | Cam Ball | Ian Geffrard | Danny Saili |
| DT | Eric Gregory | Keivie Rose | Kaleb James |
| DE | Nico Davillier | Anton Juncaj | Kavion Henderson |
| LB | Brad Spence | Stephen Dix Jr. | Bradley Shaw |
| LB | Xavian Sorey Jr. | Anthony Switzer | Alex Sanford |
| CB | Jaylon Braxton | Jaheim Singletary | Selman Bridges |
| NB | Doneiko Slaughter | Larry Worth III | Tevis Metcalf |
| S | Hudson Clark | TJ Metcalf | Dylan Hasz |
| S | Jayden Johnson | Ahkhari Johnson | Miguel Mitchell |
| CB | Kee’yon Stewart | Marquise Robinson | Aidan McCowan |
Arkansas Football Interviews
Reporters got to talk to Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman and a trio of players – defensive tackle Cam Ball, quarterback Taylen Green and safety Hudson Clark – after Day 1 of fall camp.
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More coverage of Arkansas football and fall camp from BoAS…
