FAYETTEVILLE — The addition of Bobby Petrino has resulted in a trickle-down effect that has impacted virtually every aspect of the Arkansas football program during fall camp — even the side of the ball he isn’t coaching.
As the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator, he’ll almost certainly produce a much more effective offense than what they had under Dan Enos in 2023, but his presence has also further improved a defense that already made significant strides last year.
That topic came up during second-year co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson’s press conference following Monday’s practice.
“He gives you a lot to prepare for, which is obviously going to shrink down what it’s going to be like on Saturday,” Woodson, who coaches the secondary, said. “So the multiplicity of the scheme offensively that we’re seeing, it’s only preparing us for what we’re going to see on Saturdays, regardless of what the opposition is going to do.”
Of course, just how good the offense will be in 2024 largely depends on the players Petrino has to work with. He probably doesn’t have the same weapons he had on his high-octane units from his time as head coach from 2008-11, but a couple of current Razorbacks have brought back memories of the stars of the past.
Speaking to Clay Henry of Hogs+ before the start of fall camp, Petrino actually made two eye-opening comparisons to his former players.
Perhaps the most notable of them was likening slot receiver Isaiah Sategna to Jarius Wright, the UA’s all-time leading receiver with 2,934 career yards.
“He had a really good spring,” Petrino said about Sategna. “He showed his spring and ability to run after the catch. I was really excited about him because he’s very, very fast. He caught it well and showed his speed. I don’t think it’s unfair to compare him with Jarius Wright. He’s got a chance to get in that category and show production. Now he’s got to live up to that type of production. He’s got those type of skills.”
It’s easy to see why Petrino made that comparison.
Wright was listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds his senior year and was clocked at 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Sategna’s exact 40 time isn’t known, but he has legitimate track speed and he’s currently listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds.
While there have been flashes of his potential, Sategna has yet to put it all together his first two years on campus. That said, he stepped up in Arkansas’ first scrimmage of fall camp, reeling in at least three catches for 130 yards with fellow projected starters Tyrone Broden and Andrew Armstrong out with injuries.
The performance last Thursday prompted some praise from quarterback Taylen Green, who specifically touted his versatility.
“We can put him out wide, put him in slot, and put him on deep routes, put him on short routes,” Green said. “He was a little tired, but he still was out there full speed and catching the ball. I’m extremely proud of him and how he executed the plays today. We asked him to do a lot, and he didn’t complain or anything.”
The other comparison Petrino made before fall camp was a bit surprising. He likened new running back Tyrell Reed Jr., a transfer from Hutchinson C.C., to former Arkansas standout Dennis Johnson.
Although he’s generally left out of conversations about the best running backs in school history, Johnson was very productive during his time in Fayetteville, finishing his career with 2,036 rushing yards. His career average of 5.90 yards per carry trails only Felix Jones (7.66) and Matt Jones (6.64) among the 19 players in UA history who’ve eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards.
Johnson did that as a 5-foot-9, 213-pound running back who was described as a “bowling ball.” It sounds like Reed (5-10, 211) has a similar build and skillset.
“He’s going to remind you of Dennis Johnson,” Petrino told Hogs+. “I liked DJ a lot. DJ was here for a recent weekend and Tyrell came up and saw him. He’s even a little taller than DJ. He’s got the same lower body as DJ. This guy is going to be exciting. I can’t wait to see him to be honest. He ran a 10.4 in the 100-meters in high school. He’s fast. That’s rare at that position.”
JUCO numbers should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but Reed ran for 833 yards on 132 carries as a freshman last season — an average of 6.3 yards per carry.
“(Reed is) real compact,” running backs coach Kolby Smith said last week. “I call him little tank, he’s very strong in his lower body. We’re just working on him to make that transition, make that jump because it’s different from junior college. Just pushing him through those growing pains and he’s coming around.”
Fall Camp Observations — Day 11
Here are a few other observations from the media’s viewing period of the 11th day of fall camp…
- It was a rainy Monday morning in Fayetteville, so the Razorbacks practiced inside the Walker Pavilion. They weren’t quite in full pads, but wore everything except knee and hip pads.
- One of the most notable changes to the depth chart below is on the offense line, as E’Marion Harris took first-team reps at left guard – something that hadn’t previously been seen during the media viewing periods. He had only been working at second-team left tackle. Another new thing we noticed was Josh Street, the former walk-on, getting snaps at backup left tackle. It’s believed to be the first time he’s been spotted working somewhere other than guard or center.
- During the lone team period seen by reporters, the defense worked on its “mint” front that features a standup defense end – called a buck – with two tackles and a traditional end to go along with two linebackers. Just as was the case last week when they worked on that, Doneiko Slaughter moved from nickel to safety, taking Hudson Clark out of the lineup with Anthony Switzer filling in at nickel.
- A bit of good news on the injury front: The four players dealing with concussions – tight end Luke Hasz, defensive back Marquise Robinson and defensive ends Andton Juncaj and Jon Hill (a walk-on) – were back at practice in green non-contact jerseys. Because they weren’t tackling, Robinson was even able to participate in the team period, taking reps as a first-team cornerback.
- The only other player in green was defensive back Dylan Hasz, who had been dealing with a back injury. Left guard Patrick Kutas, offensive lineman Luke Brown and linebacker JuJu Pope were still out, while cornerback Jaheim Singletary and running back Rashod Dubinion were back and not even wearing green.
- Wide receivers Andrew Armstrong, Tyrone Broden and Khafre Brown were limited again, participating only in individual drills.
- During individual drills, the running backs (and fullbacks) were practicing some more in an I formation, something they showed one day earlier in fall camp, too.
Arkansas Football Injury Report
Here’s a rundown of several Arkansas football players who are dealing with injuries…
- OL Patrick Kutas (back): Has been out since Day 3 of fall camp with a back issue.
- WR Khafre Brown (knee): Continued to participate in individual drills… Has been limited in practice and was held out of Thursday’s scrimmage because of lingering knee issues.
- RB Rashod Dubinion (knee): Returned to practice Monday after not being spotted Friday or participating in Thursday’s scrimmage because of some swelling in his knee.
- RB Ja’Quinden Jackson (ankle): Was at practice Friday, but clearly still hampered… Did not participate in the scrimmage because he was dealing with what Pittman described as a “mild ankle sprain.”
- WR Tyrone Broden (turf toe): As has been the case since last Tuesday, he was limited in Monday’s practice, only participating in individual drills… Also held out of Thursday’s scrimmage because of turf toe.
- WR Andrew Armstrong (hamstring): Returned to practice Monday after not being spotted Friday… Got dinged up in Tuesday’s practice and wasn’t out there Wednesday with what Pittman described as a “slight” hamstring issue, so he didn’t participate in the scrimmage.
- DB Dylan Hasz (back): Returned to practice Monday, but wearing a green non-contact jersey.
- CB Jaheim Singletary (hamstring): Returned to practice Monday after missing a handful of practices, and the scrimmage, with a hamstring injury.
- K Vito Calvaruso (groin): Did not participate in Thursday’s scrimmage because of a pulled groin muscle… Specialists weren’t spotted during Monday’s practice, so we don’t have an update on his status.
- DE Anton Juncaj (concussion): Returned to practice Monday, but wearing a green non-contact jersey.
- DB Marquise Robinson (concussion): Returned to practice Monday, but wearing a green non-contact jersey.
- DE Jon Hill (concussion): Returned to practice Monday, but wearing a green non-contact jersey.
- TE Luke Hasz (concussion): Returned to practice Monday, but wearing a green non-contact jersey.
- OL Luke Brown (knee): Still not at practice… He’ll be out a couple of weeks after having some cartilage trimmed last week.
- LB JuJu Pope (hamstring): Pittman mentioned on before fall camp that Pope would be limited for the first week of camp because of a hamstring injury. He has not practiced yet this fall.
- 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 during the spring, 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 “fastball starts” team period, which consisted of the first, second and third units running four 11-on-11 plays apiece…
Offense
| POS | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Taylen Green | Malachi Singleton | KJ Jackson |
| RB | Ja’Quinden Jackson | Braylen Russell | Tyrell Reed Jr. |
| TE | Var’keyes Gumms Andreas Paaske | Tyrus Washington | n/a |
| WR | Monte Harrison | Jaedon Wilson | Krosse Johnson |
| WR | n/a | Isaac TeSlaa | Bryce Stephens |
| WR | CJ Brown | Davion Dozier | Walker Catsavis Rykar Acebo |
| LT | Fernando Carmona | Josh Street | Aaron Smith |
| LG | E’Marion Harris | Brooks Edmonson | Tommy Varhall |
| 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. | Kavion Henderson |
| DT | Cam Ball | Keivie Rose | Kaleb James |
| DT | Eric Gregory | Ian Geffrard | Danny Saili |
| DE | n/a | n/a | Charlie Collins |
| BUCK | Brad Spence | Nico Davillier | n/a |
| LB | Stephen Dix Jr. | Alex Sanford | Carson Dean |
| LB | Xavian Sorey Jr. | Bradley Shaw | Wyatt Simmons |
| CB | Jaylon Braxton | Jaheim Singletary | Aidan McCowan |
| NB | Anthony Switzer | Larry Worth III | Jabrae Shaw |
| S | Doneiko Slaughter | TJ Metcalf | Ahkhari Johnson |
| S | Jayden Johnson | Miguel Mitchell | Christian Ford |
| CB | Marquise Robinson | Selman Bridges | Kee’yon Stewart |
Post-Practice Interviews
Arkansas football co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Marcus Woodson, as well as a trio of defensive backs – TJ Metcalf, Jayden Johnson and Doneiko Slaughter – spoke to the media after Day 11 of fall camp.
***
More coverage of Arkansas football and fall camp from BoAS…
