FAYETTEVILLE — A mystery man has emerged as a potential starter for Arkansas football as fall camp inches closer to its conclusion.
After missing a week of practices because of a concussion, cornerback Marquise Robinson was back in a green non-contact Monday and was full-go Tuesday, which marked Day 11 of camp.
Interestingly, the South Alabama transfer slotted in with the first-team defense immediately upon returning to the practice field, taking reps with the starting unit in the lone team period during the media viewing portion of practice on both days.
On Monday, Robinson was the cornerback opposite of Jaylon Braxton, who is essentially a virtual lock to start at one of those spots after earning Freshman All-SEC honors last year.
The following day, Braxton was held out of the “fastball starts” team period and instead, Robinson and Jaheim Singletary – a former five-star recruit and second-year transfer from Georgia – were the starting cornerbacks.
Those two, along with second-year TCU transfer Kee’yon Stewart, appear to be competing for that second cornerback spot opposite of Braxton, with heralded freshman Selman Bridges right on their heels.
Robinson is an intriguing option because he’s coming off a solid season at South Alabama. Granted it was in the Sun Belt, but he notched three interceptions – including one against Oklahoma State – and posted a 63.8 Pro Football Focus grade on 786 total snaps.
He also brings no shortage of personality to the field, as you can see from his celebration here:
“His energy is contagious to the room and that’s what we needed,” co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Marcus Woodson said Monday. “He’s a high energy guy. He loves football. He loves to compete, and he’s done a really good job as well just in terms of adapting to the culture that we have in the defensive backroom. He’s a bright-eyed kid and he’s consistent, as well.”
Considering the struggles of both Singletary and Stewart last year, Robinson figured to push them for a starting job at Arkansas, but he’s been plagued by injuries which prevented that battle from playing out on a daily basis.
In addition to the concussion he dealt with in camp, Robinson also missed an extended amount of time in the spring with a knee injury.
If he can stay healthy, as he appears now, that’s good news for the Arkansas defense. At worst, he is a quality backup capable of filling in when needed. At best, though, Robinson could solidify the secondary.
Fall Camp Observations — Day 12
Here are a few other observations from the media’s viewing period of the 12th day of fall camp…
- It was a beautiful, 77-degree morning in Fayetteville, so the Razorbacks were back outside on the practice fields next to Walker Pavilion. They practiced in half pads, wearing helmets and shoulder pads.
- Three of the players in green non-contact jerseys Monday were out of them Tuesday: tight end Luke Hasz, cornerback Marquise Robinson and defensive end Anton Juncaj. All of them had been out with a concussion.
- Two players still in green were defensive back Dylan Hasz, who’s been dealing with a back issue, and walk-on defensive end Jon Hill, who is also returning from a concussion.
- Left guard Patrick Kutas, offensive lineman Luke Brown and linebacker JuJu Pope were all still out, but one bit of good news was the fact that Andrew Armstrong participated in the team period seen by reporters. He returned in a limited fashion Monday, but now appears full-go. Also missing were walk-ons Emmanuel Crawford (running back) and Luke Buchanan (wide receiver).
- Defensive line coach Deke Adams was extra fiery with his group during that team period, constantly yelling at the defensive linemen. At one point, he really got on sophomore defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr., yelling at him to “quit being lazy” and run off the field like everybody else. (In Rhodes’ defense, he was way down the field chasing the ball and appeared to be jogging off the field like his teammates.)
- As seen in the video clip above, Florida transfer Miguel Mitchell intercepted a pass intended for tight end Ty Washington up the seam. Malachi Singleton threw it and Washington never even turned his head. Mitchell likely would have returned it for a touchdown.
- For the second day in a row, E’Marion Harris got first-team reps at left guard and Josh Street got reps at second-team left tackle.
- During individual work, the linebackers did a drill that probably haunts offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino: a scoop-and-score drill. (see: 2011 Sugar Bowl)
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.
- WR Tyrone Broden (turf toe): As has been the case since last Tuesday, he was limited in Tuesday’s practice, only participating in individual drills… Also held out of Thursday’s scrimmage because of turf toe.
- WR Andrew Armstrong (hamstring): Full-go on Tuesday after being limited Monday… Got dinged up in last 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, still wearing a green non-contact jersey Tuesday.
- 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): Ditched the green non-contact jersey after wearing it Monday.
- DB Marquise Robinson (concussion): Ditched the green non-contact jersey after wearing it Monday.
- DE Jon Hill (concussion): Returned to practice Monday in a green non-contact jersey, still in it Tuesday.
- TE Luke Hasz (concussion): Ditched the green non-contact jersey after wearing it Monday.
- 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 | Rashod Dubinion | Tyrell Reed Jr. |
| TE | Luke Hasz | Var’keyes Gumms Tyrus Washington | n/a |
| WR | Andrew Armstrong | Jaedon Wilson | Monte Harrison |
| WR | Isaac TeSlaa | n/a | Krosse Johnson |
| WR | CJ Brown | Davion Dozier | Kamron Bibby 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 | Nico Davillier | Anton Juncaj | Charlie Collins |
| LB | Brad Spence | Stephen Dix Jr. | Carson Dean |
| LB | Xavian Sorey Jr. | Anthony Switzer | Bradley Shaw |
| CB | Jaheim Singletary | Kee’yon Stewart | Aidan McCowan |
| NB | Doneiko Slaughter | Tevis Metcalf | Jabrae Shaw |
| S | Hudson Clark | Ahkhari Johnson | Dallas Young |
| S | TJ Metcalf | Miguel Mitchell | Christian Ford |
| CB | Marquise Robinson | Selman Bridges | Landon Phipps |
Post-Practice Interviews
Arkansas football offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, as well as quarterbacks Taylen Green and Malachi Singleton, spoke to the media after Day 12 of fall camp.
***
More coverage of Arkansas football and fall camp from BoAS…
