Last week’s defensive disaster against Ole Miss thoroughly exposed a defect that was already lurking beneath the surface: Arkansas has struggled mightily against the pass this year.
Three-quarters of the way through the season, the Razorbacks have allowed 266.2 passing yards per game. That ranks dead last in the SEC — behind even Mississippi State — and 120th out of 134 FBS teams.
Opponents have completed 63.3% of their passes (100th) for 17 touchdowns (t-115th) and are averaging 8.29 yards per attempt (120th). Thankfully for Arkansas, it does have eight interceptions (t-42nd); otherwise its opposing passer rating would be even worse than 146.8 (117th).
It’s a major issue that the Razorbacks are focusing on during their second open date of the season, Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman said on the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday morning.
“I think we have to look at all things — how we’re coaching it, the coverages that we’re playing, the people that we’re asking to play those coverages,” Pittman said. “And we certainly have given that a good look and have made some changes there to see if we can get better.”
The issues stopping the pass have been especially evident in games against veteran quarterbacks.
Oklahoma State seventh-year senior Alan Bowman, Auburn sixth-year senior Payton Thorne (for a half), LSU redshirt junior Garrett Nussmeier and Ole Miss senior Jaxson Dart have combined to complete 65.2% of their passes for 1,287 yards, 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. In 3.5 games, that’s 367.7 yards per game.
Jaylon Braxton Update
Beyond just the X’s and O’s, one thing that would really help Arkansas’ secondary is the return of Jaylon Braxton, who hasn’t played since the Oklahoma State game in Week 2 because of a leg injury.
Coming off a standout 2023 campaign in which he landed on the SEC All-Freshman Team, the 6-foot-0 former four-star recruit was expected to be the Razorbacks’ top cornerback this year.
That has yet to materialize because he got hurt so early on, but it sounds like he could be nearing a return. Pittman has previously said there’s a chance he could be healthy following the second open date.
“All I know is that he’s ran on grass,” Pittman said following the Ole Miss loss. “Before, it was always in the pool and on the treadmill in the pool, not fully weighted. So that’s all I know. He has not practiced or anything like that.”
More Help for Arkansas’ Secondary?
While Jaylon Braxton is a proven commodity, there is another player on the roster who Arkansas might want to give a look despite a lack of experience.
Selman Bridges was one of the top players in Arkansas’ 2024 signing class, as he was a top-130 recruit on 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN — with the latter ranking him the highest at No. 99 overall.
Asked specifically about the freshman on Wednesday, Pittman indicated there’s a chance he could see the field down the stretch.
“Selman’s certainly one of the guys in that thought process, as well,” Pittman said. “He’s done really a good job out there, and we’ll see what happens there, but he certainly has improved greatly this (season).”
Even though his only defensive action came in the opener against UAPB, the Razorbacks have already burned Bridges’ redshirt by playing him on special teams in six total games. He’s played 19 snaps across the various units, which is detailed below.
Given that fact and his potential as a 6-foot-4 cornerback who secondary coach Deron Wilson said physically looked like a member of the Seattle Seahawks’ famed Legion of Boom, it would make sense for him to get a look in the struggling secondary.
Bridges got extended reps with the first-team defense during fall camp because of injuries to Braxton, Marquise Robinson and Jaheim Singletary, so the coaches should have an idea of what they have in the Temple, Texas, native.
In fact, co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson admitted that Bridges actually exceeded his expectations in the first scrimmage of fall camp.
“He’s a long corner, can run, loves to compete,” Woodson said in August. “Got to continue to work on getting him stronger to be prepared for this conference and everything that he has to face, but we’re excited about him. He’s someone that’s going to have to play, as well.”
With three games left and two more veteran quarterbacks – Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Missouri’s Brady Cook – on the schedule, it might be time to give him a chance.
Arkansas Freshmen Not Redshirting
With three games remaining, seven of the 17 Arkansas football signees in the Class of 2024 have exceeded the four-game threshold and will not redshirt this year. Here is a look at those players:
DB Selman Bridges
Games: 6
Snaps: 10 on D / 19 on ST
PFF Grade: 49.2 (D) / 61.4 (ST)
According to Pro Football Focus, two of Selman’s Bridges’ six appearances have consisted of playing a single special teams snap. He got one rep on the kickoff return unit against Oklahoma State and one rep on the kickoff coverage unit at Mississippi State.
His most extensive action came against UAPB (all 10 defensive snaps, plus 4 on kickoff coverage and 1 on punt return) and UAB (8 snaps on kickoff coverage). Bridges also played 2 and 3 snaps on the field goal block unit against Auburn and Texas A&M, respectively.
WR CJ Brown
Games: 6
Snaps: 41 on O
PFF Grade: 49.4 (O)
He has yet to make a catch, but CJ Brown has played 41 offensive snaps across six games this season. After quickly burning his redshirt by playing him in the first five games of the season, the Razorbacks have played him just once more – giving him seven snaps in the blowout win at Mississippi State.
DE Charlie Collins
Games: 9
Snaps: 10 on D / 78 on ST
PFF Grade: 44.3 (D) / 53.9 (ST)
There was a moment earlier in the season that Charlie Collins appeared to be carving out a role as a third-down pass rusher, getting five snaps in that capacity against Texas A&M. He hasn’t played on defense since then. However, he has been a steady presence on the kickoff return and field goal block units.
DB Ahkhari Johnson
Games: 8
Snaps: 10 on D / 56 on ST
PFF Grade: 46.3 (D) / 62.4 (ST)
Similar to Selman Bridges, all 10 of Ahkhari Johnson’s defensive snaps came in the UAPB game. However, he has been a steady contributor on special teams. There were a few weeks he was on the kickoff coverage unit, but recently, Johnson has only been on the kickoff return unit.
DB Tevis Metcalf
Games: 9
Snaps: 15 on D / 136 on ST
PFF Grade: 41.7 (D) / 63.5 (ST)
Once again, virtually all of Tevis Metcalf’s defensive snaps were in the blowout of UAPB. PFF does credit him with one against Auburn, but that came on the Tigers’ fake punt attempt.
Unlike Selman Bridges and Ahkhari Johnson, though, Metcalf has played a significant role on special teams. His 136 total special teams snaps are the fourth-most on the team. He’s currently on the kickoff return and kickoff coverage units, but he’s also had work on the punt return and field goal block units.
RB Braylen Russell
Games: 8
Snaps: 137 on O
PFF Grade: 71.7 (O)
The most productive true freshman this year has easily been Braylen Russell. The four-star prospect out of Benton is Arkansas’ third-leading rusher with 304 yards and two touchdowns on 47 carries. A big chunk of that came in his monster performance at Mississippi State, when he finished just shy of Darren McFadden’s single-game freshman record with 175 rushing yards.
Unfortunately, an injury limited Russell to only eight total snaps the following week against Ole Miss. Sam Pittman didn’t reveal what the issue is, but did tell reporters afterward that he’d be fine.
LB Bradley Shaw
Games: 9
Snaps: 19 on D / 153 on ST
PFF Grade: 67.5 (D) / 69.9 (ST)
One freshman who Sam Pittman has already said could see his role increase down the stretch is Bradley Shaw. He’s gotten in on defense in each of the last three games, albeit for just one snap against LSU and Ole Miss. Those games were sandwiched around Shaw playing eight snaps at Mississippi State.
On special teams, the former four-star recruit’s 153 snaps are second only to Larry Worth III (164) on the team. He’s currently a member of the kickoff return, kickoff coverage and punt coverage units, but has also played on the punt return and field goal block units this season.
Redshirting Freshmen
Another seven scholarship freshmen are active, but are set to redshirt during their first year on campus. In fact, all but one of these players has already clinched a redshirt because they’ve appeared in only one game and could play in each of the remaining three contests and still not exceed the four-game threshold.
The lone exception is wide receiver Krosse Johnson, who has appeared in three games. It is highly unlikely the Razorbacks opt to burn his redshirt by playing him in at least two of the last three games, so we’ve included him in this group.
OL Kobe Branham
Games: 1
Snaps: 8 on O
PFF Grade: 66.0 (O)
It wasn’t until the eighth game of the season that Kobe Branham made his collegiate debut, getting in late during Arkansas’ blowout win at Mississippi State. Despite not being listed on Arkansas’ depth chart, he appears to be in the two-deep when the Razorbacks sub out their entire starting offensive line because he played right tackle against the Bulldogs. That is notable because he was primarily seen working at guard during fall camp.
DE Kavion Henderson
Games: 1
Snaps: 7 on D / 1 on ST
PFF Grade: 62.5 (D) / 60.0 (ST)
He managed to notch a pair of hurries during his seven snaps in the opener against UAPB, according to Pro Football Focus, but Kavion Henderson has not played since then. That is a bit of a surprise considering how highly regarded he was coming out of high school, but he finds himself behind the likes of Landon Jackson, Nico Davillier, Anton Juncaj, Quincy Rhodes Jr. and even fellow freshman Charlie Collins on the depth chart at defensive end.
QB KJ Jackson
Games: 1
Snaps: 10 on O
PFF Grade: 82.4 (O)
The clear third-string quarterback behind Taylen Green and Malachi Singleton, KJ Jackson’s only action this season came late in the season-opening blowout of UAPB. He led the Razorbacks on a 10-play, 90-yard touchdown drive during which he went 4 of 4 passing for 59 yards and added 3 yards on the ground.
WR Krosse Johnson
Games: 3
Snaps: 11 on O / 7 on ST
PFF Grade: 79.7 (O) / 61.9 (ST)
While he did catch a couple of passes for 25 yards on the final drive of Arkansas’ 70-0 win over UAPB, most people will remember Krosse Johnson for his special teams blunders the following week at Oklahoma State. The second time he crashed into Isaiah Sategna, the result was a muffed punt that the Cowboys recovered en route to rallying for the win. However, as Best of Arkansas Sports covered at the time, he shouldn’t necessarily be blamed for the mistake.
That was Johnson’s last action until getting in for one offensive snap at Mississippi State a couple weeks ago. He’s now appeared in three games, but it’s unlikely he gets in two more down the stretch to burn his redshirt.
RB JuJu Pope
Games: 0
Snaps: n/a
PFF Grade: n/a
When he committed as a heralded recruit out of Mississippi, JuJu Pope was projected to be either a linebacker or nickel back for the Razorbacks. He battled injuries throughout the offseason, but now seems to be healthy based on his participation in pregame warmups at home games. However, at some point during the season, he was moved to running back.
LB Wyatt Simmons
Games: 1
Snaps: 3 on D
PFF Grade: 62.3 (D)
All three of Wyatt Simmons’ snaps this season came in the opener against UAPB. His redshirt is not particularly surprising because most of Arkansas’ linebacker snaps have gone to the likes of Xavian Sorey Jr., Stephen Dix Jr., Brad Spence and Anthony Switzer, with Bradley Shaw getting the leftovers.
WR Zach Taylor
Games: 0
Snaps: n/a
PFF Grade: n/a
A late addition to Arkansas’ 2024 recruiting class, Zach Taylor was originally committed to Army before flipping to the Razorbacks over the summer. He was a two-star prospect and appears to be at the very bottom of the pecking order at wide receiver based on him not yet appearing in a game. That’s not particularly surprising given he was a high school quarterback who is changing positions in college.
Season-Ending Injuries
- DB Jaden Allen
- LB Justin Logan
- OL Zuri Madison
Sam Pittman announced before the start of fall camp that this trio of freshmen would miss the season because of injuries.
Jaden Allen had “cartilage repair” done on his knee over the summer, Justin Logan battled a shoulder injury during spring ball and Zuri Madison tore his ACL in a scooter accident before the spring.
Arkansas Football True Freshman Walk-Ons
- LB Preston Davis
- P Sam Dubwig
- WR Monte Harrison
- OL Alex Johnson
- OL Jonas Nantze
- K Charlie Von Der Meden
- LB Joseph Whitt
The only true freshman walk-on to appear in a game so far this season is not exactly your average walk-on. Monte Harrison is 29 years old and played professional baseball for a decade before deciding to go to school and play football. The best part? The Milwaukee Brewers, who took him in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft, are footing the bill.
Despite being out of the game for so long, Harrison turned some heads during fall camp and has actually played in all but one game this season, missing only the Texas A&M game because of an undisclosed injury. While it hasn’t been a significant number of reps, he has seen the field on offense in almost every game, playing 43 total snaps.
Harrison caught two passes for 29 yards against UAPB, but hasn’t been targeted since. His biggest play of the year was recovering and returning a UAB on-side kick attempt 20 yards in Week 3.
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