Arkansas Razorbacks 2018 Football Preview

Arkansas Razorbacks 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: The Bret Bielema era never worked out for Arkansas, and it was apparent that after a 4-8 finish last season, and a complete lack of ability to compete in the SEC West, it was time to move on. Chad Morris was lured away from what was becoming a successful building project at SMU to take over for the Hogs and try to bring this program to a place where competing with the likes of Auburn, Alabama, and even LSU, was no longer a joking matter. With a solid amount of depth in place, and a fan base ready for the next turn in the road ready to explode, Arkansas could be in a position to push beyond the lost Bielema years.

Breakdown Offense: Offense has rarely been a problem for Arkansas, and they managed to pump out 28.8 points per game last season. Even with injuries hampering the passing game, they still managed 205 yards per game through the air, and added 168 yards per game on the ground, but those are numbers that can definitely be improved upon.
With Austin Allen now gone, the QB job falls to Cole Kelley on a full time basis. Kelley played in 9 games as a freshman last season, and passed for 1038 yards. He impressed enough in that he tossed 8 TDs to 4 INTs last fall, showing that he can get it done once he has a full grasp of the offense under Morris. He will have to show more accuracy than he did last fall, as he completed just 57.6% of his passes, but there is no reason to expect that we should not see a marked improvement in that area this fall. If he cannot hold the job, Ty Storey could be there to push him in camp.
David Williams has moved on at RB, and Devwah Whaley is there to replace him after rushing for 559 yards and 7 scores last season. He was a bit pedestrian as he averaged 4.4 yards per carry, so expect a deep group behind him to push him a bit in camp for some reps. That group includes TJ Hammonds, Chase Hayden, and Maleek Williams. Hammonds averaged 8.19 yards per carry in limited action last fall, while Hayden averaged over 5 yards per carry.
There is solid depth at receiver as well, as leading receivers Jonathon Nance, Deon Stewart, and Jordan Jones all return, and that should be fantastic news for Kelley. Nance and Stewart combined for 70 receptions, and Jones added another 21. Jones is a huge threat downfield, after averaging 19.1 yards per grab last fall. La'Michael Pettway, De'Vion Warren, and Gary Cross all add solid depth, making this unit a strength. Jeremy Patton and CJ O'Grady are also back at TE this fall after combining for 32 receptions last season. Austin Cantrell, Will Gragg, and Grayson Gunter all add depth.
The offensive line needs to gel a bit more than they did a year ago, but this should also be a fairly stable and deep unit this season. Colton Jackson (LT), Hjalte Froholdt (LG), Dylan Hays (C), Johnny Gibson (RG), and Brian Wallace (RT) are all projected as starters, with Froholdt, Gibson, and Wallace all being seniors. Shane Clenin and Dalton Wagner, both RS freshmen, will learn behind the starters at OT, while Kirby Adcock and Jalen Merrick provide depth at OG. Ty Clary, a sophomore, is the key reserve at C.

Breakdown Defense: This unit was a disaster in 2017, and was a key reason that the Hogs never got off the ground. Arkansas allowed 36.2 points per game on defense, 30 points or more 8 times, 40 or more 5 times, and 50 or more 2 times. The bleeding has got to stop.
Randy Ramsey will hold onto one DE spot heading into fall camp, but the other spot is open, and Michael Taylor II seems to be the player closest to locking up the job. Considering that Arkansas allowed 196 yards rushing per game last fall, the work up front in camp will be paramount. Ramsey totaled 6.5 TFLs last fall, but needs some help. Jemario Bell backs him up. Austin Capps is the NT, while McTelvin Agim is the DT. Agim is the leader here with 7.5 TFLs last fall. Armon Watts and Briston Guidry provide some depth at NT as Guidry finished with 3.5 TFLs last fall. TJ Smith, who finished with 3 TFLs last season, will work into the rotation at DT.
Arkansas has 2 stars returning at LB this fall in WLB Dre Greenlaw and MLB De'Jon Harris. Greenlaw finished with 103 tackles, while Harris led the team with 115 tackles last fall. Harris led the team with 8.5 TFLs as well, and also led with 3.5 sacks. He also finished with 4 QB hurries. Hayden Henry moved into the starting SLB job in spring, but had just 3 tackles last fall as a freshman. Grant Morgan provides depth at MLB, while Dee Walker backs up Greenlaw at WLB. There is little depth on the strong side behind Henry.
The secondary got burned for 242 yards passing per game last season, so improvements will be needed here as well. Ryan Pulley and Chevin Calloway are the CBs coming out of the spring. Calloway is the more experienced of the two, with 2 PBUs last fall. Brito Tutt and Nate Dalton are projected as the backups there. This could be an area of concern, as experience and production coming in are worrisome. Kamron Curl is the starting SS, while Santos Ramirez is back at FS. Curl broke up 8 passes a season ago, and could be one of the better Safeties in the league. Ramirez broke up 8 passes as well, giving the Hogs one of the better Safety tandems in the nation returning. Ramirez finished with 63 tackles, and Curl had 46. Losing Henre' Toliver, Kevin Richardson II, and Josh Lidell will hurt with depth across the board in the backfield, but there is some talent to lean on. Reid Miller provides some depth at Safety, but there is a void after that to be filled.

Breakdown Special Teams: Connor Limpert is back at PK after hitting 8/9 FGs as a sophomore last season, and should be more active this fall. Blake Johnson is also back as the starter at Punter, but struggled in a big way, averaging just 38.59 yards per punt. Finding someone to push him would be smart in camp.
De'Vion Warren averaged 26.38 yards per kick return on 765 yards total, and took one to the house last season, and will return to the KR job as one of the most dangerous return men in the nation. Deon Stewart is projected to take over in the punt return game after Toliver moved on with his 12.75 yard per return average. That will be a huge hole to fill.

Final Analysis: Arkansas was one of the worst defensive teams in the nation last season, and will have to find ways to shore that problem up in fall camp, but yet they hired an air raid minded head coach who specializes in offense and high scoring. It does not make a ton of sense, but even if they score 40 points per game, the defense still has to get fixed. The good news is that there is some very good talent returning on the defensive side of the football, and with another year for some of those players, improvement should be completely expected. Offense will rise and fall with the QB position hitting the reboot button, but with Morris calling the shots, and depth being a huge bonus across the board, Arkansas should not worry about finishing with only 4 wins once again in 2018. Bowl consideration should be possible, but don't expect the moon, as the Hogs could still finish 4th or lower in the SEC West.