Arkansas
Coaching Details Now Looks to Be Petrino’s Approach
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Saturday’s practice for Arkansas was moved back a couple of hours to about 7 p.m. to get a safe window to stay outside. Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman prefers that, probably because it gets to spread everybody out and it is better for conditioning.
For offensive-minded folks, it gives an interesting glimpse to watch new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and his subtle ways of working with quarterback Taylen Green and the backups. With video being the way everything is broken down these days, he probably doesn’t have to yell as much on the field as he did in histime as head coach from 2008-11.
A lot of people want to see that fire and on-field coaching style the media loves to talk about. With the exception of a normal coaches’ move moving a wide receiver out of a drill that was kinda blown out of proportion, there hasn’t been much to see.
Age also has a little to do with it. Riding around the area around his home in a golf cart with his granddaughter is a side of Petrino most folks couldn’t imagine over a decade ago. On the field, he’s working exclusively with the quarterbacks now and coaching details.
The little nuances he points out to the players in individual drills is interesting. From release point on passes to fine-tuning footwork, he’s working on them being as close to perfect as it can get. It’s probably never perfect, but right now they are doing touch-ups on offensive install and getting the pattern established for the games.
That will start against UAPB at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark., on Aug. 29. The offense will be ready for that game. A guess is it will be a chance to get some final evaluations on players working against somebody other than a teammate before taking the trip to Stillwater, Okla., to play Oklahoma State the second week.
Watching Petrino point out to Green one time he needed to throw the ball in a place he didn’t brought back a back a long-ago memory. The pass Green threw was only off maybe six inches or so.
It was almost like watching Bill Walsh coaching the San Francisco 49ers in 1982 and emphasizing Joe Montana needed to throw a pass exactly 6 inches to one side of a receiver on a route. We found out later from Montana that didn’t mean 5 inches, either, which is what he threw.
“I missed it a little,” Montana said with a smile. “He wants it exact.”
Petrino is probably that way, too. He realizes, of course, most of the time he’s not working with the arm of a Hall of Famer that is as accurate. That doesn’t mean he’s not trying to develop that perfection.
Razorback fans are counting on that offensive magic of 2010-11, which was during a 21-5 run.. The problem is there is no evidence the talent is there right now to do that. This roster isn’t as good as what he had in his first season as the Hogs’ head coach in 2008.
This team may have some folks that develop into that, but nobody knows they are going to be there now. They haven’t shown it in years past and you can’t really gauge practices.
Petrino knows all that. He’s just trying to work with what he’s got and make it the best it can be. In today’s world, nobody knows what’s going to happen with the transfer portal, NIL and the mental state of teenagers these days. Every coach knows they could be developing them for somebody else.
It appears to be a much more relaxed Petrino. We saw that in the spring and now in just four practices of fall camp, it looks to be very detailed instruction for the quarterbacks on little things most folks don’t even think about.
Which was probably what Pittman was thinking when he hired him in December. After last year’s problems and having a coordinator that was obviously distracted by things we may not have even known about, getting some attention to detail may go a long way to at least making a bowl game. Or even better.
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Kentucky had a need at wide receiver entering the only transfer portal window of the offseason. The Wildcats addressed the position again on Day 10. UK has added a second transfer to the room. This is a familiar name to those who follow recruiting.
Arkansas transfer Ja’Kayden Ferguson committed to the Wildcats after his visit to Lexington over the weekend. The wide receiver was a former UK commit who flipped to the Hogs during the 2025 recruiting cycle. Now Ferguson has flipped back to the Big Blue.
Ja’Kayden Ferguson was a three-star recruit out of Metro Houston who picked Kentucky following a June official visit ahead of the 2024 season. However, Ferguson decided to open up his recruitment five months later and flipped to Arkansas. The 6-foot-2 receiver appeared in six games for the Razorbacks as a true freshman and burned his redshirt. Ferguson played just 20 offensive snaps.
The SEC transfer becomes the eighth current full-time scholarship player in Kentucky’s current wide receivers room. Some more additions are expected.
Kentucky transfer commits
| Player | Position | High School | Former School | Year |
| Olaus Alinen | G/T (6-6, 322) | Windson (Conn.) The Loomis Chaffee School | Alabama | Redshirt Junior |
| Jesse Anderson | S (6-0, 180) | Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons | Pittsburgh | Redshirt Junior |
| Max Anderson | iOL (6-5, 311) | Frisco (Texas) High | Tennessee | Redshirt Sophomore |
| Elijah “Bo” Barnes | LB (6-1, 244) | Dallas (Texas) Skyline | Texas | Redshirt Freshman |
| Jovantae Barnes | RB (6-0, 211) | Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines | Oklahoma | Redshirt Senior |
| Ahmad Breaux | iDL (6-3, 278) | Ruston (La.) High | LSU | Junior |
| Jordan Castell | S (6-2, 213) | Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange | Florida | Senior |
| Xavier Daisy | WR (6-3, 210) | Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian School | UAB | Junior |
| Ja’Kayden Ferguson | WR (6-2, 187) | Missouri City (Texas) Thurgood Marshall | Arkansas | Sophomore |
| Aaron Gates | Nickel (6-0, 198) | Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian | Florida | Redshirt Junior |
| Jamarrion Harkless | iDL (6-3, 315) | Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass | Purdue | Redshirt Junior |
| Lance Heard | T (6-6, 330) | Monroe (La.) Neville | LSU | Tennessee | Senior |
| Mark Manfred III | CB (6-1, 175) | Marietta (Ga.) Sprayberry | Missouri | Redshirt Freshman |
| Kenny Minchey | QB (6-2, 208) | Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II | Notre Dame | Redshirt Junior |
| Antonio O’Berry | EDGE (6-6, 240) | Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne | Tiffin (D-II) | Gardner-Webb | 6th-Year Senior |
| Coleton Price | iOL (6-3, 318) | Bowie (Texas) High | Baylor | Redshirt Senior |
| Spencer Radnoti | LS (6-3, 230) | Canton (Ga.) Cherokee | Georgia State | Redshirt Sophomore |
| Cyrus Reyes | S (6-1, 200) | Taylor (Texas) High | Mississippi State | Junior |
| Hasaan Sykes | CB (6-0, 185) | Tuckert (Ga.) High | Western Carolina | Junior |
| Tavion Wallace | LB (6-1, 239) | Baxley (Ga.) Appling County | Arkansas | Sophomore |
| Dominic Wiseman | iDL (6-2, 300) | Davenport (Iowa) High | South Alabama | Redshirt Senior |
| Adam Zouagui | K (5-11, 188) | Herndon (Va.) High | Davidson | South Florida | Senior |
Arkansas
No. 20 Lady Vols Basketball vs. Arkansas: How to Watch, Prediction, More | Rocky Top Insider
Lady Vols basketball is back in Knoxville for a matchup with Arkansas after a two-game road stand. Tennessee is not only looking to stay perfect in SEC play, but is hosting its annual ‘We Back Pat’ game.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup, from broadcast details to a prediction.
More From RTI: Everything Lady Vols HC Kim Caldwell, PG Mia Pauldo Said After Road Win At Mississippi State
How to Watch — No. 20 Lady Vols (11-3, 3-0 SEC) vs. Arkansas (11-7, 0-3 SEC)
- Start Time: 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT
- Location: Food City Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)
- Watch: SECN+ | PxP: Andy Brock, Analyst: Kamera Harris
- Online Streaming: Watch ESPN
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
- Vol Network radio crew: PxP: Brian Rice, Studio Host: Jay Lifford
Betting Odds
None listed yet
ESPN Matchup Predictor
Lady Vols – 98.3%
Arkansas – 1.7%
What Kim Caldwell Said After Mississippi State
“Good to get a win on the road. We know it’s a tough environment and we know that we got to win on the road in the SEC. It was good to do that. I wasn’t really proud of the rebounding, but I thought we looked a lot better in a couple different categories so that was good.”
Last Five Games
Lady Vols:
- at Mississippi State, 90-90 W
- at Auburn, 73-56 W
- vs. Florida, 76-65 W
- vs. Southern Indiana, 89-44 W
- vs. Louisville (Brooklyn), 89-65 L
Arkansas:
- vs. South Carolina, 93-58 L
- at Alabama, 77-48 L
- vs. Vanderbilt, 88-71 L
- vs. Arkansas State, 81-72 L
- vs. Stephen F. Austin, 82-73 W
Where They Land In Rankings
Lady Vols:
AP Poll – No. 20
Coaches Poll – No. 22
Bart Torvik – No. 13
Arkansas:
AP Poll – Unranked
Coaches Poll – Unranked
Bart Torvik – No. 107
Stat Leaders
Lady Vols:
- Points: Talaysia Cooper – 14.9
- Rebounds: Zee Spearman – 7.3
- Assists: Talaysia Cooper – 4.3
Arkansas:
- Points: Taleyah Jones – 16.9
- Rebounds: Bonnie Deas – 9.7
- Assists: Bonnie Deas – 2.6
Prediction
It’s been a rough start for Arkansas’ new coach, Kelsi Musick. The team is 0-3 in SEC games, and though it’s been against three good teams, the Razorbacks haven’t been competitive in any.
While neither side has been strong, Arkansas’ defense has been the weakest point. Not only is it coming off a game in which it gave up 93 points to South Carolina, but Arkansas State hung 81 in its win over the Razorbacks on the road.
If the Lady Vols don’t get in their own way, then they should be fine. It hasn’t been perfect, and against three teams not necessarily in the mix to win the league, but Tennessee has looked much improved in the SEC slate compared to the lumps it took in the out-of-conference schedule.
I’d think UT jumps on Arkansas in the first quarter and takes a comfortable lead into the second quarter. From there, the lead should continue to grow behind forced turnovers in the press and easy baskets on the other end.
Lady Vols 85, Arkansas 61
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