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Arkansas football positional previews: Can running backs rebound from 2023?

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Arkansas football positional previews: Can running backs rebound from 2023?


FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There are 11 weekends remaining until the return of Arkansas football.

The Razorbacks open the 2024 season in Little Rock against UAPB. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) on Thursday, Aug. 29.

Arkansas is coming off a disappointing 4-8 campaign that saw offensive coordinator Dan Enos get fired midseason and the eventual departures of KJ Jefferson and Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders, two faces of the program.

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More: Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson eager to capitalize on fresh start with Arkansas football

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In response, the Hogs hired Bobby Petrino and hit the transfer portal, bringing in plenty of newcomers for what feels like an all-important season for head coach Sam Pittman.

Over the next month, the Southwest Times Record will run positional previews twice a week, asking two questions and providing one bold prediction. We tackled the quarterback position earlier this week.

Here’s a look at the running backs entering 2024.

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Is there a clear starter at running back for Arkansas football?

Ja’Quinden Jackson and Rashod Dubinion are the leaders in the clubhouse for the starting role. Both players worked with the first team during the spring game, but Jackson handled most of the carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.

Jackson ran for 797 yards while battling an ankle injury last year at Utah. He only had nine catches out of the backfield, but he looked to be a receiving threat and a capable pass blocker during the spring. There was a revolving door at the starter’s spot in 2023, and Pittman would like some consistency at the position this season.

Dubinion is entering his third year in the program. Everyone struggled behind the offensive line last season, but Dubinion led Arkansas running backs in all-purpose yards and had some nice moments in the passing game, including a clutch 14-yard touchdown reception on the road against Alabama.

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Jackson enters fall as the projected starter, but Dubinion will ensure competition rages throughout camp.

How long till Braylen Russell makes an impact?

The burly freshman was one of Arkansas’ top recruits in the previous cycle and impressed coaches the moment he stepped on campus. With tree trunks for legs, Russell displayed strength between the tackles and a certain athletic touch in the receiving game this spring.

Russell will be a prominent piece of the offense at some point in 2024, and it could come early in the season. Luke Hasz received similar hype coming out of his freshman preseason, and the Hogs unleashed the dynamic tight end against BYU in their first big matchup of 2023. Russell could be on a similar timeline.

One bold prediction: Hogs increase rushing output by 1,000 yards

The Hogs ran for 1,668 yards in 2023. In the year prior, Arkansas ranked eighth in the country with 3,075 yards.

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The offensive line, a new offensive coordinator and some better injury luck will all propel Arkansas to a season total closer to 2022’s output. After the top three, Arkansas has quality depth with FSU transfer Rodney Hill.

Petrino will hunt explosive plays in the passing game, but a rugged ground attack will still be the backbone of the offense under Pittman. Arkansas will run for more than 2,675 yards, which would have ranked 22nd in the country last year.

What the coaches said this spring

The running back group is going to be real competitive, I think, with R-Dub and JJ probably competing for the starter. If we were playing a game at the end of the week, they would be the ones competing for that starter. The youngster, Braylen, has done a great job. He’s big. He’s really physical. He’s got great hands. It’s all new to him, so there’s times he has a far-away look in his eyes when he doesn’t know the play or can’t picture it in his mind, but he’s got a chance to be special. 

— Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino on the running back room toward the end of spring practice.

Projected depth chart

  • Ja’Quinden Jackson, redshirt senior
  • Rashod Dubinion, junior
  • Braylen Russell, freshman
  • Rodney Hill, redshirt sophomore
  • Tyrell Reed Jr., sophomore



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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet


Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security



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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone


IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

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“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

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The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC



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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

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Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026. 

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

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Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.



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