The 2024 college football season is still about a month away, but with SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, now is the time to begin previewing the Ole Miss Rebels’ schedule.

Ole Miss is coming off an 11-2 season that saw it capture a Peach Bowl victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in December. The Rebels return a plethora of talent from last year’s team (including quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, tight end Caden Prieskron and others), but they also made a huge haul in the transfer portal to shore up some holes on its roster.

It’s this combination of talent and a seemingly-managble SEC schedule that have many believing the Rebels can qualify for the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

Over the next few days, Ole Miss OnSI will preview each of the Rebels’ 2024 regular season opponents. We last looked at the Oklahoma Sooners, and today, we analyze the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Sam Pittman may be losing some leeway as the head coach in Fayetteville, so the 2024 campaign is an important one for his job security.

The Hogs finished 4-8 (1-7 SEC) a season ago, failing to reach a bowl game in Pittman’s fourth year at the helm. Arkansas lost plenty of close games a season ago to teams like LSU, Ole Miss and Alabama, but one of its most embarrassing defeats came in a 7-3 slugfest against Mississippi State.

Longtime starting quarterback KJ Jefferson is now at UCF, so former Boise State slinger Taylen Green is expected to take over behind center. He threw for over 1,700 yards and 11 touchdowns paired with nine interceptions in 2023.

At running back, the Razorbacks also have some shoes to fill as Raheim “Rocket” Sanders is now suiting up in Columbia, South Carolina. Ja’Quinden Jackson was a key addition in that room this offseason after transferring in from the Houston Cougars, and Arkansas also returns Rashod Dubinion who saw some time in the backfield a season ago.

The good news offensively is that the Hogs return leading receiver Andrew Armstrong (764 yards, 5 TDs) this season, but Arkansas will have to be more efficient on that side of the ball if it hopes to reverse its 2023 fortunes.

The best returning tackler for Arkansas is strong safety Jayden Johnson (62 total tackles) as he was third in that category last season. Jaheim Thomas (Wisconsin) and Chris Paul Jr. (Ole Miss) both transferred out this offseason.

On paper, Ole Miss seems to be a better team than the Hogs, but trips to Fayetteville are not always kind to the Rebels. Exorcising some demons in that venue will be necessary for Ole Miss to keep its season on track in early November.

Kickoff for this game is slated for an early window on Nov. 2. Television details have yet to be announced.

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Arkansas State baseball continues to assemble their 2025 recruiting class.

National Park College catcher Mason Pankey committed to the Red Wolves on July 30th. He hit .391 this past season for the Nighthawks with 4 home runs and 21 RBI. The Brookland alum recorded at least 2 hits in 12 games in 2024.

2025 Arkansas State Baseball – Recent Commitments

C Mason Pankey (National Park College | Brookland alum)

P/OF Carson Keithley (Texas State)

OF Kyle Tolley (South Arkansas | Nettleton alum)

IF Patrick Engskov (Oklahoma | Little Rock native)

OF Kohle Kerin (Southeast Community College)

LHP Chase Richter (Nicholls)

IF Ashton Quiller (Nicholls)

IF Jeremiah Cabuyaban (Metropolitan Community College)

To report a typo or correction, please click here.

Copyright 2024 KAIT. All rights reserved.

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football will begin its fall camp Wednesday evening, with a month of preparation all that remains before a season opener against UAPB in Little Rock.

Bobby Petrino is back, and he’ll be working with a new signal-caller in quarterback Taylen Green. Together, they’ll try to orchestrate a bounceback season for head coach Sam Pittman after a disappointing 2023 campaign that ended with a 4-8 record.

More: Four-star DL Reginald Vaughn commits to Arkansas football over LSU, Ole Miss

More: Five reasons Arkansas football could surprise experts and exceed expectations in 2024

Before the in-state showdown with the Golden Lions — and another grueling schedule in the SEC — there are still roles to be defined and plenty of questions throughout the Razorbacks’ roster.

Here’s a look at three key Arkansas football position battles to watch throughout fall camp.

Outside Cornerback

Jaylon Braxton is an unquestioned starter and primed to be one of the best players on the roster. There are three candidates to join as a first-team cornerback.

Kee’yon Stewart and Jaheim Singletary are two options who transferred to Arkansas prior to last season. Stewart, from TCU, was a starter and consistent performer for most of the spring. At 6-foot, 2 inches, and 182 pounds, Singletary has the ideal frame to be an SEC cornerback, but he hasn’t lived up to his reputation as a five-star high school recruit who began his career at Georgia.

The third option is a fresh newcomer in Marquise Robinson, who produced a fine junior campaign last season with South Alabama, racking up 36 tackles and three interceptions. He was recruited out of the transfer portal to challenge for a starting spot, and he’ll have that opportunity beginning Wednesday.

Defensive End

This is another spot on the defense with one obvious starter and a question mark on the opposite end. Landon Jackson could be one of the best players in the country this season and is a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

His running mate on the edge will likely be either Nico Davillier or Anton Juncaj. Davillier is a product of Maumelle High School who has been inside the program for the last three years. Coaches were impressed with his motor this spring, and he held on to a starting spot throughout the 15 practices across March and April.

Juncaj though will provide stiff competition, especially considering his strengths rushing the passer. He led all of FCS with 15 sacks and finished third with 21.5 tackles for loss last season at Albany. It’s important that Juncaj turns into the player Pittman envisioned when he transferred this offseason, and both players will garner plenty of snaps this fall.

Slot Wide Receiver

Isaiah Sategna feels like the front-runner for this position. Sategna is a local star — ranking as a four-star prospect coming out of Fayetteville High School in 2022 — who provides a big-play threat that’s unique to the Arkansas roster.

However, Jaedon Wilson will be a factor. The redshirt junior consistently received more opportunities than Sategna last season, and he was the starting slot receiver this spring until a hamstring injury.

Andrew Armstrong, Tyrone Broden and Luke Hasz give Bobby Petrino a terrific core of pass catchers, and the slot receiver will round out the group.