COACH: Sam Pittman, 12-11, third season at Arkansas

2021 RECORD: 9-4, 4-4 SEC

POSTSEASON: Defeated Penn State 24-10 within the Outback Bowl

The Razorbacks performed one of many nation’s most daunting schedules in 2021. Positive, contests in opposition to Rice, Georgia Southern and Arkansas Pine Bluff don’t transfer the needle, however an eight-game SEC slate and an early matchup with Texas actually caught the eye of everybody.

Take away the lopsided loss to Georgia (who didn’t lose to the Bulldogs in spectacular vogue in 2021?), and the Razorbacks have been extremely aggressive. They misplaced by one in a high-scoring thriller at Ole Miss, then fell by one landing to eventual SEC champion Alabama.

Arkansas loved a breakout marketing campaign from quarterback Ok.J. Jefferson, who accounted for greater than 3,300 yards of whole offense and 27 touchdowns.

Treylon Burks thrived at vast receiver with a 1,000-yard season, and that dynamic opened up the operating assault.

The Razorbacks ranked seventh within the nation with 227.8 yards per sport on the bottom. That quantity was the most effective amongst Energy 5 packages.

“We led the Energy 5 in speeding. I believe what that does, it tells us what we’re making an attempt to do with our program,” coach Sam Pittman stated at SEC media days. “We wish to be a bodily group on either side of the road of scrimmage. We wish to win the road of scrimmage. We wish to be bodily and hard. To do this, it is exhausting to do. I used to be an O-line coach for a protracted, very long time, by no means was capable of lead a Energy 5 in speeding, however we have been ready to try this final yr.”

Arkansas’ protection received missed a bit with the entire manufacturing coming from the offense. The Razorbacks ranked thirty ninth nationally in scoring protection and fiftieth in whole protection.

That aspect of the ball misplaced probably the most throughout the offseason. The group’s second- and third-leading tacklers, Grant Morgan and Hayden Henry, are gone. Identical with do-everything security Joe Foucha (7.5 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, 5 go breakups).

The offense will have the ability to transfer the ball at will with Jefferson enjoying behind 4 returning offensive linemen.

Will probably be as much as the protection to make stops. The return of Zach Williams, plus the additions of Jordan Domineck (Georgia Tech) and Landon Jackson (LSU), ought to give the Razorbacks the power to get to the quarterback on a extra frequent foundation.

“We expect we will get to the quarterback slightly bit extra,” Pittman stated. “We additionally really feel slightly higher with our nook state of affairs the place we will play slightly man protection. We have got to get behind them, chains on first down. We did higher final yr. We have now to proceed getting higher. Having man-to-man corners goes that can assist you do this.”

» QB Ok.J. Jefferson (198-294 passing, 2,676 yards, 21 TD, 4 INT; 146 carries, 664 yards, 4.5 common, 6 TD)

» RB Raheim Sanders (114 carries, 578 yards, 5.1 common, 5 TD; 11 catches, 109 yards, 9.9 common, 1 TD)

» RB Dominique Johnson (97 carries, 575 yards, 5.9 common, 7 TD; 7 catches, 71 yards, 10.1 common, 1 TD)

» WR Warren Thompson (19 catches, 304 yards, 16.0 common, 2 TD)

» TE Trey Knox (20 catches, 141 yards, 7.1 common, 1 TD)

» LB Bumper Pool (125 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 2 PBU, 2 QBH)

» S Myles Slusher (50 tackles, 3 TFL, 0.5 sack, 2 INT, 4 PBU, 2 QBH)

» DB Jalen Catalon (46 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 2 INT, 4 PBU, 1 QBH)

» DE Zach Williams (23 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 QB, 1 FF)

» PK Cam Little (20-24 FG, 51 lengthy, 0 blocked; 46-46 PAT)

» P Reid Bauer (58 punts, 43.3 common, 61 lengthy, 3 TB, 23 FC, 16 I20, 14 50+, 0 blocked)

» KR AJ Inexperienced (9 returns, 147 yards, 16.3 common, 31 lengthy)

» RB Treion Smith (119 carries, 598 yards, 5.0 common, 5 TD)

» WR Treylon Burks (66 catches, 1,104 yards, 16.7 common, 11 TD)

» WR Tyson Morris (24 catches, 337 yards, 14.0 common, 2 TD)

» TE Blake Kern (15 catches, 183 yards, 12.2 common, 2 TD)

» LB Grant Morgan (101 tackles, 7 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT, 3 PBU, 6 QBH)

» LB Hayden Henry (100 tackles, 12 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 PBU, 7 QBH)

» S Joe Foucha (73 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 INT, 5 PBU, 3 QBH, 1 FF)

» CB Montaric Brown (54 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 INT, 6 PBU, 1 FR, 1 FF)

» NB Greg Brooks Jr. (48 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 INT, 4 PBU, 2 QBH, 2 FR)

» DT John Ridgeway (39 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 QBH)

» DE Tre Williams (28 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 6 sacks, 6 QBH)

» PR Nathan Parodi (18 returns, 205 yards, 11.4 common, 1 TD, 80 lengthy)

» WR Matt Landers (2021 stats at Toledo: 20 catches, 514 yards, 25.7 common, 5 TD)

» DL Terry Hampton (2021 stats at Arkansas State: 11 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 PBU)

» DE Jordan Domineck (2021 stats at Georgia Tech: 38 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 3 FF)

» S Latavious Brini (2021 stats at Georgia: 38 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 8 PBU)

» QB Cade Fortin (2021 stats at South Florida: 25-48 passing, 183 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT; 9 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD)

» CB Dwight McGlothern (2021 stats at LSU: 32 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 INT, 6 PBU, 1 FF)

» LB Drew Sanders (2021 stats at Alabama: 24 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack, 2 PBU)

» DE Landon Jackson (2021 stats at LSU: no stats in 5 video games)

» WR Jadon Haselwood (2021 stats at Oklahoma: 39 catches, 399 yards, 10.2 common, 6 TD)

» Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: @BobHoltADG

» Thomas Murphy, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: @TomMurphyADG

» Arkansas Soccer: @RazorbackFB

Sept. 3: Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 10: South Carolina, midday

Sept. 17: Missouri State, 7 p.m.

Oct. 8: at Mississippi State

Nov. 25: at Missouri, 3:30 p.m.