The Sam Pittman era of Arkansas football has produced some quality defensive tackles on the interior of the defensive line thanks to the help of the transfer portal.
In 2021, fan-favorite and Illinois State transfer John Ridgeway recorded 39 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks en route to being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
Arkansas State transfer Terry Hampton played a large role on the 2022 defensive line, registering 25 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 13 games.
Following the end of the 2022 season, defensive line coach Deke Adams and the Razorbacks knew they needed to recruit some big-bodied bullies on the inside. Enter, Anthony “Tank” Booker Jr. and Keivie Rose.
“We were trying to obviously get some more playmakers,” Adams said Friday. “We were trying to get bigger…Then you get Tank Booker and Keivie Rose. Man, those guys have just done a great job. It’s been really good. Their football knowledge is good.
“Keivie didn’t get with us until the end of June. So, he only had about a month with us training, but he came in great shape and has great knowledge and all that. So, it’s been really good. I’m excited about them.”
Booker transferred to Arkansas out of Maryland, where he compiled 27 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks during the 2022 season. He’s currently listed at 6-foot-4, 351 pounds and the nickname “tank” showed best when he forced two fumbles against then-No. 4 Michigan for the Terrapins last year.
“Tank is a big kid,” Adams stated. “He’s about 6’3.5. Probably 335 or somewhere in there. He moves really well. He plays with great leverage. Just the fact that he’s not being able to be thrown around as much. He’s able to hold the point really good for us. I think he’s going to be a really good addition to us.”
Returning defensive tackle Taurean Carter had good things to say about Booker as well Friday morning.
“He’s very big,” Carter said. “He’s going to cause, very versatile. He’s going to be able to make offensive linemen respect him. They’re going to have to honor him. They can’t just let him go and they’re not going to leave him singled up. They’re going to have to double him, so with the double and us running with four down (linemen), somebody got a one-on-one, so somebody must win.”
Rose — a 2022 First Team All-Conference USA pick. — made 24 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks in 2022. In his career with the Bulldogs, Rose accumulated 73 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Adams described the 6-foot-3, 303-pound defensive tackle as explosive after review of his film against Missouri and Clemson.
“Those were the two games I watched on him, and he gave them heck both games,” Adams said. “When he got here and we got a chance to see him we were surprised. He’s bigger than we thought, and he’s done a great job at this point as well.”
Rose adds some much needed versatility to the defensive line room. He brings speed and finesse, something that will help getting around blockers and attacking the quarterback.
“He’s more of a finesser,” Carter said. “A speed rusher. He most definitely adds versatility to the interior. He can hold the point at the same time, but his craft is speed and finesse. Really bending the corner and getting off the edge and just really making the guys split the two.”
With the two-headed monster of Booker and Rose helping in the middle of the Razorbacks’ new four-man front defensive line, Arkansas should be able to generate immense pressure in the trenches during the 2023 season.
Arkansas will hold its first scrimmage of fall camp Saturday now that its first seven practices have been completed. Stay tuned to HawgBeat’s premium message board, The Trough, for the latest updates from Arkansas fall camp.
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