Arkansas

Replenished: Comings, goings, happenings at linebackers for Hogs | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2024

Press Room

Replenished: Comings, goings, happenings at linebackers for Hogs | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

The ninth in a series of position previews for the University of Arkansas football team.

FAYETTEVILLE — The transfer portal was an offseason revolving door for linebackers at the University of Arkansas.

Out went Jaheim Thomas to Wisconsin, Chris Paul to Ole Miss, Jordan Crook to Arizona State and Mani Powell to UNLV.

In came Xavian Sorey from Georgia, Anthony Switzer from Utah State, Stephen Dix from Marshall and Larry Worth from Jacksonville (Ala.) State.

Second-year defensive coordinator Travis Williams has put together a new linebackers corps led by the transfers and sophomore returnee Brad Spence.

Arkansas had to go heavily into the portal considering Thomas and Paul were the team’s top tacklers last season with 90 and 74, respectively.

The Razorbacks also lost their seventh-leading tackler in linebacker Antonio Grier, who had 36 stops in his final season of eligibility. Crook’s 28 tackles ranked 10th.

“Went in the portal and got guys and also went into high school and recruited well, and now it’s our job to figure out where the pieces fit,” Williams said. “We definitely think we’re talented. Now we’ve got to put it all together. But we’re very encouraged by the depth of the linebackers.”

Sorey, a redshirt junior, played in 27 games over three seasons at Georgia, during which the Bulldogs went 42-2 and won back-to-back national championships in 2021-22. He played in 11 games last season and made 19 tackles, including 5 against Alabama when he started in the SEC Championship Game.

“I’ve been knowing Sorey for a long time,” Williams said. “I recruited him in high school.”

Williams said he called Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann when Sorey, who had two starts last season, went into the transfer portal looking to become a full-time starter.

“He helped me with (Sorey),” Williams said. “And he didn’t want to lose him, but it got to the point where the kid, he was like, ‘OK, I need to go somewhere else.’

“And Glenn was like, ‘He’s unbelievable. Unbelievable player, unbelievable person.’”

Sorey is set to start alongside Spence for the Razorbacks this season.

“I feel like he brings a lot of knowledge to the room,” Spence said of Sorey. “He’s been around a bunch of ball, especially being from Georgia.

“He’s got a lot of lateral speed on him. He’s very mobile in the box. He’s got good eyes as a ‘backer, too.”

Switzer called Sorey a “freak” athletically.

“Can jump out of the gym, hit 21, 22 miles an hour,” Switzer said. “He moves different. He’s not normal. He looks like an alien out there.”

Sorey went through spring practice with the Razorbacks.

“He’s been awesome,” Williams said. “So, so humble. He says all the time, like, ‘Man, I’m so happy to be here.’

“But watching him progress from the spring to now, he’s taken another step, another leap because now he’s understanding the defense. In the spring, he was just running around playing football.

“Now he’s understanding why we’re calling different things. He’s been a good get for us.”

Spence is ready for a larger role after making one start last season as a true freshman. He had 16 tackles in 11 games along with an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown in the opener against Western Carolina.

“I’ve improved on my speed and getting to know the playbook, and getting to know it faster,” Spence said. “Really just honing in with the guys, getting used to being out there with the starters.”

Williams said Spence has the ability to play inside or outside and rush the passer.

“He’s just so talented to where we can put him at different positions, and whatever that position may be is what fits the overall defense,” Williams said.

Co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson, who coaches the secondary, praised Williams and Jake Trump, a senior defensive quality control analyst, for how the linebacker room was replenished.

“Right now, one of our strongest positions is the linebacker room,” Woodson said. “Coach T-Will and Coach Jake Trump, they’ve done a really good job in terms of replacing some guys and bringing guys in that fit what we do.

“So with that we have to find packages to get more of the linebackers on the field, that puts four linebackers on the field.”

Dix, who is getting second-team work with Switzer, had 67 tackles and 2 sacks in 13 games at Marshall last season. He played in 21 games at Florida State and combined for 59 tackles in 2020-21 and redshirted in 2022 with an undisclosed injury before joining the Thundering Herd.

“I didn’t know anything about him,” Williams said. “We were looking to get linebackers and we reached out to him and got him on the visit and he committed. I didn’t know him from a can of paint.”

Williams said he wanted Dix once he got to know more about him and said he can plug the middle of the defense and get his teammates in the proper fits.

“Really quick to diagnose in the box,” Williams said. “Very smart. Quiet, but he asks the right questions and he can run. He can run, run. When you see him, he looks like a linebacker. He’s put together, like a created player out there.”

Arkansas is also the third program for Switzer, who is from Marion. He played three seasons at Arkansas State, transferred to Utah State in 2022 and redshirted with a knee injury.

Switzer had 85 tackles in 12 games last season with 3 sacks at Utah State. In 28 career games, Switzer has 175 tackles.

“I’ve been around some great coaches at Arkansas State and Utah State, and now here,” Switzer said. “But through that whole process, you get to pick different defensive coordinators’ and defensive coaches’ minds. You just learn a lot of things and you get to see other people’s perspective on things.

“I’d say that’s one of the biggest things that helped me. Some things I learned, I can tell T-Will how I see things. I learned that from another DC’s perspective. He might not have looked at it that way. Just helping him to become a better defensive coordinator so that he can help me become a better player.”

Defensive backs coach Deron Wilson said Switzer has the ability to play safety as well as linebacker.

“I think one day, he’s going to be a really, really good coach,” Wilson said. “Just talking to him, that guy is extremely intelligent and he has the ability to run. He has the toughness of a linebacker but the ability of a defensive back.”

Bradley Shaw, a 4-star recruit, has stood out among the freshmen and is getting third-team reps along with sophomore Alex Sanford, who played 135 snaps on special teams last season.

“I think we’re pretty good, and I think we’re deep,” Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said of the linebackers. “We’ll wait and see till the games come, but I think we’re in pretty darn good shape right there.”

Linebackers at a glance

LOSSES Jaheim Thomas (10 starts in 2023), Chris Paul (9), Antonio Grier (2), Jordan Crook (1), Mani Powell

WHO’S BACK Brad Spence (1), Carson Dean, Alex Sanford, Kaden Henley

WHO’S NEW Xavian Sorey (2*), Anthony Switzer (11#), Stephen Dix (7@), Larry Worth (5&), Justin Logan, JuJu Pope, Bradley Shaw, Wyatt Simmons

WALK-ONS Brooks Both, Preston Davis, Mason Schueck, Joseph Whitt, Brooks Yurachek

*at Georgia; #at Utah State; @at Marshall; &at Jacksonville (Ala.) State

ANALYSIS

The linebacker room underwent major changes. Top players left and were added via the transfer portal, notably Sorey, who is talented enough to have started for Georgia. Spence, a sophomore, has been running with the starters since the spring. Switzer, a sixth-year player, brings versatility and experience. Dix had starts at Florida State before redshirting in 2022 with an injury and becoming an impact player at Marshall. Among the freshmen, Shaw is getting reps on the third team. Coaches like the depth.

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Arkansas

Arkansas Foodbank and Walmart partner to kick off annual hunger relief campaign | Texarkana Gazette

Published

3 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas Foodbank and Walmart partner to kick off annual hunger relief campaign | Texarkana Gazette

For the next month, Walmart and Sam’s Club shoppers in Arkansas and across the country will have the opportunity to support local hunger relief efforts at the register.

Through May 3, shoppers will be able to round up or donate while checking out as part of the 13th annual “Fight Hunger. Spark Change” campaign, a national partnership between Feeding America and Walmart that supports local Feeding America food banks around the country.

In Arkansas, donations will go to the Arkansas Foodbank, the local Feeding America food bank, which describes itself as the state’s largest hunger relief organization. The organization serves much of central, south and east Arkansas and distributes food from its warehouse to a network of local pantries, schools and shelters.

“We are so excited to partner with the Arkansas Foodbank,” Walmart Vision Center Development Coach Rhonda Johnson said Monday at a news conference at the Walmart on Bowman Road in west Little Rock.

“Every dollar matters,” Johnson said. “Make sure that you donate when you come into our Walmart and Sam’s Clubs.”

Arkansas Foodbank CEO Brian Burton said at the news conference that last year’s campaign yielded more than $188,000 for the food bank.

“The food bank doesn’t do this work alone,” Burton added. “Our 100,000-square-foot warehouse on 65th Street would quickly become a ‘food museum’ if it wasn’t for almost 400 pantry partners, scattered across these 33 counties, that actually move the food, that actually serve the people and carry them through life’s ups and downs.”

Shoppers can also contribute to “Fight Hunger. Spark Change” by donating online or purchasing food items made by companies that are participating in the fundraiser, including Dole, Frito-Lay, Hershey and Kellogg’s. Every participating item purchased at a Walmart or Sam’s Club translates into an additional donation for local hunger relief efforts.

“Funds raised through the campaign help Arkansas Foodbank prioritize nutritious food, including fresh produce, dairy and protein — foods families want and need,” according to a news release. “The support also strengthens local food pantries and meal programs, ensuring neighbors can access food in ways that are dignified and welcoming.”

Lascelles Lyn-Cook Jr., who heads community outreach at Hunter United Methodist Church in Little Rock, said at the news conference that his church’s food pantry has benefited greatly from its retail rescue partnership — through which Walmart diverts unsold food items — with the Bowman store.

“When I first took over with the food pantry, we were able to provide maybe 25 to 35 boxes of food, but now we go at least 160 because of the additional food that we get weekly from Walmart,” Lyn-Cook said.

The food pantry is monthly, Lyn-Cook said, and the 160 boxes feed roughly 500 to 600 people.

A federal report in January ranked Arkansas the hungriest state in the country for the third consecutive year.

The report, which relied on survey responses, estimated that 19.4% of households in Arkansas were food insecure, significantly higher than the 13.3% national average.

“We’ve been through some really hard few months here, with the government shutdown and a tumultuous economy and a lot of uncertainty,” Burton said. “But this is something we can control and we can shape and make better.”

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Arkansas

Arkansas labor force reaches all-time high in January

Published

15 hours ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

Arkansas labor force reaches all-time high in January

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas’ labor force reached an all-time high in January, officials say.

The state’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.4 percent in January, up from 4.3 percent in December, the Arkansas Department of Commerce and Bureau of Labor Statistics announced today. The unemployment rate for December 2025 was originally estimated at 4.2% but was later revised up to 4.3%.

The U.S. jobless rate declined one-tenth of a percentage point, from 4.4% in December 2025 to 4.3% in January 2026.

Arkansas’ civilian labor force rose by 2,644 in January, reaching a record high level of 1,451,310.

Employment increased by 1,205, also setting a record high.

Arkansas’ labor force participation rate increased to 59.1%.

Compared to January 2025, employment has grown by 17,185 and there are 9,520 more unemployed Arkansans actively seeking work. The unemployment rate is up six-tenths of a percentage point.

Nonfarm payroll jobs in Arkansas decreased by 17,800 in January, typical for a seasonal decline.

Compared to January 2025, there are 9,200 additional nonfarm payroll jobs in the State.

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Arkansas

Hogs Shut Out Trojans in Midweek Win

Published

1 day ago

April 8, 2026

Press Room

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Six Razorback pitchers combined to shut out in-state opponent Little Rock (19-14) and lead No. 22 Arkansas (21-13) to a 7-0 win Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium. With the triumph, the Hogs improved to 7-2 in midweek games this season and 31-7 overall against in-state foes, including an 8-2 mark against Little Rock, since 1947.

Making his first start of the season on the mound, Tate McGuire opened Tuesday night’s contest with three shutout frames for Arkansas. The right-hander struck out one while working around two hits and a walk before turning the game over to the bullpen, which combined for six scoreless innings with six strikeouts to secure the Razorbacks’ midweek win.

Parker Coil (1.0 IP, 2 SO), Steele Eaves (2.0 IP), Gabe Gaeckle (1.0 IP, 1 SO), Cooper Dossett (1.0 IP, 1 SO) and Ethan McElvain (1.0 IP, 2 SO) worked together in relief of McGuire to lock down Arkansas’ fourth shutout of the campaign.

The Trojans held the Razorback offense both scoreless and hitless until the bottom of the fifth. After TJ Pompey and Reese Robinett reached safely to lead off the inning and advanced on a double steal, Ryder Helfrick stepped up to the plate with one out and delivered the go-ahead sacrifice fly to left field, giving Arkansas its first run of the night.

A five-spot in the bottom half of the sixth inning broke the game open for the Hogs. Arkansas loaded the bases with no outs for Robinett, who ripped a bases-clearing double down the right field line to extend the advantage to 4-0.

Later in the inning, Helfrick collected his second RBI of the game with a two-out double to right center and advanced to third on a fielding error in the outfield. The Razorbacks’ star catcher would score on a wild pitch to grow the lead to six.

Zack Stewart tacked on the seventh and final run in the seventh inning, cranking his sixth home run of the season and 50th of his career to left center to give Arkansas a commanding seven-run cushion. The Hogs finished with just four hits, including a pair of doubles and a home run, but capitalized on seven walks, two hit batsmen and three stolen bases.

Up next, the Razorbacks will hit the road for their second consecutive SEC weekend series away from the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium. First pitch in the series opener between No. 22 Arkansas and No. 8 Alabama is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, April 10, on SEC Network+ from inside Sewell–Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).

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