Arkansas
Three position battles Arkansas football needs to settle during fall camp
Who will make the All-SEC Team Defense?
Who will make the All-SEC Team Defense?
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.
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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.
After a cool/chilly morning that started in the 40s and 50s, Tuesday will warm to the upper 70s and low 80s with nothing but sunshine all day long.
There will be a weak front passing through Arkansas on Wednesday. There will briefly be a few clouds along the time the front actually passes through. But once the front clears, it will once again become sunny.
Starting Friday and lasting through the weekend and into next week a strong south wind will set up. That will warm Arkansas into the mid and upper 80s and introduce a higher level of humidity. It will feel a little like Summer this weekend. Rain chances will return to Central Arkansas starting on Sunday.
With a big upper-level system and cold front approaching early next week, the rain and thunderstorm chance will go up Monday, Monday night and Tuesday. Some strong to severe storms may occur Monday evening. The front will become stationary on Tuesday which will prolong the rainy period and overall help the drought situation Arkansas is facing.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Purple is the color of the month in Arkansas, and Lupus Awareness Month is bringing a busy stretch of events, including a mayoral proclamation and a smooth jazz concert featuring acclaimed saxophonist Merlon Devine.
A proclamation for Lupus Awareness Month is set for 6 p.m. in North Little Rock, with Mayor Hardwick expected to present it. Organizers encouraged lupus warriors and supporters to come out.
Anita Boone, President of the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas Inc. and a former lupus warrior, described the day-to-day reality of living with the disease: “One minute you’re feeling amazing, the next minute your body is saying we can’t do this.”
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, described during the interview as a condition where the immune system attacks the body “inside out.” It can affect organs throughout the body, including the brain, lungs, heart and kidneys. Boone also shared personal impacts, saying, “I am losing, actually, ear from hearing, just because of lupus.”
The Lupus Foundation of Arkansas is also inviting the community to a Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert this Sunday, May 17, at 3:30 at The Space with Grace event venue, 2005 Main St., North Little Rock.
Gale Davis, committee chair for the Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert shared details about the concert.
Davis said guests are encouraged to “dress to impress,” though formalwear isn’t required. The event will include a photo backdrop, light hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and sponsored tables aimed at networking. It’s also a chance for people to meet other lupus warriors, learn more about the foundation’s work, and watch a video presentation highlighting events from the past year.
The featured artist, Merlon Devine, was described as an acclaimed saxophonist known for a soulful, smooth jazz sound, with a career spanning more than two decades and performances across the country and around the world. He’s also an Arkansas native who attended Little Rock Central High School. He now lives in Southern Maryland, outside Washington, D.C.
Davis said Devine’s connection to lupus is personal. She said his father had lupus and has since died, though he didn’t die from lupus. They also said Divine had a sister who died from lupus in 1981 and that he currently has two sisters living with lupus.
She also shared that, according to his doctors, Devine was born with acute asthma and underdeveloped lungs. His latest single, released last year, is called “Mercy.”
Tickets must be purchased online and will not be sold at the door. They’re available online by clicking on the flyer. Prices are $40 for individual tickets, or $400 for a table of nine, with an option to sponsor a table.
Organizers also noted another proclamation is planned for the Little Rock side with Mayor Frank Scott tomorrow, and encouraged people to follow the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas on social media for updates.
The concert will take place this Sunday at the Space With Grace Venue in North Little Rock.
ASHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An Arkansas man died after crashing a dirt bike on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, crashed into a tree while riding a dirt bike on private property in Ashland Township near Grant on Sunday before 2:30 p.m., according to Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers.
Emergency responders tried to save his life but he died at the scene.
Troopers are still investigating but do not suspect drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash.
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MSP did not initially release any additional information.
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