Three position battles Arkansas football needs to settle during fall camp

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.