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FAYETTEVILLE — Classes began Monday at the University of Arkansas, meaning practices will be in the late afternoons until the end of the regular season after the Razorbacks went through a week of morning practices in cooler temperatures, as opposed to a scorching first seven or eight days of camp.
A few years ago, Monday would have marked the end of the “two-a-day,” a time when the rigors of training camp included two on-field drills a day for days, a lot more scrimmaging and film study. Training sessions are now allowed as a second trip to the training ground and there are many more practices in “shells”, or light pads, or just helmets and shorts.
The Razorbacks have barely been able to get on the ground in team periods during this camp, and that has largely been with the third-team players, although coach Sam Pittman said there are individual periods to tackle for group positions.
Arkansas, still thin at various positions in the lineup, can’t afford major injuries on top of the knee surgeries that will sideline linebacker Dominique Johnson (January) and defensive end Taurean Carter (April) for parts of the season.
The extent of center ace Ricky Stromberg’s elbow injury in Saturday’s final game remains to be determined. Otherwise, the Razorbacks seem to have come through the most physical part of camp in decent shape.
Lines on both sides of the ball were the most affected positions. Stromberg and fellow centers Marcus Henderson (pectoral muscle) and Josh Street (ankle) as well as left tackle Devon Manuel (foot) have been delayed or sidelined with injury issues.
On the other side of the ball, the tackle spot has been bright for several days, with Cam Ball and Taylor Lewis sidelined with what Pittman assumed were concussions. A silver lining may have emerged from this, however, as freshman Nico Davillier, who didn’t make it through spring ball, has shown an ability to play inside and outside, similar to junior Eric Gregory. This development could have an impact on the depth of the Razorbacks’ defensive line throughout the season.
The Razorbacks worked in regular shoulder pads and shorts on Monday and are scheduled to don full pads today, spider pads on Wednesday. On Thursday, the game plan for Game 1 against Cincinnati will be in full swing. He returns to full pads on Friday before the mock game on Saturday.
Members of the media were given the opportunity to speak with players representing each position on the team, as well as each position coach and all three coordinators, during the first 14 days of camp. With that as a backdrop, here is this year’s edition of Best of Razorback Camp:
Ultimate flexibility
The best moment to advertise the program since camp came the day the new media guides were on display in the interview room at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
There, on the inside back cover was a photo of coach Sam Pittman in a suit surrounded by the Southwest Classic, Golden Boot, Battle Line and Outback Bowl trophies, all taken by the Hogs last season, plus “Larry” the bowling ball. The Capper: Pitman sat on a ‘throne’ with a red velvet back and seat with an ornate gilt frame.
Best riff
Recipients Ketron Jackson Jr. and Jaden Haselwood, who interviewed the media together on Aug. 9, took that honor by a very narrow margin over the veteran duo of Isaiah Nichols and Dalton Wagner.
The pair seamlessly went back and forth on several topics and really had fun with the question: Who are the three fastest receivers in Arkansas?
This category was won last year by Stromberg and Wagner, who had a good time finishing each other’s sentences and a good time in their interview session.
Best catch
Jadon Haselwood turned in arguably the best catch during part of the media viewing camp when he reached behind safety Jalen Catalon and essentially “wrapped” the ball in his right hand before hooking it and falling to the turf. The catch was so good that Catalon praised it twice out loud.
Quincy McAdoo recorded top-notch catches on back-to-back days. First, he grabbed a ball from cornerback Hudson Clarke, who was wearing boxing gloves that day, and couldn’t secure a potential interception in the end zone. The next day, he went up and took a high snap down the right sideline against Khari Johnson, then tiptoed for the reception.
Other receivers made plenty of dazzling plays, including a one-handed catch over Bryce Stevens’ shoulder in mid-air receiver drills at Walker Pavilion.
Meme topic
Quarterback KJ Jefferson, who has given media interviews after the first day of camp each of the past two years, can take credit for something.
He made sure a selection of polos would be available outside the interview room at Reynolds Razorback Stadium after doing his interview in a ribbed tank top last year. His teammates poked fun at it after a still shot of Jefferson in the ribbed T was turned into a meme.
Jefferson, when asked on his way out of the interview room what he thought of the meme of his year one, turned around, held up his polo shirt and said, “I still have it!” while showing the t-shirt underneath.
Serious Sanders
Raheem “The Rocket” Sanders and Drew Sanders may be total locker room clowns — probably not — but in their media interviews, the two seem pretty serious about football.
Rocket Sanders interviewed fellow running back AJ Green and gave a thoughtful answer to every question, including one about running backs coach Jimmy Smith saying he won a lot of the tailgating to open the season.
With Green’s brief comment, “he won them over,” Sanders explained.
“I feel good about it, of course,” he said. “… I feel like I have to take advantage of that and just set more goals. And not even just for yourself, but for everyone else who is in this room.
Drew Sanders doesn’t smile much in front of members of the press, perhaps a product of what linemate Bumper Poole said is a tendency for the Alabama transfer to be hard on himself.
“He wants to be a perfectionist,” Poole said. “So I just keep telling him, ‘Hey, listen, you’re doing so many good things.’ You don’t have to beat yourself up because there’s a certain mistake you make in having to go off the edge back to a defender. But he takes it well.
Not this guy
One of the keys to Sam Pittman’s success so far has been his affable personality and the seemingly easy way he wins over the dressing room.
However, one area he admits is not a strong point is impromptu special occasions, such as innovative ways to surprise visitors with scholarships or organize a team “pool day” or “bowling afternoon.”
Pitman’s tastes became a little more banal, such as his “Turn that Damn Jukebox!” catchphrase started in 2020 when he really meant a boom box. Or who can forget the “Larry” bowling ball that literally represented bowl eligibility for the Razorbacks and that he actually rolled into the locker room after a 30-28 win over Mississippi State last season?
“Ironic
Reporters decided midway through camp to start tracking how often players and coaches uttered the phrase “iron sharpens iron” to describe how different units or the offense against the defense made the Razorbacks better.
There was a stretch of three consecutive days when a combination of players and coaches said the term, and quarterback KJ Jefferson managed to say it in consecutive sessions.
“Dummy” down
Linebacker James Joniter gave a wake-up call to a student assistant holding a blocking dummy on the first day of camp.
The running backs ran a blocking drill, dropping just behind the left edge of the formation. Jointer exploded into his block, knocking the assistant to the ground and flipping him over as his sunglasses went flying. The next in line also made heavy contact with the mannequin, sending his sunglasses on another journey.
The back-to-back hits prompted the running backs to ask the assistant if he was OK, to which he replied that he was.
A few days later, an assistant holding a dummy was overwhelmed by a wide receiver.
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