Arkansas' 2024 All-Opponent Team
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Arkansas is just over a month away from kicking off the 2024 football season, one filled to the brim with top-tier teams, elite coaches and superb players.
The Razorbacks will rarely catch a break when they take the field on Saturdays, as they once again sport one of the toughest schedules in the country according to ESPN's Football Power Index.
With the usually tough SEC gauntlet and a non-conference matchup against Big 12 contender Oklahoma State, the Hogs will have their work cut out against the premier talent in the nation.
Looking to familiarize yourself with the best athletes the Razorbacks will face in 2024? HawgBeat has you covered with its attempt at an All-Opponent Team, along with stats, notable nuggets and more...
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Quarterback — Quinn Ewers (Texas)
A handful of quarterbacks were in contention for the top of this list, as Ewers, Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart and Missouri's Brady Cook all have traits worthy of All-Opponent recognition.
In the end, Ewers' outstanding 2023 season — a 12-game, 22-touchdown, 3,479-yard escapade that saw the now-junior complete 69.0% of his throws — and the weapons currently surrounding the former No. 1 high school prospect give him the edge.
The Davey O'Brien and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award semifinalist had seven multi-touchdown games, including a four-score, 452-yard performance against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship.
Ewers also had great ball security, as he was only intercepted six times in 394 pass attempts during the 2023 season. The most Ewers threw in a single game was two against Oklahoma, and he still managed to complete 31-of-37 passes (83.8%) against the Sooners.
Led by safety Hudson Clark and cornerback Jaylon Braxton, Arkansas' secondary will need transfers and young guns to step up if it wants to keep Ewers from tossing to talented pass catchers like Johntay Cook II, Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack this November.
Running Back — Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
Gordon is the best player on this list, and it's not particularly close. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns on 285 attempts (6.1 YPC) across 14 games in 2023, good enough to earn him Unanimous All-American honors as well as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and Doak Walker Awards.
After starting his sophomore season slowly — only 109 yards and two touchdowns combined through his first three games — Gordon checked off six-straight 100+ yard performances all against Big 12 competition. He also scored 10 rushing touchdowns in that span.
The Texas native's best game came against West Virginia, when he racked up 282 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries. With one of the best offensive line units in the country blocking for him entering the 2024 season, Gordon will have his way with nearly any team lacking depth in the trenches.
Wide Receiver
WR Luther Burden III (Missouri)
WR Tre Harris (Ole Miss)
WR CJ Daniels (LSU)
Burden and Harris are familiar names for Arkansas fans, as both played against the Razorbacks in 2023. The third spot on the wide receiver list could have gone multiple ways, but Liberty transfer Daniels was ultimately bestowed the honor.
Both Missouri and Ole Miss have offenses designed to get their wide receivers the ball, so it should come as no surprise that Burden totaled 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns and Harris recorded 985 yards and eight scores last season.
Daniels was one of the best transfer portal players available during the offseason out of Liberty, where he caught 55 passes for 1,067 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. LSU lost standout playmakers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. from a season ago, so Daniels will be a top option for quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
Tight End — Rivaldo Fairweather (Auburn)
Fairweather had a big debut season in the SEC after transferring in from FIU, as the 6-foot-4, 252-pound Florida native caught 38 passes for 394 yards and six touchdowns.
Ole Miss tight end Caden Prieskorn actually had better production in fewer games (eight compared to Fairweather's 11) in 2023, but Fairweather played against the Hogs last season and led the Tigers in touchdowns (two).
Much like Luke Hasz with Taylen Green, Fairweather will be a reliable option for Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne all season and especially against a Razorbacks' defense that lost starting linebackers Chris Paul Jr. and Jaheim Thomas over the offseason.
Offensive Line
OT Will Campbell (LSU)
OG Miles Frazier (LSU)
C Cooper Mays (Tennessee)
OG Cayden Green (Missouri)
OT Kelvin Banks (Texas)
The SEC is loaded with top offensive line talent yet again, and the interior of Arkansas' defensive front is a weak point entering the 2024 season. That's not exactly a recipe for success.
Campbell and Banks are two offensive tackles high up on NFL Draft boards, so watching them face off against fellow pro prospect defensive end Landon Jackson will be a treat.
Mays is Preseason All-American and former Rimington Trophy candidate at center for Tennessee, and Frazier is entering his fifth year in college after being part of one of the best offensive lines in college football.
That's not to mention Green, a once-Oklahoma transfer who played in 11 games with five starts as a freshman for the Sooners. The former No. 61 overall prospect was a four-star transfer during the offseason, and could fit in at either guard or tackle for the Tigers.
Defensive End
DE James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee)
DE Princely Umanmielen (Ole Miss)
An argument can be made for Texas A&M defensive end Nic Scourton Jr. after he transferred in from Purdue, but both Pearce and Umanmielen have already proven it in the SEC.
Last season, Pearce bursted onto the scene for the Volunteers with a 28-tackle, 14.5-tackle for loss, 10-sack season. He also recorded a pick-six interception against Iowa in Tennessee's bowl game.
Umanmielen was a top producer at Florida, where he made 39 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2023 before transferring to Ole Miss over the offseason. That includes an impressive performance against Arkansas on Nov. 4, when he totaled six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Arkansas will need its new pair of offensive tackles — Fernando Carmona Jr. and Keyshawn Blackstock — on their A-game when these get on the field.
Defensive Tackle
DT Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)
DT Alfred Collins (Texas)
Nolen and Collins are absolute monsters up front, and both are surrounded by talent which will make it harder for the Hogs' to key in on them.
Viewed as a potential first-round pick in the NFL Draft, Nolen transferred to Ole Miss from Texas A&M, where he racked up 37 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in 2023. His best performance just so happened to come against Arkansas, as he recorded six tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
A 6-foot-5, 320-pound senior, Collins is as experienced as they come. The fifth-year defensive tackle accumulated 22 tackles with two tackles for loss and two sacks in 2023. This will be the second time that Collins meets the Hogs on the field, as he totaled two tackles in the Longshorns' 2021 loss to Arkansas.
According to Pro Football Focus, Collins finished with a 79.9 defensive grade and Nolen earned a 72.5 defensive grade in 2023.
Linebacker
LB Harold Perkins Jr. (LSU)
LB Nick Martin (Oklahoma State)
LB Taurean York (Texas A&M)
Perkins has terrorized Arkansas in back-to-back seasons, as he totaled six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in 2023 and eight tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in 2022 against the Hogs.
His versatility as both a linebacker and edge rusher make him difficult to prepare for, but maybe a third time's the charm for Pittman's defense.
Martin was a stat sheet monster last year for the Cowboys with 140 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks and two interceptions. The 6-foot redshirt junior went to the same high school as Landon Jackson (Pleasant Grove) and was even offered by Arkansas in the class of 2021.
A freshman standout for the Aggies, York totaled 74 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks during his debut SEC season with five tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks against the Razorbacks.
Cornerback
CB Malik Muhammad (Texas)
CB Will Lee III (Texas A&M)
This is a down year for multiple SEC programs who label themselves as "DBU" (Defensive Back U), as some of the best corners in the country reside in the Big 10 and West Coast.
That's not to say there aren't talented corners in the SEC, but elite NFL Draft prospects are fewer heading into the 2024 season. Two that stand out on Arkansas' schedule are Muhammad and Lee, who were both recruited by the Hogs at one point or another.
Muhammad — a former top-50 prospect from Dallas — finished with 31 total tackles, four defended passes and an interception as a freshman for the Longhorns last season. The breakout star will be tested in the SEC.
Lee was offered by Arkansas after he entered the transfer portal from Kansas State this offseason, and was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2023 after totaling 42 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, eight defended passes and two interceptions.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior boasts one of the top "returning" PFF grades for SEC corners entering 2024, as he earned a 76.2 defensive grade in 453 snaps last year.
Safety
S Andrew Mukuba (Texas)
S John Saunders Jr. (Ole Miss)
Seems like Ole Miss and Texas may have some pretty good defenses, eh? After spending three seasons at Clemson and collecting 143 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 16 defended passes and an interception, Mukuba became a Longhorn over the offseason.
With high-end speed and quality instincts, Mukuba will be a cornerstone piece in the Longhorns' secondary and a formidable backstop against deep-threat wide receivers.
Another returner with a solid PFF grade (79.1), Saunders amassed 65 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, five defended passes and three interceptions in his first year with the Rebels. The senior is especially excellent in coverage, aided by the fact he mostly played cornerback at Miami (OH) for three years.