Arkansas offensive line shifting culture heading into spring practice
After putting out one of the worst offensive line performances a year ago, the Arkansas Razorbacks know they have to do better in 2024.
Following the 2023 season, Arkansas made a change at offensive line coach, replacing Cody Kennedy with Eric Mateos. The Hogs also brought in three new pieces along the offensive line via the transfer portal.
All that change leads to the inevitable fact the culture is likely to shift in 2024. San Jose State transfer offensive tackle Fernando Carmona Jr. said Tuesday there is an "extra gear" during spring practices.
"Competitive, man," Carmona said of the first four practices. "That’s been the biggest thing. I think the joy of playing ball right now. I think everybody’s kind of had this built up I don’t want to say anger, but excitement for playing football. We’ve been lifting for 7 weeks and once we were done with those 7 weeks it’s like ‘all right’ and we turned it up into an extra gear and it’s time to go and we really feel that right now."
That next gear is likely due in part to the addition of Mateos, whose standard is nearly unreachable, Carmona said.
"The standard is up here and every day you’re trying to reach it and it feels like you can’t really reach it because it’s just so high," Carmona said. "But that’s what you want as an offensive lineman. You really want somebody who’s going to push you to your max every day and he does that. He brings the energy and he works us hard and I’m truly blessed to have him as my coach."
Being new to the team, Carmona said integrating with a different program has been easier because the players who were here already have accepted him, and he's working to help change the culture in the locker room.
"They really brought me in with open arms," Carmona said. "I think I’m just really trying to change the offensive line culture that we had and I feel like the team’s starting to feel that and they can feel our energy starting to wear off onto them. And everybody’s kind of starting to give us their energy and so it’s really meshing well and I’m enjoying it right now."
Carmona said that's been the experience of all three of the offensive line transfers who came in at the start of the semester — himself, Tennessee transfer Addison Nichols and Michigan State transfer Keyshawn Blackstock.
"Those guys have really accepted us in, and I think for all the transfers, too, we were willing to just kind of open our minds up," Carmona said. "Just try to be as friendly as possible and also realize we’re all different. We’re coming from different scenarios, but this is going to be our unit and we have to blend together, and we’ve done that right now."
There's still plenty of time between now and the start of the 2024 season, and there's still another 12 practices of spring ball left for the offensive line to gel more as a unit, which is something Carmona said is vital for the entire health of the offense.
"I feel like as an offensive line, you kind of have to be the catalyst for the offense," Carmona said. "And I feel like … I’m not really sure, I wasn’t here last year, but I heard it wasn’t really that way. And so this year we’ve really tried to bring the energy to practice, hustle to the ball and just be together as a group. As an offensive line you have to be the closest group on the team and people really feel that. That’s what we’re trying to do right now."
Carmona wasn't here a season ago, but Arkansas offensive lineman Patrick Kutas was. He played out of position, as all through high school as a three-star prospect he was mostly playing on the interior of the offensive line, and last season he played tackle.
Heading into 2024, Kutas is back inside at guard, and it's a transition Carmona said is working well.
"Playing next to him, he’s been really communicating well with me, and obviously, he was here last year, so he has a little bit of experience," Carmona said. "Him moving inside is nice because that tackle, he’s athletic. He can move well. And on top of that, he’s really strong. Those two things together, that’s all I can ask for as a tackle."
Arkansas will head back out to another practice on Thursday morning in preparation for the Red-White game on April 13.