Arkansas plans to utilize tight end more in 2023
The Arkansas Razorbacks saw plenty of staff movement over the offseason, including the departure of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to TCU and tight ends coach Dowell Loggains to South Carolina.
Enter new offensive coordinator Dan Enos from Maryland and new tight ends coach Morgan Turner from Stanford. With Enos and Turner now working together on the Razorbacks' offense, the tight end position should see an uptick in usage.
Under the leadership of Briles, Arkansas tight ends accounted for 14.7% of the total receptions in 2022, and Trey Knox's 26 catches were most of that number. Knox has since transferred to South Carolina to join Loggains.
That number of receptions share was down from 19% in 2021 — though Knox's 20 catches weren't all as a tight end — and 19.7% in 2020.
It's safe to say that the position wasn't a focal point of the offense, specifically in the passing game. But with the addition of Enos and Turner, along with a pair of four-star freshmen coming in at tight end, the Hogs should see more targets going to the big men this season.
"I tell you, that group, we’re going to play more of them so we’re going to need more of them," head coach Sam Pittman said Tuesday.
During Enos' first stint in Fayetteville from 2015-17, Hunter Henry won the Mackey Award in 2015 and he hauled in 51 passes for 739 yards and three scores that year. Jeremy Sprinkle caught 27 passes for 389 yards and six touchdowns behind Henry in 2015, and the next year, Sprinkle hauled in 33 passes for 380 yards and four scores.
You don't have to go far back to see Enos still utilizing the tight end heavily, as Corey Dyches was Maryland's second leading pass catcher last season with Enos calling the offense. Dyches caught 39 passes for 494 yards and three scores.
Add in Turner, who helped develop some of the best tight ends on the next level — including Zach Ertz, Austin Hooper, Dalton Shultz, Coby Fleener and Colby Parkinson — during his time at Stanford from 2013-22, and the Hogs should be able to have success at tight end this year.
Though they will have just three scholarship players at tight end this spring, Pittman seemed to be pleased with each guy.
Super senior Nathan Bax caught just three passes for 16 yards last season, but he was a contributor as a blocker in the run game and he seems to have taken a step forward.
"I think Bax has stepped up," Pittman said. "Bax is moving better."
Redshirt freshman Tyrus Washington is a former 5.7 three-star prospect and he caught a 17-yard touchdown in the 55-53 Liberty Bowl win over Kansas.
"Tyrus Washington has had a really good off-season, working his tail off, working extremely hard," Pittman said.
Four-star freshman Luke Hasz brings plenty of size at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds. Pittman said he and his brother Dylan, who is a safety for the Hogs, are two of the hardest working players you'll ever see.
"As a matter of fact I called their mama last night to tell them that because I mean they are hard working, no-nonsense kids," Pittman said. "So I think Luke will help us."
Though there is some inexperience with Washington and Hasz and a history of little production from Bax, Pittman was reluctant to say the team would need to add another tight end from the transfer portal after the spring.
"Yeah, I mean we can be in 12, we can be in 13, things we never even dreamt about over the last three years," Pitman said. "The tight end recruiting, which we feel like we’ve done a really good job this year in the two that we signed. But is there a place for a portal guy? I don’t know.
"I really like who’s in there, but at the same time I think we’ve got to make sure by when the portal opens back up that we’re ready to go with… Luke would be the guy that is the question mark because we know what Tyrus is going to be able to do and what Bax is going to be able to do. And if we feel like we’ve got enough tight ends to function, then we would stay out of the portal."
Arkansas will also have four-star freshman Shamar Easter coming in after the spring semester. Easter was the No. 1 recruit in the state of Arkansas from the 2023 class.
"Shamar’s going to have to come in here ready to go," Pittman said.
Spring football should reveal just how far along guys like Bax and Washington are, but it is clear that Pittman wanted to put an emphasis on utilizing the team's tight ends more.
Arkansas will begin spring practice on Thursday and HawgBeat will have coverage from practices and press conferences.