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FAYETTEVILLE — The Razorbacks’ search for a left guard has taken an unexpected turn, with a surprising player leading the race as the season quickly approaches.
The Georgia game on Sept. 26 is still a little more than two weeks away, but head coach Sam Pittman told reporters after Thursday’s practice that redshirt freshman Brady Latham would probably be the starter if they were to play a game this weekend.
Latham has emerged at a spot that has also seen Ty Clary, Luke Jones, Shane Clenin and even true freshman Jalen St. John get snaps in camp.
Although Pittman typically likes to have his starting five settled 2.5 weeks before the first game, that will be pushed back a week as he said a final decision will likely be made after next Wednesday’s practice.
“We are trying to find a place for him because he’s physical, he’s mean, he’s athletic,” Pittman said about Latham. “He’s not quite the size that you’d like for him to be yet, but he’s a freshman, a redshirt freshman. But he has feet and he has want-to. Those will take you a long way playing offensive line.”
It was actually the second night in a row Pittman has heaped praise upon the Jenks, Okla., native.
On his debut radio show at the Catfish Hole a night earlier, the first-year coach singled out Latham as someone who had impressed him in camp.
He’s not the biggest offensive lineman on the roster at 296 pounds, but he has added 12 pounds to his listed weight as a freshman, when he played just seven total offensive snaps across three games. On top of that, Pittman said Latham probably leads the team in the number of fights he’s started, which isn't necessarily a bad trait for a lineman.
“I do know that he's much bigger than he was last year and I think he's always been a gritty fighter, a guy that's an aggressive guy,” Pittman said. “But I'm impressed with his leverage, I'm impressed with his feet and I think he probably was the same way in high school, a very aggressive guy.”
Latham ended last season as the backup left tackle behind Myron Cunningham and switched sides at the start of camp. He was in the thick of a competition to start at right tackle when the Razorbacks decided to try him inside.
In addition to playing a lot of left guard, Latham has also been spotted getting reps at right guard, as Pittman and his staff continue trying linemen at multiple spots as a precaution to account for injuries or COVID-19 quarantines.
He is not among the six different players who have taken snaps at center, but that’s the only position he hasn’t worked at along the offensive line.
“I think probably because his size is why he didn't get to play last year, and he was young, but he's smart,” Pittman said. “He can play. That one, we haven't tried at center, but he could probably do that as well. He's just a very good athlete.”
As a low-end 5.5 three-star recruit whose only other reported offers were from New Mexico, Utah State and FCS Missouri State, Latham’s emergence has been somewhat of a surprise.
In his second season with the Razorbacks, just a few years removed from playing his junior season with Jenks at 235 pounds, he figures to get a lot of playing time in 2020.
“We’re trying to find a place (for him),” Pittman said. “We believe that he potentially and we do believe that he’s one of our top five players and we’re trying to find a place to insert him into our line.”
