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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas returns four of its five starting offensive linemen from last season, but the one loss leaves a hole at arguably the most important position: left tackle.
With Myron Cunningham out of eligibility and moving on to the NFL, the Razorbacks are tasked with finding his replacement for 2022. That process is already underway, as spring ball started Sunday.
As expected, fifth-year senior Luke Jones is getting the first opportunity to win the job and has worked with the first unit in each of the first two practices.
Redshirt freshman Devon Manuel has been the second-team left tackle so far, with true freshman early enrollee Andrew Chamblee behind him. Another true freshman early enrollee, E’Marion Harris, is the third-team right tackle.
“I’m assuming those two guys will fight it out,” head coach Sam Pittman said last week. “It just depends on how fast the freshmen get ready, as well, because Chamblee and Harris are very, very talented, but Luke Jones and Devon Manuel probably, today, will be where that battle goes.”
It’s a relatively new position for Jones, as he’s spent much of his career as an interior offensive lineman.
The former 5.7 three-star recruit from Pulaski Academy in Little Rock was a backup center his first and only year at Notre Dame before transferring back home to play for the Razorbacks. After sitting out a year, Jones has been a backup guard the last two years.
Although he’s played 116 snaps at guard, most of which were at left guard, Jones did get 16 snaps at left tackle against UAPB last season and he said he learned a lot from his predecessor.
