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Since posting a top-10 defense in 2014, Arkansas has struggled on that side of the ball. And that’s putting it lightly.
In the five seasons since, the Razorbacks have posted four of their worst five defenses in school history in terms of total defense and four of their worst six in terms of scoring defense.
It bottomed out last season when they allowed 36.8 points on 450.7 yards per game, which were not only the worst totals in UA history, but also ranked 124th and 110th, respectively, among 130 FBS teams.
New defensive coordinator Barry Odom will be tasked with turning the unit around and has a history of doing so. Naturally, one of the keys to a better defense - and offense and special teams - is to have better players.
Recruiting rankings aren’t an exact science, but they have proven to be quite accurate in determining which teams are going to be the best. As a general rule, teams with the most four- and five-star players are going to win the most games. Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State are perfect examples of that.
The Razorbacks have never recruited at their level, but they did sign a top-20 class in 2019 and have typically brought in multiple four-star prospects each year.
Looking at this season’s roster, Arkansas has 21 players who were rated as four-star recruits coming out of high school. Of those, 12 are on the defensive side of the ball.
It takes some tweaking, but it is feasible for the Razorbacks to field a defense composed entirely of four-star recruits. It’s unlikely Odom will ever have these players on the field at the same time, but there’s a chance each of them could find themselves in the two-deep in 2020.
Defensive Line
DE - Mataio Soli
NT - Xavier Kelly
DE - Eric Gregory
In order for this all-four-star lineup to work, Arkansas would need to be in a 3-man front. There have been some talks of Odom implementing a 3-2-6 base defense, so this isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility.
Soli and Kelly are probably favorites to be starters, as the former was a starter last season and the latter was brought in as a graduate transfer and is the defense’s highest ranked recruit coming out of high school (No. 141).
It is a bit of a stretch to list Gregory as a starter. Although he enrolled early and was pretty impressive in spring ball last year, the IMG Academy product suffered a high ankle sprain in fall camp and appeared in only three games, preserving his redshirt.
Instead, Dorian Gerald - coming back from a season-ending injury in last year’s opener - appears to be the most likely starter on the defensive line. He was a 5.6 three-star recruit coming out of junior college in 2018, but was a highly regarded prospect with several big-time offers.
Linebacker
MLB - Levi Draper
WLB - Bumper Pool
Arkansas could technically go to a 3-3-5 and this lineup would still work because Zach Zimos is a third linebacker who was a four-star recruit.
This two-man combination is actually pretty realistic. Pool figures to be the only lock to start in this position group, with plenty of questions surrounding him. Former two-star recruits and seniors Hayden Henry and Grant Morgan will certainly factor into the rotation and could potentially start, but bringing in Draper as a graduate transfer, the Razorbacks probably hope he steps up as a starter.
Secondary
CB - Montaric Brown
CB - LaDarrius Bishop
FS - Jalen Catalon
SS - Myles Slusher
Nickel - Greg Brooks Jr.
Dime - Devin Bush
There are enough four-star defensive backs on Arkansas’ roster for it to have as many as six on the field at one time if it needed to utilize a dime package.
Of the six guys listed above, the most likely starters appear to be Brown and Catalon. The former is a returning starter, while the latter is one of the most hyped players on the roster who showed flashes in limited playing time last season.
Each of the other four players could potentially start games in 2020 and it wouldn’t be entirely surprising. However, Bishop would need to beat out returning starter Jarques McClellion and Slusher would need to beat out returning starter Joe Foucha.
Graduate transfer Jerry Jacobs will also likely be a starter this season, whether it’s at corner or nickel. Brooks started every game as a true freshman at nickel, but really struggled, so there’s no guarantee he’ll retain that starting job. Bush could compete for playing time at corner, as well.
