Five Arkansas players with most to prove in fall camp
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Fall camp for Arkansas football begins on Wednesday, July 31, as an opportunity for newcomers to develop and for returning Razorbacks to prove why they should be on the field.
Head coach Sam Pittman and the Hogs lost several starters from last season's disappointing 4-8 (1-7 SEC) team, so position battles will be plentiful across the roster.
Some depth chart clashes have already been settled, like Taylen Green at quarterback. Other positions — like running back — still feature battles for the starting spot, but even those who fail to rise to the top will still get their chances throughout the year or in future seasons.
For this exercise, HawgBeat examines five players who are on the cusp of graduation or are at risk of being buried behind others, that have a now-or-never moment in fall camp...
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Note: HawgBeat only considered returning Razorbacks for this list. New transfers and freshmen were not included.
Var'Keyes Gumms, TE
A former Second-Team Freshman All-American per The Athletic, Gumms was viewed as an instant-impact newcomer when he transferred from North Texas to Arkansas after the 2022 season. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Houston native caught 34 passes for 458 yards and five touchdowns for the Mean Green during his highlight campaign.
His role with the Razorbacks was diminished, however, after freshman Luke Hasz and redshirt freshman Ty Washington exploded onto the scene during fall camp. Combined with a shaky transition from the AAC to the SEC, and Gumms found himself third on the depth chart.
Gumms finished the 2023 season with three catches for 26 yards on only 122 total snaps according to Pro Football Focus, but could the now redshirt junior be in for a revitalization?
It'll be tough, especially behind Hasz and Washington, but Gumms has seemingly made a jump since the conclusion of the 2023 season according to offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.
"I like what I've seen from Gumms. I think he's a guy, he's a playmaker," Petrino said on April 2. "He's got to get where he's doing everything right and understand what he's doing, but he's really, really competitive. He wants the ball and he works hard to get it, and he makes yards after contact."
Maybe a clean slate inside Petrino's tight-end friendly scheme will be the difference for Gumms, but one thing is clear: he'll need to take advantage of every opportunity during fall camp.
Jayden Johnson, S
Unlike Gumms, Johnson's issue isn't a lack of playing time, but what he does when he's on the field. In his last three seasons (2021-23), Johnson has played a total of 1,348 snaps, but also recorded PFF grades of 52.4, 45.3 and 56.7, respectively.
Now entering his senior year, Johnson has another shot at becoming more consistent and improving in the areas he's struggled at the most.
Many will point to Johnson's ability to wrap up in the open field, but he only missed eight tackles in 2023 per PFF. His primary downside comes in the coverage department, where he finished with a 56.9 grade after allowing 215 yards and four touchdowns on 19 receptions.
Johnson finished his 2023 season with 62 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, four defended passes and an interception, with his best performance coming against Western Carolina in the season-opener (76.2 grade).
With young talent like TJ Metcalf and Florida transfer Miguel Mitchell waiting in the wings, Johnson needs to ensure the coaching staff that he's still the man for the job this August.
Isaac TeSlaa, WR
Transferring from a Group of Five conference is one thing, but moving up to the SEC from the Division II level is a completely different beast.
Coming from Hillsdale College, TeSlaa was recruited by the best of the best at the Power Five level after being named the Great Midwest American Conference Offensive Player of the Year for his 1,325-yard, 13-touchdown 2022 season.
Unlike fellow wide receiver Andrew Armstrong — who led the Razorbacks in receptions after transferring in from Division II Texas A&M-Commerce — TeSlaa didn't immediately separate himself from the pack. Across 12 games last season, the senior caught 34 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns.
While those stats are nothing to scoff at, expectations were higher for TeSlaa coming in, as he portrayed a unique blend of size, speed and catch radius. Can the 6-foot-4, 216-pound Michigan native reach his potential during his final collegiate season?
Arkansas' wide receiver room isn't locked by any means. Besides Armstrong and TeSlaa, no other wideout eclipsed the 200-yard receiving mark in 2023. Tyrone Broden and Isaiah Sategna are on the verge of breaking out, so the proving grounds of fall camp will go a long way in deciding the Hogs' top three at the position.
Ty'Kieast Crawford, OT
Through four years at the collegiate level and three years in Fayetteville, Crawford has been the ultimate "what-if?" on the field. Standing at 6-foot-5, 324-pounds, the former four-star prospect has never quite broken through for consistent playing time, always playing second fiddle to someone a bit sharper or more consistent.
The senior did play a career-high amount in 2023, as he registered 331 total snaps and a solid 63.4 offensive grade. That incuded a 77.3 pass block grade, good for second on the team behind Joshua Braun.
Crawford's main competition will be Michigan State transfer tackle Keyshawn Blackstock, who played just 74 snaps in 2023 after joining the Spartans as a four-star junior college transfer.
Should Blackstock overtake Crawford, the versatile lineman may push for a guard spot instead. Crawford's first three appearances during the 2023 season came at right guard, so the experience is there and the left guard position could be up for grabs depending on the performance of projected starter Patrick Kutas in fall camp.
Bryce Stephens, WR
Stephens nearly left Arkansas once when he entered the transfer portal last December after not recording any stats during the 2023 season.
That was a step back from his 2022-23 campaign, when he played in 13 games and caught nine passes for 109 yards with a touchdown. Don't forget about his game-saving punt return touchdown against Petrino's Missouri State Bears, either.
Fast forward two years, and Stephens' future in the wide receiver room is unclear. The redshirt junior appears to be far behind names like Armstrong, Broden and Isaiah Sategna, as well as other returners like TeSlaa and Jaedon Wilson.
A former three-star prospect out of Oklahoma City, Stephens is running out of time to make his mark in Fayetteville, and it's up to him to show he's worthy of being in the rotation when the Razorbacks take the practice field next week.