HawgBeat's top 5 storylines entering fall camp 2021

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Arkansas will hit the practice fields for the first day of fall camp Friday afternoon.

With about a month until the Razorbacks open the 2021 season for real, there are still plenty of questions that must be answered before they host Rice on Sept. 4.

Here are the top five storylines HawgBeat will be watching ahead of Year 2 of the Sam Pittman era…

**2021 FALL CAMP HQ**

There is no mystery surrounding who will be Arkansas’ starting quarterback entering the 2021 season. KJ Jefferson took almost all of the first-team reps in the spring and Pittman has openly talked about him already being named the starter.

What remains to be seen, though, is how he handles that role. We got a preview of it when he started at No. 1 LSU as a true freshman in 2019 and more of a glimpse last season when he started at Missouri for an injured Feleipe Franks. The latter of those games went extremely well, with the Razorbacks scoring a season-high 48 points, but now he’s the full-time starter.

With that job comes added responsibilities and more attention. How will he handle being the team leader week in and week out? How will he respond when opponents punch him in the mouth after preparing to face him all week? Considering the success of Arkansas’ season likely rests on his shoulders, how will he handle the pressure?

Pittman has harped on this since he took over, but in the SEC, you win in the trenches. Arkansas has struggled on the offensive and defensive lines in recent years, likely contributing to its poor record.

Going into 2021, though, there is reason for optimism on both sides of the ball. The Razorbacks return their entire two-deep on the offensive line and lost only one - albeit it was their best, Jonathan Marshall - on the defensive line while also adding several pieces from the transfer portal.

Myron Cunningham is a legitimate NFL Draft prospect at left tackle and Ricky Stromberg is a preseason second-team All-SEC selection, so Arkansas has talent up front. The biggest question revolves around the two guard spots, with Ty Clary and Luke Jones trying to hold off Beaux Limmer and Brady Latham at right and left guard, respectively.

Those known pieces make the offensive line an easy pick to be the most improved, but there is certainly potential for the defensive line to make a big jump this year, as well. Dorian Gerald is back as a “super senior” and has shown flashes when healthy. Zach Williams has added weight. Mataio Soli and Eric Gregory were four-star recruits. Then the Razorbacks also added Tre Williams, Markell Utsey and John Ridgeway from the portal. Projecting what the defensive line’s two-deep will look like against Rice would be impossible right now.

Arkansas ranked in the bottom 20 nationally in sacks allowed per game (3.4) and sacks per game (1.4). Both of those numbers must improve if the Razorbacks are going to make a bowl game in 2021.

During spring ball, there was an obvious answer to one of those spots because Mike Woods was set to give Arkansas one of the top wide receiver duos in the country with Treylon Burks. However, he has since transferred to Oklahoma and the Razorbacks have a pretty big hole to fill while also searching for a second-team running back.

The player a lot of fans are pointing to as the guy who will step up in Woods’ absence is Trey Knox, who burst onto the scene as a freshman but went through a sophomore slump last year. Another strong candidate is De’Vion Warren, who was in the midst of a breakout season when he tore his ACL against Florida. There’s also a chance it could be one of the young, unproven guys like Darin Turner or Ketron Jackson Jr., a transfer like Jaquayln Crawford or Warren Thompson, or even walk-on John David White.

There is a similar dynamic at running back. Even though he doesn’t get the same recognition as Burks, Trelon Smith is one of the top returning players in the SEC at his position and the clear No. 1. Then it gets a bit murky.

Now entering his sixth season, T.J. Hammonds has shown flashes throughout his career, including last season, but can he be a reliable second option? Or will the Razorbacks go with a bigger back like redshirt freshman Dominique Johnson or true freshman Rocket Sanders? Or perhaps true freshman A.J. Green immediately earns playing time and Arkansas has no choice but to give him the No. 2 reps?

We know Jalen Catalon is one of the best safeties in the country and Montaric Brown is one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the SEC, but exactly what the rest of the secondary will look like in 2021 remains to be seen.

The good news is that Arkansas is loaded with talented defensive backs. In fact, it’s probably the deepest and most talented position on the roster with seven former four-star recruits, multiple high three-stars and several experienced players who weren’t as heralded coming out of high school.

Nickel back Greg Brooks Jr. and safety Joe Foucha have started a lot of games in their careers, but it doesn’t sound like they are locked into starting roles in 2021. Players like Myles Slusher, Malik Chavis, Jayden Johnson, Simeon Blair and Trent Gordon are also pushing for playing time. At the corner spot opposite Brown, it appears to be a two-man battle between LaDarrius Bishop and Hudson Clark.

With as much talent as the Razorbacks have in their defensive backfield, there’s a chance someone not mentioned above emerges as a contributor by the time fall camp wraps up, too.

They may not be the sexiest positions on the field, but Arkansas fans saw firsthand how important special teams are last year and pretty much every spot - outside of long snapper, which is locked down by Jordan Silver - is up for grabs.

There was a three-man race at punter during the spring, but that is down to two - Reid Bauer and Sam Loy - after George Caratan entered the transfer portal. Cam Little and Matthew Phillips could also punt, but they’re squaring off to become the placekicker.

Return men are also an area the Razorbacks need to figure out in camp. They had just four punt returns for 18 yards all of last season and averaged only 17.4 yards on nine kickoff returns. Both of those numbers need to be a lot better in 2021.