Hogs opt for health over development during open week

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FAYETTEVILLE — There were a couple of times over the past few weeks that Sam Pittman said he was worried he might need to suit up for the Razorbacks.

The first-year coach was of course just joking with reporters during Thursday afternoon’s Zoom videoconference with local media, but the message was clear: Depth has been a concern.

With so many players dealing with injuries, Arkansas’ top priority during its open week has been getting healthy. Because of that, Pittman opted to have three helmet-only, non-contact practices this week instead of using the time for developmental practices that sometimes happen during this week.

“We did not take advantage of that part of it to this point (and) we’re not going to this week,” Pittman said. “We just made a decision that we needed to keep our team healthy and I’m talking about from one to four on the depth chart, because trust me, at six weeks in a row, you’re going to need them.”

It has also helped that several young players who would normally benefit from those developmental practices have instead gotten game reps.

First- and second-year players - not including transfers - have combined for 38.1 percent of the Razorbacks’ total offensive and defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. That has created its own set of problems.

“There’s some disappointment with some of the freshmen in that, ‘Hey coach, can I talk to you? I’m not where I want to be on the depth chart,’ and things of that nature because there’s so many other freshmen that have been forced into playing,” Pittman said. “We’ve dealt a little bit with that, just simply because my buddy, my roommate over here, he’s getting to play and I’m not.”

One thing Arkansas has done with a young player this week is move freshman Marcus Henderson back to the offensive line room for meetings. He had previously been part of the tight end meetings and is still getting some work at that spot, but he is also getting more time at his natural position.

“Marcus has played more offensive line this week,” Pittman said. “We still have him at tight end because we need him, especially for depth there…(but) he’s practiced both spots every day, which has helped him because he knows the offense quite well.”

Pittman praised Henderson - whose only offensive snaps have been as a blocking tight end when Arkansas inserted K.J. Jefferson in the Georgia and Mississippi State games - because he’s shown how smart his is in handling both positions.

On the other side the ball, Pittman mentioned that freshman defensive end Jashaud Stewart has been dealing with a hamstring injury that might have slowed his progress a little, but he’s healthy now. The Jonesboro native has carved out role on special teams this season.

At linebacker, Arkansas got some attention for playing true freshman walk-on Jackson Woodard as a backup last week ahead of 2020 scholarship signees Kelin Burrle and J.T. Towers.

Although it was a surprising move to those outside of the program, Pittman said it was a testament to Woodard’s progress and that it’s not concerning he is ahead on the depth chart because some players develop at different speeds.

“The worst thing you can do is you really don’t want to put a young man out there that’s not ready,” Pittman said. “You can ruin him. You can ruin his confidence, physically. So those guys are a little bit behind Woodard right now and obviously I’d rather look at it as a compliment for Woodard than a detriment for those other two kids.”

Another freshman Arkansas fans haven’t seen yet is wide receiver Darin Turner. He drew some praise from coaches and teammates early in camp, but hasn’t cracked the rotation on offense or appeared on special teams.

However, the Memphis native dressed out and went through pregame warmups before the Ole Miss game, as Pittman said he included him on the 80-man active roster last Saturday. He still needs to improve, but he is making progress in practice.

“He has to catch the ball a little bit better and learn the offense a little bit better,” Pittman said. “Those things…again, he's a freshman. He's going to come on, I believe. And I believe he'll be a very good wide receiver for us. I've been really pleased with his growth, both on and off the field, since he's been here."

Click here for a full rundown of the true freshmen who have played so far this season, including their snap counts and Pro Football Focus grades.

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