Hogs picked 4th overall, land several on preseason All-SEC teams
Coming off its best season in a decade, Arkansas is expected to be competitive in the SEC once again in 2022.
In the 76th annual AL.com/Birmingham News SEC post-spring football report, the league’s 14 football information directors picked the Razorbacks to finish fourth overall in the SEC this season.
Not surprisingly, Alabama and Georgia topped the poll, followed by Texas A&M. For the 13th time in 14 years, the Crimson Tide were also picked to win the SEC West, with the Razorbacks third behind them and the Aggies.
Last season, Arkansas finished tied for third in the division, but beat the other two teams — Mississippi State and Texas A&M — that also went 4-4 in conference play.
In addition to the predicted order of finish, the SIDs also voted on a pair of preseason All-SEC teams. Center Ricky Stromberg and linebacker Bumper Pool landed on the first team, while safety Jalen Catalon and kicker Cam Little were tabbed as second-team selections.
Stromberg was chosen as the best offensive lineman in the SEC, as well.
That jibes with a couple of other All-SEC teams released by preseason magazines earlier this month.
Stromberg and Pool were first-team picks by both Athlon and Phil Steele, while Catalon was also a first-teamer by Phil Steele, but second-teamer by Athlon.
Interestingly, Athlon also tabbed Catalon as a second-team All-American, with its top two SEC safeties — Alabama’s Jordan Battle and Texas A&M’s Antonio Johnson — being the first-team All-Americans at the position.
Catalon was the Razorbacks’ lone preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele, but Pool was a second-team pick and Stromberg landed on the fourth team.
Little was not as highly regarded by the two magazines as he was by the SIDs, with Phil Steele slotting him as the preseason third-team kicker and Athlon putting him on the fourth team.
The only other player honored by both preseason magazines was offensive lineman Beaux Limmer. He was a third-team pick by Athlon and fourth-team pick by Phil Steele.
While Athlon named him the preseason third-team quarterback behind Alabama’s Bryce Young and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, KJ Jefferson was completely left off Phil Steele’s lists. That magazine had Mississippi State’s Will Rogers and Florida’s Anthony Richardson as its third- and fourth-team quarterbacks.
There were also a couple of fourth-team picks from the Razorbacks by both magazines. Wide receiver Jadon Haselwood and defensive tackle Isaiah Nichols were honored by Phil Steele, while running back Rocket Sanders and linebacker Drew Sanders were honored by Athlon.