How will Arkansas' tight end position turn out?
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman lost his tight ends coach, starting tight end and offensive coordinator after the 2022 season, but he built things back quickly in the offseason and the tight end position is shaping up to be a strong suit for Arkansas in 2023.
Former Razorback tight ends coach Dowell Loggains left for the offensive coordinator position at South Carolina and starting tight end Trey Knox followed suit soon after. The loss of Loggains prompted Pittman to hire former Stanford tight ends coach Morgan Turner, who is one of the more decorated coaches at the position.
Arkansas also lost offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to TCU, but Pittman quickly pivoted to Dan Enos, who is now in his second stint as the offensive coordinator in Fayetteville. Enos has proved at just about every stop that he knows how to properly utilize the tight end position in his offense.
What seemed like doom and gloom with the losses quickly turned into opportunity and potential. Turner and Enos delivered, as four-star freshmen tight ends Luke Hasz and Shamar Easter decided to stay on board with the Razorbacks. The Hogs also landed coveted North Texas transfer Var'Keyes Gumms and veteran Louisville transfer Francis Sherman at the position.
A position that featured just three scholarship guys during spring football — Hasz, Nathan Bax and Tyrus Washington — now has six capable of seeing the field.
Arkansas tight ends accounted for 14.7% of the total receptions in 2022 under Briles with Knox's 26 catches leading the way. Bax had three catches, Washington had one and Hudson Henry caught four passes to round out receptions for tight ends last year.
It doesn't seem like Bax is going to see many more targets than he did last year, as Hasz and Gumms are two very capable pass-catching tight ends. Bax and Sherman, who caught one pass for Louisville last year, will probably primarily be blockers who catch the occasional pass.
That leaves Washington and Easter. The former's one catch in 2022 was a 17-yard touchdown in the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas. Washington has the tools to be a hybrid tight end that can have success in the passing game.
Easter didn't enroll early to participate in the spring, so the media hasn't had the chance to see him in a Razorback uniform yet. He caught just 15 passes for 160 yards as a senior for Ashdown High School, but he seems to have been a willing blocker with 12 pancake blocks.
There is no shortage of options, but they each provide a different skillset. Hasz, Gumms and Washington are more modern pass-catching tight ends, while Bax, Sherman and Easter are talented blockers. Easter could fight for targets, but Bax and Sherman likely won't run many routes.
During Enos' first stint in Fayetteville from 2015-17, Hunter Henry won the Mackey Award in 2015 and he hauled in 51 passes for 739 yards and three scores that year. Jeremy Sprinkle caught 27 passes for 389 yards and six touchdowns behind Henry in 2015, and the next year, Sprinkle hauled in 33 passes for 380 yards and four scores.
You don't have to go far back to see Enos still utilizing the tight end heavily, as Corey Dyches was Maryland's second leading pass catcher last season with Enos calling the offense. Dyches caught 39 passes for 494 yards and three scores.
It should be interesting to see who emerges as the top options at tight end during fall camp, which starts in early August.