Luke Hasz impressing so far with Arkansas
The Arkansas Razorbacks have successfully completed six practices of fall camp and one freshman has already caught the eye of head coach Sam Pittman.
First year tight end Luke Hasz drew praise from the Head Hog on Monday evening for his efforts to this point in spring ball. A native of Bixby, Oklahoma, and a four-star recruit, Hasz's work ethic is what has set him apart from others.
"Really good football player," Pittman said. "A guy that’s catching the ball extremely well, can run, can get open. That’s probably the guy of the young guys that has stood out the most, even though I’ve been really happy with (Jaylon) Braxton and (TJ) Metcalf and RJ Johnson and Dallas (Young). I’ve been happy with those young guys in the secondary, but I think Luke Hasz is that guy that has probably stood out the most in the freshman class."
At 6-foot-3, 226 pounds, Hasz isn't built like the prototypical on-line tight end that can throw down a block and occasionally run routes. He has an athletic build that gives him the ability to have success catching passes.
"I think the only way he’s ever going to become an on-the-line tight end is if — he’s got to practice it — he gains some weight," Pittman said. "We’ve talked to him about it as well. We don’t necessarily want to bring him off the field because he can’t block in-line. He’s willing, he’s very, very strong, comes from a great high school program of lifting.
"We’ve just got to get a little bit of weight on him. And we’ll continue to work him technique-wise, but if we were playing today, he’d be off the ball and that kind of tight end. We’re hoping he can develop over the summer and become that every-down tight end."
During the media viewing portion periods, Hasz has been consistently working with the second team along with redshirt freshman Tyrus Washington, who also works some first team reps. The Razorbacks have routinely worked out of 12-personnel with two tight ends and one running back, which is a good sign if Hasz wants to see the field.
Arkansas held a short scrimmage during the team's fifth practice of the spring on March 16. Hasz reportedly caught a pair of passes in the scrimmage and his stock has continued to trend up since then.
"We have to continue working on his blocking," Pittman said. "He doesn’t have the biggest stature. He’s not the biggest tight end, but he’s willing and he’s capable. He have to continue working that with him.
"But he’s a really good route runner, he’s exceptional catching the football and when he has it in his hand he’s hard to tackle. It just seems like every day he has 6, 8, 10 catches in some type of team setting. He gets open and catches everything that’s close to him. I’ve been really, really pleased with him."
Hasz is competing for play time with super senior Nathan Bax and Washington, both of whom have taken most of the first team reps in team drills.
Bax has the experience and the ability to block the best of the three, but he has a lower ceiling in the pass catching area of expertise. Washington has the ability to be a strong tight end at Arkansas as a blocker and a pass catcher, but how big of a role he will have remains to be seen.
It's also worth noting that the Razorbacks will also add four-star tight end Shamar Easter in the summer. The Ashdown native was not an early enrollee like Hasz, but he will have to get in during the summer and pick things up quickly if he wants to get play time in the fall.
Arkansas will hold its seventh practice of spring ball on Thursday ahead of Saturday's closed scrimmage, which will be around 150 total plays, according to Pittman.