Razorbacks to begin highly anticipated preseason camp

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Game-by-Game Season Predictions

The Big Red Recruiting Board

Arkansas starts preseason camp early Thursday evening. Finally.

This team boasts 17 scholarship seniors, and every one of them has played a significant role with the team. The Razorbacks won't know what they have at quarterback until a few games into the season, and there are gaps to fill along the offensive line. There are several talented candidates at running back, and the Hogs are as loaded at receiver as they have been in five years.

The defensive line looks solid, there are more linebackers on campus than ever before under Bret Bielema, and several starters return in the secondary. Special teams looks to be in good shape...unless someone wants to bring up the kickers.

On the whole, the majority of fans seem to hope it works out with Bret Bielema. He’s a media favorite, he plays a smash-mouth style, he places a high emphasis on character, and his players succeed off the field.

But it comes to a point where that’s not enough. Here we are in the fourth year of the Bielema regime. Most coaches are fired by year four. Out of the 14 SEC programs, the coach who preceded the current coach was fired at nine of the 14 programs within four years, and that includes every Western Division team except LSU (Nick Saban).

Now, that’s not going to happen to Bielema, and here's why...

As stated, most Hog fans seem to want to see him succeed not only for the Razorbacks to win but so he can continue to run the program the way it is being run. But again, fans want to see results above all else. At some point having the highest GPA in school history isn't going to be enough. Bielema believes success in the classroom and in the community directly translates to success on the field. We shall find out soon enough if that is the case. So far, each team has been better than the last.

The fourth season will go a long way in determining how fans feel about Bielema heading into the fifth year of what he has always called a five-year plan. If even a well-liked coach were to tank in his fourth year, the pressure would be on him in the fifth. Take the program up another level in the fourth, enjoy a positive offseason and some security heading into the fifth.

Everything is positive and moving forward with your favorite program until suddenly it isn’t anymore, and nowadays that determination is made within 48 months. So far in that time, aside from a black eye loss to Toledo last season, Arkansas is trending upwards.

Last season, Arkansas was able to redshirt 15 of the 22 scholarship true freshmen. That bunch included four-star prospects in tight ends Jamario Bell, Will Gragg and Cheyenne O’Grady, offensive lineman Jalen Merrick and quarterbacks Ty Storey and Ricky Town. It also includes Colton Jackson, who came out of the spring as the starting left tackle and receiver Deon Stewart, who finished as one of the top six receivers.

The players who absolutely will not redshirt in 2016 include defensive end McTelvin Agim, 6-3, 285, and running backs T.J. Hammonds, 5-10, 197, and Devwah Whaley, 5-11, 216. Agim was the only early high school enrollee. He is already a starter in the CASH package and could legitimately push for a starting job at rush end.

There has not been a single running back in 20 years at Arkansas that was healthy and redshirted and later turned into a standout. Running back rankings are typically more accurate than other positions (a guy can run or he can’t), and both Whaley and Hammonds were four-star recruits.

A popular sleeper to see early time is safety signee Deon Edwards, 6-1, 205. Offseason knee surgery might keep four-star defensive tackle Briston Guidry, 6-3, 294, back. Just on physical appearance, defensive lineman Jonathan Marshall, 6-4, 299, looks ready to go. Also, keep an eye on each of Arkansas’ four freshman linebackers. Linebackers are also useful special teams contributors because they are of medium build and can run and tackle.

There are several questions about Arkansas offense, and a lot has to do with the unknown of starting a new quarterback. Eight of the 14 programs (five in the Western Division) are going through quarterback changes, and of the six programs who are returning quarterbacks only Ole Miss has a bonafide playmaker in Chad Kelly. Only one other returning QB was average last year in Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs.

It's time for new stars to emerge, and for Arkansas to ever take that championship step they really need one of those next stud QBs to be named Austin Allen. Out of any position, this is the spot where you don't know what you've got until things get real. Did anyone expect Baker Mayfield to be a star after walking on at Oklahoma? There are five-star quarterbacks starting in the NFL, but there are plenty in the same role who didn't have close to the number of scholarship offers or the recruiting ranking of Allen.

We know Allen has taken a leadership role with the team, we know he throws a pretty deep ball but isn't really elusive, and we know he has been in Dan Enos' offensive system nearly twice as long as his predecessor. But that is all we actually know.

So, Allen throws a great deep ball? -Arkansas has a guy who can go and get it in Dominique Reed. He is one of the fastest players in the SEC. There is a chance we are all sleeping on Reed. Everyone thinks he's going to be pretty good, but despite his physical attributes nobody is predicting greatness. Few players across the country have the combined catch radius and blistering speed he has. He can force a bad angle on a hitch, use his long arms to create separation and then just glide past defenders on his way to the end zone. Not to get too dramatic, but Reed could blossom into the surprise player of the SEC this year.

Drew Morgan may have held that title last season. If we know anything about Morgan it is that he is going to do more than anyone expects, and he is not going to drop a pass on third down or in the end zone.

Jared Cornelius may be the best all-around receiver on the team, and if Keon Hatcher comes back from his foot injury and plays anywhere close to how he started 2015, it is not crazy to think he could be a late round draft pick. Hatcher has the tools, and he is capable of having a big season.

If that's not enough receiver weapons, senior Cody Hollister had a great spring and shifty redshirt freshman Deon Stewart brings another element to the table.

It isn't unreasonable to think Jeremy Sprinkle could put up first team All-SEC numbers at tight end, either. And while the Hogs haven't settled on a No. 2 TE, one or two players will almost certainly emerge from a pack of extremely well-regarded recruits.

I've said it before, but if Devwah Whaley or T.J. Hammonds aren't impressive as true freshmen then they'll never be impressive. There are plenty of areas in which to improve like pass-blocking, learning the playbook, ball security, footwork and more, but either these guys can run the ball or they can't, and that becomes evident by as early as the second week.

Can sixth-year senior Kody Walker stay healthy? -He was already injured again in the spring (foot) but is believed to be back to full speed. How will he run carrying 25 fewer pounds when he was the most effective he has ever been at 260 last year?

How will Rawleigh Williams react to his first live contact since suffering a serious neck injury in the Auburn game over nine months ago? Bret Bielema was quoted at media day saying he could be a 1,000-yard back. He has said the same of Walker.

Has Damon Mitchell found a home after playing quarterback and receiver his first three years? Will Juan Day surprise us all as the forgotten man? Can Hayden Johnson pick things up fast enough to take over the fullback job as a true freshman?

The good news for Arkansas is there are enough questions that some of them will have positive answers. There is a lot of glory associated to playing running back, but it won't reach everyone.

Coming out of the spring, the offensive line looked pretty well set aside from five different players taking reps as the starting right guard. The healthy starting five would have been (LT) Colton Jackson, (LG) Hjalte Froholdt, (OC) Frank Ragnow, (RG) Brian Wallace and (RT) Dan Skipper. Zach Rogers would have been the first man in at center or either guard spot, and the next tackle in probably would have been Johnny Gibson.

But since the spring, two more players have joined the team who are expected to push for jobs in junior college tackle Paul Ramirez and Texas graduate transfer Jake Raulerson. Naturally, Raulerson is more of an interior guy but it would not surprise to see him at least get a look at tackle. New offensive line coach Kurt Anderson showed in the spring that he is was willing to mix up the line to find the best combination.

There are reasons to be concerned up front on offense. The guys you know you can rely on are Ragnow and Skipper, two returning starters. Brian Wallace is a redshirt sophomore and has a lot of ability, but he kept getting dinged up in the spring. The left side features a pair from the Class of 2015 in Jackson and Froholdt. Both were given every rep possible in the spring to speed up their progress.

Allen won't be known for being a nimble quarterback this season. He can maneuver in the pocket, but he's not going to do much damage if there isn't one. Even more so than quarterback, this has to be the biggest concern on the team.

This is the most talented group on defense and possibly the entire team. Yes, I remember saying that last year, and I remember feeling dumb for saying it. But here I am, stating it once again - "it's the best unit on the team."

I'm about to make several bold statements. If Deatrich Wise makes it through the whole season relatively healthy, he will be an All-SEC performer, he will have double-digit sacks and he will be selected in the first half of the NFL Draft.

McTelvin Agim will be freshman All-SEC, he might be a freshman All-American, and he will be the starting rush end by some point in the season. He already lines up as the starting DT in the CASH grouping. Agim is very good, and he can get pressure on quarterbacks. Tevin Beanum is good, but this position needs to produce the sacks. Karl Roesler has polish, but Agim has big-time play-making potential.

Regarding Jeremiah Ledbetter's move from rush end to defensive tackle, this should allow Arkansas to get some more direct line pressure on quarterbacks from the interior. Can he replicate Darius Philon's 2014 season? -That's a lot to ask, but I bet he gets an invite to the NFL Combine at season's end.

Taiwan Johnson has gone from a defensive end as a freshman to a 257-pound tilt nose as a sophomore, to a 297-pound defensive tackle as a junior and now to a 284-pound tilt nose as a senior. He was more effective at 257 but could feel his body breaking down the latter half of the season. He felt healthy all the way through at 297, but he wasn't as effective. He's looking for a happy medium.

I've discussed this position group so often there isn't much left to say. To recap, I blame the second level in large for last season's struggles on defense, despite many pointing to the defensive line and/or the secondary. I blame them not because of the players they had but because of the ones they didn't.

Arkansas did not address the linebacker numbers heavily enough in recruiting high school LBs during Bielema's first year, and some attrition and a big injury left Arkansas dangerously thin. There's no reason for Brooks Ellis to be covering slot receivers on third-and-15 in the fourth quarter of a game where he has played every single snap. But they had no choice.

No team should ever rely upon a true freshman linebacker to be a starter, but again Arkansas had no choice and had to roll with Dre Greenlaw last season at WILL when Josh Williams went down with a broken leg. Greenlaw was targeted a lot in 2015, but he will be much better in 2016 thanks to the experience he gained. He should also see more action at MIKE in passing situations.

We know about those guys, but what about the rest of them? It's the largest linebacker room in Bret Bielema's time at Arkansas. Randy Ramsey has rejoined the team after a year away, and he is a versatile SAM who can cover, play run support and even rush the passer. Look for him to emerge as a starter over Khalia Hackett, who was with the first group in the spring. Arkansas coaches repped Hackett with the first team defense all of of the 2015 spring and summer, but he barely played during the season. Dwayne Eugene saw action last season but was never counted on as a starter.

Along with quasi newcomer Ramsey, the linebackers also get Kendrick Jackson back after he helped at fullback as a true freshman. In the spring, Edwards had the look of the team's future at MIKE linebacker.

Arkansas is bringing in four scholarship freshmen, and HawgSports.com's Danny West found out where they are projected to start out. Dee Walker will start out at WILL, De'jon Harris will start out at MIKE, and Giovanni LaFrance and Alexy Jean-Baptiste will start out at SAM. In my head, I thought Harris would be a WILL, LaFrance would be a MIKE and Jean-Baptiste and Walker would be SAMs...so only Jean-Baptiste is starting out where I thought he would.

If you ask the defensive backs, they will rave about everything they have learned so far from new secondary coach Paul Rhoads. Since he arrived on campus after a seven-year stint as the Iowa State head coach, he has been a stickler for the little things.

This is not Rhoads' first time through an SEC schedule. He was the defensive coordinator at Auburn during a tumultuous season in 2008 (the year Tommy Tuberville fired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin before he was also fired).

As for personnel, a pair of three-year starters return at the corner spots in D.J. Dean and Jared Collins, and the starting nickel from last year also returns in Henre' Toliver. Toliver played a lot of left corner last season as Dean was limited with a toe injury.

Joshua Liddell returns at free safety, and Santos Ramirez is believed to have a high ceiling as he enters his sophomore year. Kevin Richardson is like a bonus player as he can play every spot in the secondary if called upon.

Back to Dean. If you have ever been to a Razorback practice, you have probably heard Dean. He's the guy who always has a big smile and is always encouraging other players. You get the sense that there's no place on earth he would rather be than on a 100-degree practice field.

Throw a nagging big toe injury into the mix and football stopped being fun real fast for Dean. It limited him dramatically last season, and it wasn't all physical. He had offseason surgery and missed the spring while he recovered. Dean has good size and ability. If he can stay healthy, he might pop up on some NFL radars.

I still think this can be a good secondary, even though they took a step back in 2015 after a solid 2014 campaign.

Arkansas actually looks pretty good when factoring in every aspect of special teams. They have a proven punt returner in Cornelius and a proven kickoff returner in Reed. Toby Baker is expected to have a great year in his second season as the starting punter. There are two quality deep snappers on the roster, and Matt Emrich returns for yet another year as the team's holder.

That leaves everything involving the kickers...At least last season, Arkansas didn't have a guy who could boot the ball into the end zone, which is pretty surprising. Adam McFain dealt with an injury last season, but he should be better at it than anyone last year.

Arkansas had too many kicks blocked last season, so they changed up the blocking scheme this year. On the whole Cole Hedlund (now a redshirt sophomore) has been inconsistent and has struggled to get a lot of lift out of his kicks. McFain took over the starting kicker job in 2014. He will most certainly be the team's kickoff man and will probably handle long field goals, as well.