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FAYETTEVILLE — Despite being a senior and two-year starter at the position, Ty Clary has not been penciled in as Arkansas’ top center in 2020.

Head coach Sam Pittman confirmed what sources had told HawgBeat when he revealed to local reporters on a Zoom videoconference Thursday that Ricky Stromberg has been playing a lot of center in the team’s walk-through practices that started last month.

As an undersized true freshman, Stromberg started all but the opener last season, with two games at left guard before playing the final nine at right guard. The move to center isn’t entirely surprising, though, because that was where he was recruited.

While acknowledging that they have yet to put on pads, Pittman said the Razorbacks are trying to create depth at center and giving Stromberg a significant number of reps there accomplishes that goal.

“The hardest place to play on the O-line is center, so we’re trying to develop at least three centers,” Pittman said. “If we can get more in the top 10, we would do that too, but we’re trying to at least be able to travel and (be) three deep at center.”

Fall camp won’t start until Aug. 17 and players will be in helmets only the first two practices. At that point, it will become easier for the coaches to evaluate who belongs in the starting role.

Even if Stromberg beats him out at center, Clary would still be a solid candidate to start at one of the guard spots. As a true freshman, he actually started the first four games of 2017 at right guard, and - despite criticism of his snaps - he was Arkansas’ top-graded lineman by Pro Football Focus last season.

“I’m sure if that was the case that they both would stay at center and they’d have a competitive battle there,” Pittman said. “Then you’d have to see if the one who didn’t win the center spot, is he in our top five to play for us.”

Stromberg, on the other hand, has completely reshaped his body. He was listed at 266 pounds last season and played around 275, but is now listed at 311. His 45-pound gain was the largest on a team that saw several players put on a lot of weight this offseason.

Based on their listed weights in 2019 and on the most recent roster, 10 players gained at least 20 pounds, with all but one being offensive or defensive linemen.

Pittman said one of his biggest offseason goals was putting weight on his offensive linemen and it resulted in the returning players gaining an average of 14.6 pounds. Including newcomers, the Razorbacks now have 11 offensive linemen who are at least 300 pounds. They had just six last year.

“I’m not saying a 275-pound man can’t block a 315- or 330-pound man, I’m not saying that, but I would like to have a little bit more anchor,” Pittman said. “Obviously, everybody I would assume knows that I like big offensive linemen.”

The biggest scholarship player on the roster is freshman Jalen St. John at 359 pounds. He’s put on 49 pounds since coming in as a 310-pound four-star recruit.

“We’re working with him; he’s with our nutritionists, all that,” Pittman said. “He’s big. We’re working with him maybe to take a little bit of weight off so he can get his foot speed better.”

That comment touched on something else Pittman hoped to achieve this offseason. While adding weight was important, he didn’t want it to be at the cost of athleticism.

“The key is not only are they getting bigger, but can they move and not lose that quickness and gain more power,” Pittman said. “I’ve been really, really pleased.”

Although he didn’t go into any more specifics about where certain guys were playing other than Stromberg and Clary at center, Pittman did single out Myron Cunningham and Dalton Wagner as emerging leaders in the group. They were Arkansas’ starting left and right tackles, respectively, last season.

With so many linemen who have started games in the past and a new coaching staff led by Pittman, a former offensive line group, it remains difficult to project a starting lineup.

Luckily for the Razorbacks, they still have plenty of time before the season starts Sept. 26. In fact, Pittman has about a month before he’d like to pick his starting group, which should give him at least three weeks of practices to figure out the best combination.

“I’d like to settle in maybe two, two-and-a-half weeks before the first game with exactly what we’re going to do,” Pittman said. “And of course you know injuries disrupt all that, so therefore you have to have your third-best tackle that can play both sides, etc.”