Good Surprises Highlight Initial Observations of Rebuilt Razorbacks

First day of Arkansas spring practices brought a lot to take in

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas fans had better make sure they bring their rosters to War Memorial Stadium for the opener against Western Carolina.

Trying to process all the new faces at the opening day of spring practice was enough to get everyone's head spinning. It will be even more overwhelming once the entire team is together with the rest of the new recruits and additional transfer portal guys who show up in the May transfer window.

Because of this, it was hard to focus on anything specific during the short time media is allowed to watch practice.

So here's what was noticed:

• Raheim Sanders is 10 pounds heavier than last season after spending an offseason hitting the weights. He still looks fast, but don't expect that to be his playing weight. 

 Winters are often intense on lifting weights, while spring is often heavy on agility drills. He is currently 237, but expect that to settle in a shade above 230 by the time season starts, which is still plenty of size to power through at the goal line.

• The first day was what you might expect from the wide receivers. Everyone is either new to the team or new to the spotlight.

As a result, there were a lot of dropped balls and late throws. Guys had a hard time getting open fast enough to avoid a sack in one-on-one drills. 

Things will settle down as quarterbacks and receivers develop chemistry and get more comfortable with a new type of pressure and environment. This was definitely the group that demonstrated the most visible need for improvement going forward.

• The most physically impressive player was offensive lineman Andrew Chamblee. He looks like a giant in person, but also relatively slim. 

Carrying over 300 pounds while looking that streamlined is jarring when scanning the field among the linemen. He's got the weight, but it's the right weight.

• Freshman quarterback Malachi Singleton has a powerful arm. His throws are effortless with the slightest flick of a wrist. He also demonstrates good touch on the ball. Of course, when KJ Jefferson takes the field, it's like Optimus Prime just stepped onto the battlefield. Everyone falls in line and appears to have absolute trust in whatever he's doing.

• Defensively, the man who sent me scrambling for my roster sheet the quickest was defensive back transfer Lorando Johnson. Not only was the former Baylor Bear physical and able to maintain tight coverage, but he appeared to be highly receptive to coaching when this new group of defensive coaches had something they wanted him to think about.

• One other young man who stood out was Joey Su'a. There wasn't a chance to take not of him in action, but he caused a stop down while walking by the drill station where he was being coached. The true freshman is built like a tank and that's before the strength and conditioning coaches get a lot of time to work with him. If he were to step into a WWE ring next week, he could easily pull off being the biggest and baddest cousin of Roman Reigns' family as the newest member of The Bloodline. 

• There wasn't a lot of time to put names with faces as far as the assistant coaches go, but there was enough time to get a feeling that there is something there with this group. They're a good mix of tough and demanding while also being personable. However, the thing that stood out most was their desire to teach.

There appears to be an old school willingness to go back to the basics of the basics.  They are diligent enough in their approach to hit the details and not assume any of the players have mastered the fundamentals. 

Nowhere was this more evident than in the secondary where the emphasis in an early drill was having weight distributed correctly on specific areas of the feet to save that fraction of a second that can determine whether the Razorbacks stop a team on third down or give up a touchdown when turning to go with a receiver. It was something one might expect every defensive back to already have, but it was a skill even the best among the defensive backs in that grouping appeared to be trying on for the first time.

• Overall the atmosphere was one that would feel more fitting of a practice later in the spring. Everyone knew where to go, got there quickly and the coaches weren't holding back. 

However, it was the individual way the coaches handled each player when he wasn't doing what was expected that stood out. Some guys, usually veterans, got yelled at in a very public way. Others were pulled to the side and addressed one-on-one in a very calm, here's what needs to be corrected and here's why that's important manner.

At one point a player didn't have his helmet pulled down and strapped up so he could be ready to go. The coach running his drill kept his voice at a normal level, but repeatedly said in a way that clearly indicated he was serious about what he was saying to put the helmet on. The pace at which he said it over and over left no room for the player to make the mistake of talking back because there wasn't a breath of space between sentences to protest. 

The constant repetition served almost as an uncomfortable clock making it clear how long the young man wasn't in compliance with expectations. The coach exerted control while maintaining control in a truly impressive manner that avoided conflict and damaging the relationship with his player. It's clear in the differentiated approach that these coaches have already taken time to get a feel for what's going to be most effective with each player.

Final Thoughts

It was hard to take in a lot of meaningful observation in the half hour or so the media was allowed to be there. Afterward, there were media members saying two players from different position groups were amazing and the possible future of this team, but while I was focused on those players they couldn't keep the ball in their hands. 

They were on my list as having the most work to do.

Take what each of us have to say with that caveat in mind and trust that early on, what you hear is probably somewhere in between when it comes to the reality of the situation.

The biggest takeaway is that it's no longer the last two weeks of last season when this thing was falling apart at the seams. Also, Cincinnati isn't looming at the entrance to the upcoming season. 

It's a fresh start with fresh new players and fresh new coaches that is going to be allowed by the schedule to develop. It's as much of a reset as there can possibly be without firing the head coach, and a new beginning was something this program desperately needed. 

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