Razorback Breakdown: Alex Sanford, Linebacker

With so many new faces on the Arkansas roster, we spend the summer introducing them to Hog fans

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There have been massive changes to the roster at Arkansas, especially on the defensive side. Since fans will not know who many of the players are, the allHogs staff will spend the summer breaking down as many newcomers as possible. Considering how overwhelming the turnover has been since last November, there might not be enough days in the summer to get to every new face, but there will be a focused effort to try.

So, without further ado, let's get to today's featured Razorback. We will start with freshman linebacker Alex Sanford of Oxford, Mississippi.

ALEX SANFORD
★★★☆☆
Linebacker | 6-1 | 230 | Oxford, Miss. | Oxford HS
HIGHLIGHTS

Oxford linebacker Alex Sanford appears to have been born a linebacker in waiting. His size and thickness makes him the prototype for being able to withstand the continual punishment a linebacker's body takes.

Sanford is a middle linebacker who spent most of his time junior year in read and react mode with an apparent keen eye for tracking a ball in flight, which makes him dangerous on special teams and against low passes thrown over the middle. However, his senior season saw him within a yard of the defensive line, standing in the middle of the defensive line, or putting a hand down and rushing off the edge. In over 12 minutes of highlights from his senior season, those skills in pass coverage were wiped from the books as he became a run stopper and sack specialist while showing no attempts to cover receivers or make interceptions. 

Two biggest concerns after junior year:

In the spring between Sanford's junior and senior season
we had these observations:

While his closing speed is solid, the time between when Sanford makes the decision to react and his acceleration to full speed is fatally long for an aspiring SEC linebacker. It appears he doesn't trust his instincts. Indications that this is just a case of taking a bit to unwind those powerful leg muscles are erased when his coaches let him shoot the gap with no reads required on seek and destroy assignments. 

The biggest concern for Sanford entering college should be self discipline when it comes to college cafeterias and the abundance of fast food that surrounds the campus. If he follows the path of so many freshmen let loose into the wild, he could find himself an undersized defensive lineman needing tools that don't appear to come natural. However, if he leans out and solidifies his muscle, he can become the poster child for an SEC linebacker.

How Did Sanford Respond?

There is little doubt that Sanford has gotten much more comfortable with allowing his body to guide him to what needs to be done. His coaches definitely positioned him to do more search and destroy missions, hence why he was walked up into the defensive line and also allowed to put a hand down on the edge. However, his ability to scrape the gaps, be disciplined in reads and make last second adjustments when taking on blocks to allow himself the best opportunity to make the tackle improved a lot. It's a big part of why he was selected as a U.S. Army All-American.

As for the physical discipline of his body, there is a huge difference in his physique from junior year to his arrival at Arkansas. He was a 240 pound monster his junior season. Now he's a 230 pound bullet waiting to be fired out of a cannon. He has done a great job of leaning up and adding solid muscle in its place. It shows in his explosiveness. He also apparently arrived two inches shorter than he was in high school, but that happens sometimes. Small town doctor's offices tend to not ask high school boys to remove their shoes for sake of keeping things sanitary when doing physicals.

Projection: Defensive coordinator Travis Williams has the pedigree to marry the pass defense prowess from Sanford's junior year to the physical run stopper he became his senior season. There are a few wrinkles to iron out, so it may just be special teams work as far as on-field play next year. 

Perhaps Sanford's biggest asset is his willingness to stay true to his gap and not lose containment. This will most likely change as he faces more speed at the college level, but it's a starting point that is often a weakness for linebackers coming out of high school.

This gives him a solid jump on the competition. Because of this and the dedication the new defensive coaching staff has shown to teaching the smallest of details, there is plenty of evidence to think that Sanford can quickly to build him into a complete SEC level linebacker by the end of his freshman season. 

CONCLUSION: Sanford provides a solid starting point for defensive coordinator Travis Williams. If he proves himself coachable, Sanford could become a serious SEC level threat by his junior year. 

COMMITTED 🐗 @RazorbackFB @CoachSamPittman @Mike_Scherer38 @Jake_Trump46 @Coach_Odom @Walmart @Nike @MurphyUSA @iamayesanford #WPS🐗 pic.twitter.com/SokzURcHWH

— Alex Sanford🛸 (@Alex5anford) June 26, 2022

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