FAYETTEVILLE — Sometimes there seems no rhyme, though it’s a given it’s thoroughly been reasoned, to the pecking order Bobby Petrino establishes for his Razorbacks’ opening preseason drills.
No wonder the Arkansas coach posts no summer depth chart. Some of those postings would be more outdated than the typewriter.
The Razorbacks closed spring drills with veteran lettermen Bret Harris and Terrell Williams contesting for first team at weakside linebacker.
Neither played first team when the Razorbacks practiced Thursday night for the first time.
Alonzo Highsmith Jr. did in his first Arkansas practice.
Highsmith is the brand new junior college All-America transfer who was still completing his Phoenix College degree when the Hogs practiced last spring, but he’s been here throughout summer conditioning workouts.
By definition, Highsmith still should have practiced with the newcomers Thursday afternoon.
Obviously, he didn’t.
Petrino explained.
“We threw him in there based on his ability and hard work and knowledge,” Petrino said. “He gives us the best chance, and we didn’t feel we wanted to hold him back. The other guys had a great opportunity to compete in the spring and nobody really declared himself the starter, so we are going to give him a chance.”
Conversely, even with 2010 starting offensive tackles DeMarcus Love and Ray Dominguez gone to the NFL, it appeared last spring that fifth-year senior offensive tackle Grant Freeman of Paris would likely stay a reserve.
Touted true freshman Brey Cook and junior college transfer Jason Peacock, both of whom enrolled in January, and huge letterman Anthony Oden got the big attention at tackle last spring.
Oden has since been dismissed from the team, and Freeman operated Thursday in first-team tackle tandem with Peacock.
It’s nice to see long paid dues rewarded. Freeman works hard without complaint and lettered three Thursday.
years in reserve.
However, the season won’t start on sentiment.
“I’ve been here and worked a lot, but I still have to compete,” Freeman said. “I still have to prove I deserve to be in the spot because we have some really talented guys that are competing with me.”
Freeman also knows that, even though his success at it likely willcut into his own time, as the senior tackle he must advise Cook, Peacock, true freshman Mitch Smothers and junior college transfer Chris Stringer.
“To be honest, it kind of helps me learn,” Freeman said. “If I can help these younger guys, then that means I know it well enough myself. On top of that, Ray Dominguez did that for me for four years. I owe it to pass that forward to these young guys.”
Smothers practiced with the varsity Thursday night, while Stringer practiced with the newcomers.
Don’t read much into that, though. Coming off a 2009 redshirt, center Travis Swanson practiced with the newcomers in 2010 during those four August days of split practices between newcomers and varsity drills.
August ended with Swanson on the first team. He started every game and opens this season on the Rimington Award watch list.
VAN DYKE MOURNED
Former Razorbacks mourn another death.
Sammy Van Dyke, the cheerfully effective running back from Coach Ken Hatfield’s first freshman class lettering in 1984-1987, recently died.
Sports, Pages 22 on 08/06/2011