Arkansas spring football

Arkansas bulks up tight end's role

Jeremy Sprinkle of Arkansas works through a drill during practice Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the university's practice facility in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema is ready to invest in tight end Jeremy Sprinkle.

"If I could buy stock in him, I would buy as much that would be legal on the New York Stock Exchange," Bielema said.

That's the way Sprinkle has been playing this spring.

"It's the spectacular spring of Sprinkle," tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. said. "He's been really solid."

Lunney said Sprinkle, a redshirt junior from White Hall, showed improvement previously but lacked consistency.

"Maybe a two steps forward, one step back type deal, but he's really progressively climbed all spring," Lunney said. "We hadn't seen that before. I think what we're seeing now is maturity. He's just grown up. He's been in the program for four years, and it shows."

Sprinkle has caught 6 passes for 94 yards and 1 touchdown in the Razorbacks' two full-scale scrimmages and become a more physical blocker. His first two seasons, he combined for 11 receptions for 162 yards and 1 touchdown.

He looks poised to put up much bigger numbers this season.

"My confidence is a lot higher than what it's been over the past few years," Sprinkle said. "I've been waiting my turn. Now I'm ready."

Sprinkle, 6-6, has gained about 12 pounds since last season and is up to 252.

"He's put on a lot of weight, put on a lot of muscle, and he's still moving as well as he can move," quarterback Brandon Allen said. "He's going to be a big-time mismatch for a lot of defenses."

Junior tight end Hunter Henry, a two-year starter with 65 catches for 922 yards and 6 touchdowns, said it's exciting to see Sprinkle's improvement to help offset the loss of senior AJ Derby.

"Jeremy's really pushing me, which is awesome," said Henry, an All-SEC second-team pick by the coaches last season. "I love the competition."

In addition to Henry and Sprinkle, the tight ends in spring practice are senior Alex Voelzke, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship last season, redshirt freshman Jack Kraus and true freshman Will Gragg.

Sophomore Anthony Antwine, who moved from receiver to tight end, sustained a leg injury two weeks ago that has sidelined him for the spring. High school signees C.J. O'Grady from Fayetteville and Austin Cantrell from Roland, Okla., will join the tight ends in the fall.

This spring's group has made a positive impression on new Razorbacks offensive coordinator Dan Enos.

"They're unbelievable," Enos said. "I can't imagine that too many teams in the country have a set of tight ends like we do. They've been very impressive to me not only running routes, but blocking as well."

ESPN rated Gragg as the nation's No. 6 high school tight end at Dumas last season when he had 42 catches for 456 yards and enrolled early at Arkansas.

"Will was like a fish out of water early, but you can really see his development the last few practices, the way he's getting better at everything," Enos said.

Gragg had two catches for 14 yards in the scrimmages.

"Getting up here early and learning the playbook and learning how to practice, it's real beneficial," Gragg said. "Hunter and Jeremy are two of the best tight ends in the country and they're teaching me a lot of things.

"Whenever we're on the field, I can ask them something, and it's just like talking to the coaches. They've really taken me under their wing."

Gragg, 6-4, said he's up to 255 pounds, an 8-pound gain from last season. He laughed when asked about being listed at 260 pounds on Arkansas' roster.

"I was like, 'Dang, y'all are trying to put extra pounds on me,' " Gragg said. "I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it."

Lunney said Gragg is doing well, especially for an early enrollee.

"Everything he's done here has been a bonus for him," Lunney said. "He's grown every single practice."

Lunney coached Kraus -- who has 3 catches for 30 yards and 1 touchdown in the scrimmages -- at Bentonville High School.

"He's made some nice improvements," Lunney said. "He's really leaned up and he's running better. He's smart. He's having to play both positions for us -- tight end and spread wide -- and he's handling that well."

Henry said he's focused on catching passes with his hands rather than his body and getting in and out of his breaks on routes quicker.

"I need to be able to snatch balls out of the air sometimes and not let them come to me," Henry said. "At the top of my routes, when I'm breaking in or out, I need to work on my head nods and trying to move defenders different directions. I need to read the coverages better to know when to do that."

Henry, 6-5, is up to 250 pounds and said it's a good weight for him. Sprinkle said he feels comfortable playing at his heavier weight, too.

"I'm a lot better with my blocking," Sprinkle said. "I feel stronger controlling the defensive ends in the run game.

"It just feels better, and it hasn't slowed me down one bit."

Sports on 04/22/2015