ARKANSAS SPRING FOOTBALL

Muscle building: Reshaped Razorback offensive line takes ‘baby steps’

Arkansas offensive line coach Kurt Anderson talks to players during practice Tuesday, April 5, 2016, at the Walker Pavilion in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- There's a whole lot new with Arkansas' offensive line this spring.

New line coach Kurt Anderson, hired from the Buffalo Bills in January, is working to find three new starters to replace All-American guard Sebastian Tretola, tackle Denver Kirkland and center Mitch Smothers.

Sophomore Hjatle Froholdt, working at Tretola's old left guard spot, is new to offense after playing defensive tackle last season.

Colton Jackson, a redshirt freshman from Conway, is new to the depth chart and working at left tackle as Kirkland's replacement.

Redshirt sophomore Brian Wallace, slowed with a concussion and a foot injury this spring, had emerged as the new right guard after being a backup tackle last season.

Frank Ragnow, a junior who started every game at right guard in 2015, has moved back to center.

"With a new O-line coach comes a lot of new terminology," Ragnow said. "So a lot of the younger guys who felt like they were getting comfortable with the old stuff, all of a sudden they've got to learn new stuff."

Senior right tackle Dan Skipper, with 34 career starts, is the only first-team lineman playing the same position he did last season.

"We're taking baby steps," Ragnow said. "We've got guys that are as talented as can be. Everyone going across, you could argue is as athletic or more athletic than the guys we had last year. It's just getting the comfortability.

"Then us five, as a whole, developing that chemistry. It's going to be a long road, but we'll get there."

Sophomore Zach Rogers, who played in three games last season, is working behind Ragnow, but he's taken first-team reps at right guard in Wallace's absence.

Rogers said the young linemen have no choice but to get ready to play.

"All of us are in college now, and it's time to step up," he said. "Time to play in the SEC."

Anderson, who started at center for Michigan in his playing days, said the job of building a new offensive line won't be close to complete with today's Red-White game, which marks the end of spring practice.

"Football's not that way, and especially the offensive line is not that way," Anderson said. "It's a process, and you've got to keep a level head.

"You've got to keep pushing them and fighting. You've got to coach them hard, but at the same time, you've got to put your arm around them and tell them they're doing some really good things, too."

Anderson said Jackson and Froholdt are starting to develop on the left side.

"I think Colton Jackson, from the first practice to now, has made unbelievable strides," Anderson said. "He's setting better. He's setting with confidence. His hand placement is better. His eye progression is better.

"You want to see more finish from him, but you can see he's thinking a lot of things through.

"Once he feels very, very comfortable in every little detail that I'm asking to do, he's going to play that much faster and that much more physical. That takes time."

Jackson said Kirkland and Skipper were helpful with advice last season.

"I talked to them, and they'd teach me as I went along," he said. "Learning from them made it a whole lot easier.

"I look at Dan as a role model. He played as a true freshman, so he's been in situations like this."

Anderson said Froholdt is making gradual improvement in pass protection, which he called the biggest adjustment for a lineman moving from defense.

"But I'm telling you, he's going to be a very special player if he continues to grow the way he's growing right now," Anderson said.

Jackson's ability at left tackle, Anderson said, persuaded him to move Wallace to guard.

"To me, he looks like the prototypical starting guard that you would want on all 32 of the NFL teams," Anderson said of Wallace. "When I put him over there, he looked very comfortable, was aggressive, very physical, used his hands."

The linemen said Anderson, 37, has brought new ideas and techniques from the NFL. He's shown them tape from the Bills' blocking schemes.

"Coach Anderson knows everything," Ragnow said. "His tips have helped everybody so much, and we've got a young group that really wants to play hard for him."

Adding to the degree of difficulty has been trying to block a veteran defensive line led by seniors Deatrich Wise Jr., Jeremiah Ledbetter, Taiwan Johnson and JaMichael Winston.

"When you've got a young line going against a veteran line -- either side of the ball -- your weaknesses and the learning curve get exploited a little bit more," Anderson said. "But at the same time, you wouldn't want it any other way, because that defensive line is making us better on a daily basis."

Other offensive linemen in the mix are Johnny Gibson, Jalen Merrick, Deion Malone, Jackson Hannah, Klint Harvey and Cooper Sone.

"It's a dual task to develop starters and develop quality backups at the same time," Anderson said." I'm trying to prepare them all to be the starter and put their focus on that.

"If they do that, then I think we'll be where we want to be come fall."

Sports on 04/23/2016