Several freshman Hogs poised to break out

Devwah Whaley, running back for the Arkansas Razorbacks stretches Thursday, August 4, 2016 during practice on campus in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas boasts several candidates to go the Dre Greenlaw route in 2016.

Greenlaw blasted off as a true freshman last season, starting the final 11 games at weakside linebacker and finishing second on the team in tackles. Greenlaw was among six true freshmen to play for the Razorbacks, joining running back Rawleigh Williams, fullback Kendrick Jackson, defensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt, cornerback Ryan Pulley and offensive lineman Zach Rogers.

During the past week, Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema has mentioned a handful of true freshmen he expected to see playing time this season, and he touted the group of 20 signees.

"Out of the 20 kids that we signed, I think every one of them is a hit," Bielema told the Little Rock Touchdown Club last week. "A lot of times you'll go back after you get through fall camp, and you'll look at that freshman class and you'll say was it a hit, how many did we hit on, how many are going to be players?"

Bielema said the freshmen remind him of his first signing class, which included Alex Collins, Hunter Henry, Brooks Ellis, Denver Kirkland, Drew Morgan and Austin Allen.

"I think this group has that kind of talent as well, so we've done a good job," Bielema said.

The true freshmen who could develop into mainstays this fall are led by running back Devwah Whaley, defensive end McTelvin Agim and linebacker De'Jon Harris.

Agim got off to a great start by enrolling in January, participating in spring drills and earning a spot as a first-teamer in at least one of the unit's pass-rush packages.

Whaley had a breakout first scrimmage, piling up 96 yards on 14 carries and turning in the play of the day, a tackle-breaking 11-yard touchdown run. The coaching staff, confident in the 5-11, 216-pounder's readiness, let him roll in a green no-contact jersey for the next week or so to rest a mildly bruised shoulder to preserve his freshness for the season opener against Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

"I think he's going to be a great athlete. I think he's going to be a great running back, so I'm excited to see where we take this room this year," said Williams, who rushed for 254 yards before a neck injury cut his season short in October.

"Devwah, he's the real deal," quarterback Austin Allen said.

"Devwah Whaley will play for us, and he'll play very, very well," Bielema said. "He'll resemble a lot of what you see with Rawleigh Williams. He's a strong back, and he's very good at some patient running."

Harris' ascension at middle linebacker has been so steady that the coaching staff felt good enough to shift Jackson back to fullback for his sophomore year.

"He likes the game, and it's going to be impressive to watch him," Bielema said of Harris.

"The thing about De'Jon, this is actually the first time he's playing one position all the time," linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said. "In high school he played everything. He was a quarterback, linebacker, kicked off, he did everything.

"Now he has the chance to just kind of zero in on being a linebacker. Once he gets his feet underneath him, I think he's going to be fine. We've thrown him out there and he's holding his own."

Harris, a heavy hitter at 6-0, 255, is backing up Ellis in the middle.

"He has unbelievable instincts," defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. "He's got a knack for knowing where the ball's going to go before it gets there. He was an excellent offensive player in high school, and he can kind of see the same picture that the running back sees and where the daylight's dictated and run in that direction. It helps him catch up a couple of steps in the whole process."

Other true freshmen on offense who have a shot at playing time are running back T.J. Hammonds, who can also be a return man; fullback Hayden Johnson; receiver Jordan Jones; quarterback Cole Kelley; and tight end Grayson Gunter.

Johnson is in the mix for a starting assignment at fullback, along with Jackson.

On defense, nose guard Austin Capps and linebacker Dee Walker could figure into the two-deep.

"Austin Capps, he's going to play, and my guess is he's going to be a very, very good player in a short fashion," Bielema said. "He's so locked in to what he's doing. He's so strong and powerful."

Smith said Capps did some things consistently well through camp.

"He's strong, he's powerful, he uses his hands ... and some movement skills, he's really shown some prowess with that," Smith said.

Capps lifted 600 pounds in the squat during a competitive lifting session staged by strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert this summer.

"He did 600 pounds like it was nothing on his back," Bielema said. "That's just not normal."

Defensive end Karl Roesler said he was impressed by the entire group of freshmen defensive linemen: Agim, Capps, Briston Guidry and Jonathan Marshall.

"Those freshman, they're a lot stronger than freshmen should be," Roesler said.

Among the other first-year players who could factor heavily into Arkansas' plans is transfer offensive lineman Jake Raulerson. The 6-4, 301-pounder, who started for Texas during Arkansas' 31-7 victory over the Longhorns in the 2014 Texas Bowl, is running with the first team at right guard.

Fellow transfers Deion Malone and Paul Ramirez have not earned starting jobs, but might factor into the two-deep.

Junior college transfer Britto Tutt had worked his way onto the second team at cornerback before suffering a torn knee ligament. Tutt will redshirt in 2016 and have three years of eligibility remaining.

Sports on 08/28/2016