Quarterback
Here comes the least-experienced pack of quarterbacks Arkansas has worked with in years. Projected starter Austin Allen is 9 of 19 for 188 yards in his career, with minimal work in SEC play. His lone completion last season went for a 35-yard touchdown to Jeremy Sprinkle. Allen has taken his job seriously since being handed the starting reins, studying every rep his brother Brandon took over the past three years. Coaches and teammates say Allen’s leadership and maturity have increased markedly since his redshirt freshman season. Allen agrees with the summation. Coordinator and position coach Dan Enos said Allen is making quicker reads and better decisions overall, and should be ready for the SEC cauldron. Austin Allen throws a tighter deep ball than his brother, which could lead to more risk-reward scenarios for the Hogs. Enos didn’t name a No. 2 quarterback after two weeks of camp. Redshirt freshman Ty Storey had a solid first scrimmage and looks to be challenging redshirt sophomore Rafe Peavey for the back-up role. True freshman Cole Kelley, 6-7, 258 pounds, has potential but needs polish. He took substantial reps in the opening scrimmage with the second unit and the younger players, while Ricky Town worked with the young group.
Running back
Will a 1,000-yard back emerge from a group led by sixth-year senior Kody Walker and sophomore Rawleigh Williams? The opportunity is available for one or two players to hit that milestone. Walker has settled in at about 235 pounds, down from his 260-pound days when he alternated between fullback and tailback. Walker should be a good sledgehammer back, though not a big breakaway threat. Williams says he’s back with no reservations after neck surgery and his 100-yard game at Tennessee last year proves he can handle a solid workload. Damon “Duwop” Mitchell might have found his calling as a physical runner with open-field skills. Devwah Whaley was the offensive gem in the last signing class. At 5-11, 216 pounds, he fits the mold of a Bielema banger. Fellow freshman T.J. Hammonds, who was a potential redshirt to begin with, needed surgery for a torn meniscus in his knee on Aug. 15 and will miss a few weeks. Freshman Hayden Johnson is being trained for a starting fullback role right out of the gate and the coaches have liked his rapid rate of learning and physicality. Kendrick Jackson moved from linebacker to fullback, as he did last season, after one scrimmage.
Receiver
Who will catch the most passes this fall? Senior wideouts Keon Hatcher and Drew Morgan and tight end Jeremy Sprinkle would seem like the likeliest candidates. Hatcher has started 20 games in his career but is coming off of foot surgery; Morgan, filling in for Hatcher, had a 63-catch season with 843 yards and 10 touchdowns; and Sprinkle led all SEC tight ends with six touchdown catches. Dominique Reed catches criticism for his occasional lack of focus, but his speed and touchdown-scoring ability cannot be denied — nor forgotten. He averaged a team-high 19.1 yards per catch and scored 7 TDs. Jared Cornelius is electric with the ball in his hands, as evidenced by his 3 receiving TDs and 2 rushing TDs. Cody Hollister is eager for an opportunity to post bigger numbers. Arkansas should be very good at beating man coverage. The next wave of wideouts features Deon Stewart, La’Michael Pettway, Jordan Jones and Kofi Boateng, who was injured in camp and won’t play this season.
Offensive line
Experiments have abounded in camp. Senior Dan Skipper seemed targeted for left tackle at the halfway mark. The coaches want to see Frank Ragnow take over at center because of his savvy and leadership, but he might slot in elsewhere else. Hjalte Froholdt is a promising left guard prospect but there will be ups and downs. Zach Rogers and Jake Raulerson rotated between right guard and backup center and both look targeted for the top seven. Brian Wallace got looks at right guard and tackle and looks the part, but he’s still learning. Raulerson also worked at right tackle, which has been the trouble spot. Jalen Merrick, Deion Malone and Paul Ramirez are in position to provide depth to the unit, which struggled against the Hogs’ top-flight defensive front through the spring and early in camp.
Defensive line
This could be the breakout position group for a defense on the rebound. Senior end Deatrich Wise Jr. followed up on his breakout finish to the 2015 season by schooling offensive tackles throughout the spring and early in camp. A healthy Wise could put up huge numbers. Seniors Taiwan Johnson and Jeremiah Ledbetter look to form an explosive combo inside. Junior Tevin Beanum’s excused absence in camp gave junior Karl Roesler and freshman McTelvin Agim greater reps. Depth should not be an issue in the rotation. JaMichael Winston, a defensive captain in 2015, and old hand Brandon Lewis lead the group of top reserves, along with Bijhon Jackson, Armon Watts, Daytrieon Dean and T.J. Smith. This group struggled to disrupt passing schemes until about the midway point of the season and are aiming for a quicker impact this fall.
Linebackers
Brooks Ellis and Dre Greenlaw piled up tackles last season — 102 and 95, respectively — but fewer reps should help them be more effective late in games and later in the season. Their run stopping was mostly solid, but their pass coverage needs to be better. Josh Williams has recovered from a broken leg to return to first team strong-side linebacker ahead of Khalia Hackett. The position wasn’t used against run-heavy SEC teams last year. Freshman De’Jon Harris is showing he deserves playing time behind Ellis at middle linebacker. Dwayne Eugene should give more help to Greenlaw on the weak side after injuries slowed him last year. Josh Harris is still providing occasional big pops. Alexy Jean-Baptiste, Dee Walker and Giovanni LaFrance, who was nursing a broken hand in camp, join with De’Jon Harris for a big rookie class. Watch out for walk-on Grant Morgan.
Secondary
The hope here is that a new season and a new position coach, Paul Rhoads, will reverse the results in pass coverage in 2015, when the Hogs ranked last in the SEC and No. 116 nationally by allowing 275 yards per game. Better eye discipline from the backs and a more consistent, disruptive pass rush should help. Seniors Jared Collins and D.J. Dean and junior Henre’ Toliver lead what is shaping up to be a deep pool of cornerbacks. Transfer Britto Tutt, Ryan Pulley and Cornelius Floyd are also in shape to earn playing time. The safety spots are not as deep. Free safety Josh Liddell and strong safety Santos Ramirez are backed by De’Andre Coley, Reid Miller and freshmen Deon Edwards and Micahh Smith. Rhoads would prefer to redshirt the latter two.
Special teams
Returning punter Toby Baker has a strong leg and is an adept situational punter. Cole Hedlund maintained his starting job at place kicker early in camp with a good success rate, but he bounced a 35-yard try off the right upright in the first scrimmage. The Razorbacks, who have moved their placements to 8 yards from the line of scrimmage, cannot afford to have four field goals blocked as they did in 2015. Hedlund, Adam McFain and Connor Limpert are competing for the kickoff job. Jared Cornelius averaged 13.3 yards on punt returns last year. Dominique Reed, Keon Hatcher, Drew Morgan, Cornelius and Jordan Jones are all potential kick returners. The coverage units should be populated by younger linebackers, defensive backs and tight ends and should be marginally improved from last year.