RAZORBACK GAME WEEK: Sprinkle top TE, but who's No. 2?

Arkansas tight end Jeremy Sprinkle (83) runs with the ball following a reception during the second quarter on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' dedication to tight end play can be summed up with a couple of facts from last season.

The Razorbacks' top player at that position, Hunter Henry, was also selected as the nation's top tight end, winning the Mackey Award after leading the nation's tight ends with 739 receiving yards last season.

In April, Henry was taken in the second round of the NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.

Arkansas' "second" tight end, Jeremy Sprinkle, led the SEC with six touchdowns among his 27 catches for 389 yards. Only nine tight ends among the top 50 in the country averaged more than Sprinkle's 14.4 yards per catch last season, including Henry at 14.5.

Sprinkle, a 6-6, 256-pound senior from White Hall, is the clear No. 1 now.

"I don't know if we're going to be fortunate enough to have two Mackey Award winners in a row, but he'll be in the running," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said last week. "In fall camp he's looked as good as he's ever looked.

"He's a different tight end than Hunter. I know Hunter wouldn't want to hear it, but he probably runs actually better than Hunter. Just a pure runner. Catches the ball very well. He's better at the line of scrimmage than he's ever been and I think he's set for a big year."

Bielema said the Arkansas coaches like to have five tight ends ready to play because of the team's frequent use of sets that require two or more tight ends.

There are plenty of questions behind Sprinkle.

Anthony Antwine, a redshirt junior who was awarded a scholarship on Friday, is the only tight end on the roster behind Sprinkle with a catch in a college game. Antwine caught a 15-yard pass against Nicholls State in 2014.

Antwine, redshirt sophomore Jack Kraus, redshirt freshman Austin Cantrell and true freshman Grayson Gunter are vying for the backup role Sprinkle starred in last season.

Two tight ends who were expected to be in the mix -- redshirt freshmen Will Gragg and Cheyenne O'Grady -- went to the scout team to open last week. Gragg and O'Grady, along with Cantrell, were part of the nation's top-ranked class of tight ends in 2015.

Tight ends coach Barry Lunney mentioned throughout spring and the opening of camp that the trio of Cantrell, Gragg and O'Grady had to show improvement with their knowledge of the playbook.

"We need that group to be accelerated in their urgency, in their learning, in their maturity," Lunney said before camp.

Gunter, whose father Bubba played linebacker at Ole Miss, said the Razorbacks probably offer the nation's best system for tight ends.

The coaching staff decided a week ago to put Gunter on track to play this season based on his grasp of the offense and his physical traits.

"He might be our fourth or fifth tight end," Bielema said. "I like what he brings to the table."

Enos pointed out last week what Gunter did to work his way up the tight end depth chart.

"He's jumped in and learned the offense very quickly," Enos said. "His first week he didn't get many reps, but through injuries and things like that he was given an opportunity and as we all know, guys that get their opportunities sometimes take advantage of them. Grayson has certainly done that."

O'Grady, who was slowed by tendinitis during camp, and Gragg can still make their marks at Arkansas, Enos and Bielema said.

"I see a guy that has a very bright future here," Enos said of Gragg. "He did some really good things and he could certainly work his way back into the mix very, very quickly."

Bielema pointed out a couple of players from his past -- tight end Marv Cook and linebacker O'Brien Schofield -- who spent more than a year on the scout team and then went on to have NFL careers.

"The guys that need mental and physical development, they need time," Bielema said, pointing out that Gragg and O'Grady are both redshirt freshmen. "If we try to push it and put them in when they're not ready, that could digress them more than anything. We'll play them when their time comes."

Sprinkle, who redshirted in 2012 and then had seven catches in 2013, could serve as an example to the young tight ends.

Lunney calls Sprinkle's ascent "a classic program developmental course" in his career.

"I think he's ready," Lunney said. "He's worked very hard. He loves the game. He's a great ambassador for our university."

Lunney said there's an added component to the physical demands on a tight end when he moves into the every-down slot.

"It's a grind. It's a challenge," Lunney said of being the top guy. "There is no doubt [Sprinkle] is up for it. He's primed for it. ... If Jeremy is just Jeremy, he's going to have a really good year."

Sports on 08/29/2016