BELK BOWL: ARKANSAS VS. (22) VIRGINIA TECH

Gang's back together for Hogs

Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw (23) celebrates after intercepting a pass during the second quarter of a game against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas football team resumed practicing Saturday for its Dec. 29 Belk Bowl game against No. 22 Virginia Tech, and the players and coaches were as close to 100 percent participation as the Razorbacks have been in many weeks.

A bunch of assistant coaches who had been out of town recruiting for the Razorbacks' sporadic practices since closing the regular season with a 28-24 loss at Missouri were back on the field. So was linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive back Kevin Richardson, who went through drills in green no-contact jerseys.

Greenlaw has been out with a broken foot since Oct. 8 against Alabama. Coach Bret Bielema said last week if Greenlaw was cleared medically within two weeks of the bowl game, Bielema would feel good about Greenlaw playing against the Hokies (9-4). Bielema also said Greenlaw needed to finish the semester with a strong academic push.

"He's going to get through finals, and we'll see how today went," linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said. "He ran around a little today, and we'll see ... how he came out of it.

"We'll obviously know a lot more [Sunday] morning, see how he feels and play it by ear from there."

Richardson has been out since the season opener against Louisiana Tech with a torn pectoral muscle. Although he did drill work, he is not preparing for the bowl.

"He's back enough to where he can practice but not play," defensive backs coach Paul Rhoads said. "He will not play in the game. He's padded up and doing everything without contact that everyone else is doing on the field."

Richardson redshirted as a walk-on in 2013, but he would have the chance to apply for a medical redshirt for a shot at a sixth year in 2018 if he chooses.

Receiver Jared Cornelius, who suffered a sprained knee late in the second quarter at Missouri, is improving in his efforts to be ready for the Hokies.

"He's going through rehab, and we're going to have him back," receivers coach Michael Smith said. "I just want him to get healthy. When he's healthy, he's one of the better ones in our conference."

Redshirt freshman receiver Kofi Boateng, who suffered a torn knee ligament early in camp, is now going through individual work.

Cornelius and center Frank Ragnow are two juniors who have had discussions with Bielema about receiving feedback from the NFL Draft advisory board.

"That's something that Jared has to sit down with his family and discuss," Smith said. "We've had discussions, and everything he's told me is he's coming back, so I'm really not thinking about him being gone. My main concern right now with Jared is just getting him back and getting healthy so we can get him in this bowl game."

Offensive line coach Kurt Anderson said he talked to Ragnow during the bye week about his future, but he does not visit the issue of Ragnow's potential early entry into the draft on a regular basis.

"To be honest, I've kind of left it alone," said Anderson, who worked three years with the Buffalo Bills before coming to Arkansas (7-5). "We talked bye week, stuff like that. There's times when he and I get one-on-one time and we talk about certain things and he'll pick my brain about the NFL and stuff like that. But in terms of advising him one way or another, it's going to be his decision.

"I know this though, coming from that level ... when those scouts do their research and if they really sit there and study Frank Ragnow, that you're going to be hard-pressed to find a better center in the country. I obviously want Frank to come back. I think it will benefit him to come back.

"If he comes back, it's going to be my goal to make him the Rimington Award winner [for nation's top center], because I think he should be up for it this year. I just can't imagine being able to turn on tape and watch other centers and have them do the things that he does, and actually do all the things that I ask him to do in terms of being that leader on the offensive line."

The Razorbacks have been devoting plenty of practice time to their younger players, but they also began repping against some Virginia Tech looks for the first time during Saturday's work.

Smith said the Razorbacks did 5 five-minute periods of developmental work out of the 18 practice periods Saturday.

"It's about everybody getting better as a coach, as a player," tight ends coach Barry Lunney said. "If you can take advantage of these extra 10, 15, whatever practices it is, then it's like a whole spring practice in one. That's the old-school coaching adage, but it's true and it's been good."

Rhoads said all of the young players in the secondary who have been on the scout team have taken the right approach during the developmental work.

"They're excited about being taught again," Rhoads said. "They spend so much time after August wearing a different jersey number and playing a different guy and a different defense. Now when it's back to getting taught their defense, I think there's a great willingness and coachability there that's present."

Sports on 12/11/2016