FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas starting inside linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Scoota Harris have shared the field for a limited time during practice and even less during actual games.
The duo will start alongside each other for the first time Thursday when the Razorbacks open their season against FCS foe Florida A&M in Little Rock. Making sure Greenlaw, who missed a good chunk of fall camp, is in game shape and getting the pair on the same page in what figures to be a blowout win will be important.
“Those two guys out there together look pretty good,” coach Bret Bielema said.
It’ll also be critical to get their backups good reps before the looming week-two matchup with TCU. Grant Morgan and Dee Walker are both redshirt freshmen, yet to play a single snap in a college game but the next men up behind Greenlaw and Harris.
If healthy, Greenlaw and Harris will play the lion’s share, if not all, the meaningful snaps against good opponents. But getting Morgan and Walker real game experience in the opener will be a priority.
"It'll be great, because I think that'll pay dividends down the road just in case," Hargreaves said. "If we can, we're going to absolutely try to make sure we do it."
Lack of depth at linebacker has been a recurring theme the last few years, including last year when Greenlaw missed the final six regular-season games with a broken foot, gouging an already thin position group. Greenlaw is healthy now, but missed the spring and part of fall camp with foot and thigh injuries.
Heading into the CBS showdown against the Horned Frogs with neither backup having played a down in a college game wouldn't be ideal.
Morgan is the clear-cut third inside linebacker, the sub for either starter. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Greenwood native and younger brother of Drew is a walk-on, but has impressed the staff during fall camp and worked with the starting defense when Greenlaw was sidelined.
“Grant Morgan is a very good football player," Bielema said.
The inside linebacker positions are similar enough to allow Morgan to play either, but Walker strung together solid practices late in camp to put himself in the picture and on the two-deep depth chart.
“He's a little bit more comfortable in there in terms of the movement, what he's supposed to do, how he's supposed to do it, what he's supposed to be looking at, more importantly," Hargreaves said. "We talk about that all the time and I think he's starting to see that if he's looking at the right thing, his athleticism can take over and he can go make plays for us."
Morgan and Walker are young and inexperienced. Playing against an outmanned FCS opponent won’t change that in a big way, but they’re next up at key positions and need real game reps.