Dre Greenlaw, Grayson Gunter dealing with injuries

Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw prepares for a snap during a game against Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, in Fayetteville.

— Two Arkansas players will be affected by injuries in spring practice.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and tight end Grayson Gunter will at the least be “limited” when spring ball rolls around in March, coach Bret Bielema said.

Greenlaw will undergo surgery in the near future after injuring the same foot he hurt against Alabama in the Belk Bowl loss to Virginia Tech. He missed the final six games of the regular season with the initial injury, only to sustain a different injury to the same foot in the bowl game.

“We’ve researched a couple options that we’re looking into for him to have the surgery performed,” Bielema said. “… It’s an area that I really want to be cautious with, just cause obviously he’s a player with a lot of talent. We’ve had guys in this position, we want to make sure we cover all of our bases to get him the best possible results.”

Greenlaw alluded to the injury with this tweet Monday:


Greenlaw was the Razorbacks’ leading tackler when he was injured against Alabama. He finished the season with 42 tackles a year after totaling 95 as a true freshman.

If the 6-foot, 226-pounder can’t go through spring practice, Arkansas will be without its top two linebackers from last season, factoring in the graduation of Brooks Ellis. The spring figures to be an important transition period with newly promoted defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads and the rest of the staff continuing to implement the 3-4 scheme Arkansas began installing during bowl practices.

Gunter had shoulder surgery and will be limited in spring practice. He finished his freshman season with one catch for 29 yards.

“Should get him back in the middle of spring ball for running routes and whatnot, but he will be very, very limited,” Bielema said.

Receiver Jared Cornelius, who missed the Belk Bowl with an injury, is fully recovered.