ROGERS — Wide receiver coach Michael Smith knows the scouting report on Arkansas even before the first practice: Take away Jared Cornelius.
Cornelius is the most experienced of the Arkansas wide receivers. He's good enough that there were thoughts of going to the NFL after last season, his junior campaign with the Razorbacks. He returned in hopes of being the man for Austin Allen.
That's good news after wide receivers Keon Hatcher, Drew Morgan, Cody Hollister and Dominique Reed finished their eligibility. Hatcher and Morgan were multi-year starters.
That's not to say the Hogs are lacking talent at wide receiver. There is a wealth of talent ready to take their turn in a potent passing game that probably won't take a big dive in the 2017 season with a fifth-year senior quarterback poised for big numbers.
The question remains who will join Cornelius on the outside when the Hogs go with two and three wideouts as coordinator Dan Enos pull the strings in his multiple formations?
“I do know we better be ready with others besides Jared,” Smith said Monday before a Razorback Club golf outing at Shadow Valley Golf Club in Rogers.
“I know what everyone is going to do. They are going to take away Jared.”
Cornelius has been the slot receiver in the past, although he's ready to play any of the three wideout slots in the Arkansas offense. He's been trying to get some others ready to play more than one position this summer.
“He's been a coach,” Smith said. “That's what we asked him to do last spring when he hurt his hamstring. He coached the young ones the last two weeks. This summer, Jared has been making sure that they all know more than one position. It's been him coaching them, along with Austin.
“I tell you what I'm ready to see now, how he plays. He's the one that's going out there first when we begin practice.”
The Razorbacks begin fall practice at 4 p.m. Thursday. Smith was asked who else will likely be on the first team for the first play.
“I would say it will be Deon Stewart,” Smith said. “He's earned that. He earned that last fall and he was having great bowl practices and was going to be a big part of our offense before he sprained an ankle early in the bowl game. He picked up where he left off in the spring and he has had a great summer.”
The Hogs lost a lot of experience, but Smith said this might be his “most talented” group of wideouts. It could be that there is so much talent that as many as nine make the travel roster, if they can make themselves valuable as a special team contributor, too.
“I know we've traveled as many as eight,” he said. “So I'd say we might travel anywhere between seven or nine. I've told them all, give yourself a chance to travel by getting on special teams. I think they understand that's the ticket for playing time for a young player.”
After Cornelius and Stewart, other returnees with chances to claim a spot on the rotation and travel squad are La'Michael Pettway, Jordan Jones, T.J. Hammonds and Kofi Boateng, who redshirted last year after tearing his ACL during preseason practice.
Those so-called veterans better establish themselves early in camp because the talent in the incoming class is huge. Junior college transfers Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance flashed talent in the spring and have had standout summers.
Then, there is the true freshman group of Koilan Jackson, Jarrod Barnes, Maleek Barkley and De'Vion Warren. Smith announced a late addition to that group Monday, junior college transfer Gary Cross from Fordyce, via Hutchinson Community College.
Cross was an all-state player as a safety/wide receiver two years ago at Fordyce, but did not meet academic requirements. He's qualified and will join the team as a walk-on.
“Barry Lunney did a good job of keeping up with him and Gary wanted to join us,” Smith said. “He's very physical. He will start out with us, but he can play other spots. He'll be a walk-on, but we will see what he might earn. He's extremely athletic, tough and physical. He's done well in our class room Hoganese work this summer.”
Smith said it's been a good summer by all accounts for his group. Enos predicted that there would be a jump from the spring when he said Austin and the wideouts were not always on the same page.
“I think they are now,” Smith said. “We have meeting time and check them with written tests. They've done well. We've got several players who now know more than one position. We feel good where we are at, but as you know all of this the past two months was in shorts.
“I've talked to Jared and Austin. They both tell me good things. They have talked about the newcomers quite a bit. They say Koilan has caught a lot of passes this summer.”
The reports have been great on Jones, the flyer in the bunch. He sometimes was mentioned by head coach Bret Bielema in the spring for needing more time in the playbook.
“Jordan has done that,” Smith said. “He's had a good summer as far as academics. He's been outstanding. And, he's been very good as far as our learning in the playbook. He's done well. He's Jared's roommate and Jordan has worked hard to learn from Jared.”
They've all learned from Allen.
“We've been blessed in my time here to have two quarterbacks who are like coaches,” Smith said. “Brandon (Allen) was like a coach and so is Austin. It's unbelievable what he's done with our receivers. Of course, your receivers are always only as good as the quarterback. He makes our room good. We've got a very good one in Austin. I do understand I'm blessed with those two.”
Hammonds has worked with the wideouts all summer.
“He's still with our group,” Smith said. “I understand there are going to be a lot of times he's going to move to running back. But we've wanted to keep him with our guys and he's done well. I think he's one of the several in the group who knows two positions. He's really worked hard. He knows the slot and the X.”
Smith said he knew there was going to come a day when he wouldn't have Hatcher, Morgan and the other solid wideouts that have helped the Hogs become solid in the passing game. Perhaps he feared that day at one time.
“I don't right now,” he said. “I think we've got the talent to move forward. Now, we have to get on the field and start our practices and see exactly what they have learned this summer.”
It sounds like Smith is going to like what he sees.