FAYETTEVILLE — Spring football practice begins this week at Arkansas and so do the questions.
The one that is always among the first to be answered has to do with the overall athletic ability of the squad.
The reason that comes first is because there will be no contact for the first two days. So it's better to start with speed, agility and just overall ability. It's going to be something akin to gym class with a football when the Hogs hit the field for their first two workouts on Tuesday and Thursday.
Who can run the fastest and cut the quickest? I know the answers already. It will be wide receivers Deon Stewart and Jordan Jones.
That came from a coach or two quizzed in passing at the Razorbacks' Pro Day a couple of weeks back, then confirmed by two players I've seen in town. Stewart is a sophomore from Highland. Jones is a redshirt freshman from Smackover.
The 5-11 Stewart might be quicker. Translated: he might have a better change of direction. Jones, at 6-1, is more of a strider.
Stewart made a move late last year. There was a package specifically designed to come his way in the Belk Bowl, but he turned an ankle in the early part of the game. That stuff disappeared quicker than the Hogs' 24-point lead.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has mentioned Stewart over and over at Razorback Club stops over the last six weeks. He did again Monday when he gave a spring preview for the media. Stewart has made progress in one area of concern, his weight.
The roster given to the media Monday had Stewart at 168 pounds, but I'd already confirmed that it was an old number from last fall. None of the published weights were taken after the eight-week winter conditioning programs that Bielema said was as tough as anything he's been around as a coach. Stewart was a gainer in that program.
“He's up 10 pounds,” Bielema said. “He was around 160 for a long time here. He'd gain a pound, lose a pound. He just couldn't sustain weight gain. I challenged him in January. He's gained almost 10 pounds. He's grasping it all.”
Both Stewart and Jones are flyers and part of the reason the coach thinks this group of wide receivers have “more overall speed.” Both have been clocked in the 4.3s in the 40-yard dash.
“Deon can fly,” Bielema said. “But Jones can flat out fly, too.”
Jones almost cracked the rotation last year as a true freshman.
“Jordan is one of the more intriguing guys on our team,” Bielema said. “We were almost in game week, about 10 days out, and we thought he might play. I was just concerned with all those seniors that we were not going to get him enough reps. I didn't want to get to the end of the season and he'd played 15 plays and we lost a year with him.”
When Bielema told Jones there would be a redshirt, things didn't go well.
“There was about a two-week transition,” Bielema said. “It wasn't what you wanted.
“Then, he lit it up. He played (on the scout team) the opposition's best player and he did really well. I'd like him to get more serious at times with a little more toughness.”
But the ability is there. And there is more talent at wide receiver with the arrival of Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance, transfers from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Martin is the more heralded of the two and the biggest at 6-4, 215. Bielema's wife mistook Martin as a defensive end recruit last winter and it's an easy to see why. But don't sleep on Nance. He's a stud, too.
So is sophomore La'Michael Pettway, who like Jones and Stewart is from small-town Arkansas - Nashville. At 6-2, 216, he's not a lot smaller than Martin. He's a big, long strider earning praise from Bielema for making progress in accountability and attitude.
All of that is great news after the Hogs lost Keon Hatcher, Drew Morgan, Dominique Reed and Cody Hollister to graduation this winter. There is playing time up for grabs this spring.
Jared Cornelius, minus a few pounds, returns for his senior season after missing the bowl game with a sore knee. He's displayed leadership skills in offseason passing drills. He's a true bell cow.
Receivers coach Michael Smith has a lot of talent in his room, including converted running back T.J. Hammonds. That's another player with incredible athletic ability.
OK, that should give the secondary a great test this spring. Can the corners and safeties match that group of wide receivers as far as athletic ability? That is a question that I'm not prepared to answer just yet.
It's as big of a question as there is heading into spring drills. I'll be watching the matchups on the outside as the Hogs run work through a couple of days of gym class. I think there is enough speed in the wideouts to provide more than an adequate measuring stick.
There are more questions heading into the spring. What about the conversion to a 3-4 defense? Some of that will depend on whether the secondary can handle the speed on the outside. There are plenty of wide receivers to give a look on the jet sweep, which was a killer play last season.
How about the heavy outside linebacker spot, the end in the 3-4? We'll check that out as the pads are added in the next 10 days.
But for now, it's time to look at the speed of this team. Is it comparable to the top teams in the SEC? It's a great question.