Describe the summer program for football. How much contact are the coaches allowed to have with athletes during the summer and what all is involved in any workouts? - SoArkHog
Coaches are allowed to work with players up to eight hours during an eight-week period. None of the workouts can be in pads. A lot of the workouts are 7-on-7 type work and it gives coaches a chance to give some pointers to freshmen. This used to be the responsibility of the upperclassmen in the voluntary workouts.
As far as conditioning, Arkansas has two intensive eight-week conditioning programs - one between the end of the season and the beginning of spring practice, and the other between the end of spring practice and the beginning of preseason drills. The players are about to embark on that second one. It should begin the first week of June once the freshmen have made it to campus and started summer school.
Which UA program (either gender) has the farthest to go to become nationally relevant? My off-the-top guess is swimming but no real idea. - Swine Fusion
You might be right, although the swim team did qualify three individuals for the NCAA postseason this year.
I consider Arkansas to have 14 team programs (there is some ambiguity as to what constitutes a team sport; for instance, track & field has team champions that are based on individual qualifiers, whereas individuals from sports like tennis, gymnastics and golf can advance after their teams are in the postseason). Twelve of those 14 teams made at least an NCAA regional, tournament or bowl game this year. That includes baseball, which will be announced in the tournament on Memorial Day. The two that didn't were volleyball and women's basketball.
The volleyball team gets a little bit of a pass because it was the first season under a new coach. The women's team tanked under Jimmy Dykes.
Among team sports, I think women's basketball has a long way to go to become relevant nationally. Hiring Mike Neighbors was a step toward that, but it has just two NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 14 years. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other programs on campus with that kind of track record during the same time frame.
Edit: The 'team sport' portion of this reply was edited for clarity.
With the transfer of Juan Day and the giving up of football by Rawleigh Williams, doesn't that make it highly likely and very necessary for Arkansas to attract a graduate transfer running back? Russell Wilson and Jake Raulerson prove that Bielema can have success with graduate transfers. When CBB mentioned a possible graduate transfer at his press conference after RW retired, was he not sending the word to all running backs in the nation with that option, that Arkansas has a spot for them? - Hogmodo
Bret Bielema indicated earlier this week that he had heard from some graduate transfers at the position, so I think it's likely that someone will come in this summer. Who knows when that will be? It could be that a candidate has to finish up a summer class. I remember Cam Jefferson didn't make it in until the night before practice began a few years ago.
You're right on Wilson, but Raulerson struggled last year. He's a rarity in that he'll have two years after a graduate transfer, so the jury is still out on how successful he'll be.
With the change to a 3-4 defense this year, what defensive statistics you think will increase in 1st year compared to years past with 4-3 defense: Number of QB sacks/hurries? Or number of big yardage passing/running plays given up? - Jimbeau77
Arkansas gave up so many big plays last year - in particular, the run defense - that I think it will be the second option. The Razorbacks lost their two best pass rushers, Deatrich Wise and Jeremiah Ledbetter, so I wonder if there might be a drop-off in that regard.
That said, I think the defense might give up more big plays in the pass game this year than it did a year ago. The SEC offenses go in cycles and this year the pendulum seems to have swung back more toward passing quarterbacks than running ones. Add to that the fact that Arkansas trades Florida for South Carolina from the SEC East. The Gators couldn't pass the ball last year and the Gamecocks had a good looking freshman who helped turn around their season.
Do you see T.J. Hammonds moving back to the backfield now with the inexperience with the young guys? - Jeremy
I think Hammonds is probably going to stay at receiver, but has the potential to line up in the backfield. We've seen Arkansas move that slot receiver into the backfield before with guys like Drew Morgan and Jared Cornelius. Even before the injury to Rawleigh Williams, I thought Hammonds was going to get some carries that way. He's versatile enough that the play-caller has some options to get creative and get the ball into his hands.
Have a question for next week's mailbag? Email Matt Jones at mojones@nwadg.com.