In wrapping up spring practice last week, Chad Morris said he and his staff have intentions of forming an official post-spring depth chart with the conclusion of exit interviews, which will take place through the end of the month. Meetings with Morris began Thursday.
Morris added that he expected Arkansas to experience a bit of attrition, and that began last week as well as tight end Will Gragg and special teams staple Reid Miller announced they would transfer from the program.
Gragg will graduate this semester and have two years of eligibility remaining. Reid Miller, who had an appendectomy prior to spring practices, can play one more season at his next school.
An unofficial post-spring depth chart:
Quarterback
Cole Kelley OR Ty Storey
Daulton Hyatt
Austin Aune
Newcomers: Connor Noland, John Stephen Jones
Breakdown: Morris doesn't know who his starting quarterback will be this fall. At a recent Razorback Club meeting, he said he likely wouldn't say even if he did know coming out of spring. Ty Storey and Cole Kelley were unable to separate from one another during spring drills, and Morris is counting on both having productive summers. One thing he does know, though, is there is competition among the quarterbacks. Even Daulton Hyatt, a wiry 6-4, had his moments and looked at times to be the most natural passer of the group. Morris waiting to name a frontrunner at the position leaves the door open for Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones to compete for the job as well. I have been told Noland does not have a playbook yet, but does have plenty of film to sift through before enrolling next month. He and Jones are both dynamic-but-young options. Morris is unsure at this point how Noland and Jones will fit into the quarterback race, but given the competitive nature of both, they will no question push those already on campus in some capacity.
Running back
Devwah Whaley
Chase Hayden
TJ Hammonds
Maleek Williams
Newcomers: Rakeem Boyd
Breakdown: Earlier this spring, I wrote about Arkansas' running backs impressing. That group is solid 1-4 as of the end of spring ball. Even Maleek Williams, who was the fourth running back to take the field in the spring game, had more than his fair share of big plays and runs the last two months. Randy Ramsey likened his running style to Ricky Williams. Offensive coordinator Joe Craddock brought up Marshawn Lynch. Not bad names to be associated with. Devwah Whaley had the best spring game of the group. Whaley said he was down to 210-211 pounds leading in to the Red-White game and feels the weight loss has made him shiftier. That showed in Little Rock as he busted off a pair of nice first down runs. We know Chase Hayden and TJ Hammonds are capable playmakers, too. Morris mentioned early in spring drills that Hammonds needed to improve in pass protection. I feel that is about the only thing - aside from strong days from Whaley and Hayden - keeping him off the field. Hayden, whose season ended prematurely following a lower-leg fracture against Auburn last fall, appears to be back to himself. He scored four times on the ground in seven games a season ago and showed lots of promise.
Wide receivers
La’Michael Pettway, Jonathan Nance, Jared Cornelius*
De’Vion Warren, Mike Woods, Deon Stewart
Tyson Morris, Jordan Jones, Jarrod Barnes, Brandon Martin
Breakdown: This is certainly an intriguing position group coming out of spring. La'Michael Pettway ran with the first team for a good bit of practices, and Jonathan Nance - Arkansas' leading receiver last season - seems to have really stepped up in a leadership role with Jared Cornelius in a green jersey most days. How Cornelius picks up on the new offense is another thing. By all accounts he's a really bright player, but there is always a learning curve with a new offensive scheme. I remember asking Cornelius early this spring if there was anything receivers coach Justin Stepp was emphasizing with the group, and he responded, "We're all just trying to learn the freaking offense." That said, I think Arkansas feels solid-to-good about its top six guys being able to contribute in some way. Guys like De'Vion Warren, who starred on kickoff return last season, and Mike Woods stand out as guys who could really shine in this uptempo offense. Morris would love to have a receiver capable of playing in the boundary and beating man coverage regularly, and Pettway could certainly be that guy with more progression. He's a physical specimen with the physique of a linebacker. While Morris really wants speed, speed and more speed, this offense also needs a target with some physicality. He's also impressed with his downfield blocking. That didn't go unnoticed by the new staff. Eyes are on the Nashville native.
Tight end
Jeremy Patton OR Austin Cantrell
Cheyenne O'Grady
Grayson Gunter
Breakdown: With the way Bret Bielema utilized tight ends in his pro-style offense, I think we were all curious as to how Morris would view the position. Arkansas opened the spring game with two tight ends on the field - Jeremy Patton and Austin Cantrell. Cheyenne O'Grady, who's really put his head down and worked this spring to find himself in the rotation, displayed a little wiggle in the Red-White game on his 53-yard catch and run. Later, he caught a score over the middle of the field. He's shown he can be effective in the flat and in putting pressure on opposing linebackers when given the chance. Patton will likely be Arkansas' top pass-catching option although he finished third among tight ends in receptions last season. O'Grady (21) and Cantrell (13) had more. The trio finished 4-6 on the team in catches in 2017. Patton, however, was the most productive with the ball in his hands, averaging better than 17 yards per grab. The group had just two combined touchdown catches last season, too. Both were O'Grady's. It will be interesting to see how frequently tight ends are targeted in this offense.
Offensive line (L --> R)
Colton Jackson, Hjalte Froholdt, Dylan Hays, Johnny Gibson, Brian Wallace
Shane Clenin, Kirby Adcock, Ty Clary, Jalen Merrick, Dalton Wagner
Breakdown: Right now, it appears the Razorbacks will break in another center this season. Frank Ragnow suffered a season-ending injury last fall, forcing Zach Rogers into action. When Rogers decided to give up football for a career in law enforcement in January, it left Arkansas without starting experience at center. Dylan Hays, the likely frontrunner entering the summer months, did not play a snap prior to the Coastal Carolina game. He then took on a larger role the final two weeks of the season vs. Mississippi State and Missouri. Ty Clary made four starts in 2017, but did not play in four of Arkansas' final five games. But outside of center, Arkansas returns 72 combined starts between Jackson, Froholdt, Gibson and Wallace. Froholdt has made 25 consecutive starts and Gibson has started 15 straight games while Wallace and Jackson have started seven and five consecutive games, respectively. Gibson's 750+ snaps led Razorbacks offensive linemen last season. Jalen Merrick - 12 offensive snaps last season - split reps with Gibson this spring. Arkansas' backups have minimal experience.
Newcomers: Noah Gatlin, Ryan Winkel, Silas Robinson
Defensive end
Randy Ramsey, Gabe Richardson OR McTelvin Agim
Michael Taylor, Jamario Bell
Damani Carter
Newcomers: Dorian Gerald, Nick Fulwider, Courtre’ Alexander
Defensive tackle
McTelvin Agim, TJ Smith
Jonathan Marshall, Armon Watts OR Briston Guidry
Deion Malone, Jake Hall, Austin Capps
Newcomers: Billy Ferrell
Breakdown: Another takeaway from piecing this together, as well as catching each open practice this spring, is the defensive line. John Scott Jr. and Steve Caldwell deserve credit for straining and training the bunch into a potentially scary front. John Chavis has to be eager to get Randy Ramsey on the edge and create havoc in a scheme that figures to feature more frequent pressure. The staff experimented with moving McTelvin Agim to end this spring, but he can also be a force when lined up over the opposing center or guard. The emergence of Gabe Richardson was critical for Arkansas, too, adding depth and another freak of nature to the front four. Throw in players like Jonathan Marshall, Jamario Bell, Armon Watts or Briston Guidry, who donned a green jersey for part of spring drills, and Arkansas can potentially pose lots of problems. Bell seemed to be a guy that really thrived and turned loose under Chavis' guidance. He's always looked the part. Maybe he's putting it all together and will be able to contribute in a positive way this fall. Time will tell.
Linebacker
Dre Greenlaw, De’Jon Harris
Dee Walker, Grant Morgan
Giovanni LaFrance, Alexy Jean-Baptiste
Newcomers: Andrew Parker
Breakdown: As Morris began breaking down surprises on the defensive side of the ball in his spring wrap-up press conference, he mentioned Scoota Harris and Dre Greenlaw. I thought that was interesting. All things considered, we didn't hear a whole lot about those two, which tells me that those two have their head down and are taking care of business at the second level. Harris led the team with 115 tackles a season ago and Greenlaw trailed with 103. Those are two established dudes. Perhaps Morris meant he was surprised by the way they carried themselves because those two making plays is nothing new. When you have a pair of linebackers of Harris and Greenlaw's caliber, it usually means a dip in talent between first team backup. Dee Walker and Grant Morgan have a long way to go to reach Greenlaw and Harris' level, but they're serviceable. Truth be told, Morgan could be a very quality linebacker before his time at Arkansas is up. There's something about those Morgans from Greenwood.
Cornerback
Ryan Pulley, Chevin Calloway
Britto Tutt, Nate Dalton
Newcomers: Ladarrius Bishop
Breakdown: Ryan Pulley has his health and his swagger back. The senior corner stated early in spring ball that he feels like he's back to 100 percent and has since Christmas break, which is terrific news for John Chavis. Morris said he believes Pulley is one of the best corners in the country. He's one of the more lively and enthusiastic guys on the team, too, never afraid to get in the faces of receivers lined up across from him. He led Arkansas and the SEC with 13 pass breakups in 2016, his last full season. That mindset has fed throughout the Arkansas secondary, particularly Chevin Calloway, who has essentially locked up the corner spot opposite Pulley. Britto Tutt is an interesting name heading into the summer and fall. Tutt tore his ACL in fall camp in 2016, and played in eight games last season, making two tackles.
Safety
Santos Ramirez, Kamren Curl
Micahh Smith, Montaric Brown
Newcomers: Myles Mason
Breakdown: Santos Ramirez and Kamren Curl both feel comfortable at safety. Ramirez seems to be enjoying his role at free safety and likes that he is able to put his versatility on display. Curl, as he and other defensive backs have said throughout the spring, is more at home at safety. Following Ryan Pulley's pec injury in the season opener against Florida A&M, Curl was thrown in to the fire early, starting at corner the final 11 games of the season. That experience, while a trying time as a freshman, can only help Curl. Lending a hand in the passing game on the same side of the field as Pulley will be interesting to watch. Morris, at the end of spring practices, mentioned incoming freshman Myles Mason by name as another player who could come in and make an impact sooner rather than later and add some depth to the position.
Nickel
Derrick Munson
D’Vone McClure
Hayden Henry
Kevin Richardson*
Breakdown: Arkansas has a few viable options here. Derrick Munson, who played in nine games last year and was most notably ejected from the Missouri game for a rather egregious targeting penalty, had a solid spring and looks to be the leader at the position. Thing is, he won't play in the first half of the season opener vs. Eastern Illinois due to the ejection. D'Vone McClure is another name that came to mind when Morris spoke on surprises. The 24-year-old former minor league baseball player has made an impression on Chavis as well. McClure capped a rainy second spring scrimmage with an interception of Ty Storey, and finished with a pair of pass breakups in the Red-White game. The biggest thing to keep an eye on with this group is Kevin Richardson's potential sixth year of eligibility. As of now, he is awaiting word from the NCAA, but he did go through spring practice since he is enrolled.
Place kicker: Connor Limpert, Christopher Lopez
Kickoff: Connor Limpert
Kickoff return
De’Vion Warren AND Gary Cross
Jordan Jones AND TJ Hammonds
Punter: Blake Johnson, Chad Stephens
Long snapper: George Madden
Punt return
Deon Stewart
Jared Cornelius*
• Jared Cornelius was not involved in live work during spring drills as he continues to recover from an Achilles injury sustained against Texas A&M in 2017.
• Austin Capps practiced the final week of spring drills following sports hernia surgery.
• Kevin Richardson is awaiting word from the NCAA on a sixth year of eligibility.