Sosa Agim finished with 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season. Does he exceed those numbers this fall?
Clay Henry: Agim is going to be a moving target this season. He'll play end and tackle in the John Chavis scheme. His numbers will go up. Last year, the defensive tackles were not having much fun. They were playing a catch and hold for blockers. They gave ground. They did not take ground. This will be a different ball game, literally.
Matt Jones: Agim told me a few months back that he felt limited by his role in the 3-4 defense a year ago. Essentially he spent much of his time holding his blocks so the linebackers could come through to make a tackle. That role is changed drastically in this year's 4-3, which Agim believes will give him more free range to make plays, whether that be from the outside where he is likely to play, or the inside where he could also see playing time. Combine that with this potentially being his final year to make an impression on pro scouts and I think you will see him easily exceed those lost-yardage numbers this year, perhaps before Arkansas even plays an SEC game.
Bob Holt: I believe Agim will exceed those numbers this fall as he’ll be a year older and wiser, and playing in a more aggressive scheme where he’ll be moving around and presumably put in the best positions to make big plays.
Tom Murphy: I write this having seen the other posts and I won't be contrary. I say more on both counts. All the signs indicate Sosa will have the chance to work in and out, lessening the chances for double teams and allowing him to utilize his motor and a gifted skill set. I'm calling for 11-plus TFLs and 4.5-plus sacks.
Scottie Bordelon: I think so. Look, he finished with those numbers in a 3-4 scheme that he felt he wasn’t fully utilized in and could be an easy target for double teams. Going back to a 4-3 should really benefit him. I think he can get to 8-9 tackles for loss and 3-4 sacks. As long as he’s healthy, I believe he can be a real problem for opposing offensive lines because he is such a physical freak and open to coaching and fine-tuning his skillset.
Few defensive players are more excited to be turned loose and get in the backfield than Randy Ramsey. What are your expectations for him?
Clay Henry: I think Randy Ramsey is going to have a lot of fun this season. He may be in the middle of twists with Sosa Agim and the two of them will be much harder to handle than they were last year when they were sitting in the same spot. Ramsey is the player with the most upside in this defense.
I can remember the day Robb Smith saw Ramsey for the first time in practice. He was drooling. Unfortunately, at that time Ramsey did not possess the maturity to handle his athletic ability. He did poorly off the field and in study habits. His mental motor is operating at a different speed now, the same as his physical attributes. He's in tune with his coaches. It should be fun to watch.
Matt Jones: If he can stay healthy, I expect solid numbers from Ramsey this season. He has changed his body this off-season and looks like the prototypical defensive end, which should help him be a little more durable against those big tackles in the SEC. Reports from inside the football office indicate there are few who have outworked him this summer, not only in the weight room, but in doing individual work on the side. He can play the pass and the run well, which should keep him on the field quite a bit.
Bob Holt: I expect Ramsey to put together a big season. He’s always had the talent and now he has the experience and maturity, as well, I believe and the opportunity for more big plays in this scheme. Also opposing offenses will have to contend with Agim, likely utilizing extra blockers on him, which should help free up Ramsey.
Tom Murphy: The last couple of years has produced a lot of "Randy Ramsey will be unleashed to rush" but the results have not been there, based on schemes or adequate blocking on the other side. John Chavis and Chad Morris both think Ramsey is a special talent based on spring drills, so I fully expect him to have a shot at making more impact plays in both the run and pass games.
Scottie Bordelon: I’m really eager to see Randy Ramsey fly around. He led the defense in quarterback hurries last season (6), and in what is expected to be a more aggressive, attacking defense, I expect that number to climb, as well as his tackles for loss and sacks. His speed on the edge is a big issue for tackles. He’s a havoc creator, and I think John Chavis is going to love what he gets out of Ramsey this fall.
Gabe Richardson really emerged as a potential playmaker on the defensive line this spring. How impactful can he be?
Clay Henry: Richardson's speed is going to be utilized as both an end and perhaps an outside linebacker to give John Chavis a true weapon in his blitz package. He can rush, he can drop. The impact should be great.
Matt Jones: Richardson is in the group of three defensive ends that coordinator John Chavis felt good about coming out of the spring, along with Agim and Ramsey. He has good speed, which should help him get on the field in obvious passing downs. How well he plays the run could allow him to start opposite of Ramsey at end, and allow Agim to play one of the interior positions more.
Bob Holt: I don’t expect Richardson to be All-SEC or anything, but he certainly should be more impactful than last season when he barely played. It will be interesting to see how productive he can be given more playing time. JUCO transfers often make a big leap in their second season and that might be the case for Richardson. This defense should suit him better than last season’s scheme.
Tom Murphy: We'll have to see if Richardson is capable of being an every down kind of guy after a solid spring and whether he gets some stand-up work as an OLB. If Sosa starts outside as the coaches are saying that likely means he and Ramsey are starters and Richardson gets sub work and in packages. I think he's capable of making a couple of impact plays a game if given the chance. Looking back, it was really weird that he forced a fumble in Game 1 last year then hardly saw the field the next 11 games.
Scottie Bordelon: Richardson is another freak athlete on that defensive line. Seeing him come on in spring drills was really big, and I think he’s ready to take advantage of his opportunities and burst onto the scene. I think he could be a breakout-type player on defense this season. Talking with him a few times this spring, he was always very humble speaking about himself, complimentary of his teammates and came across as selfless. There’s a lot to like with him.
Arkansas' defense gave up 5.0 yards per rush to opponents last season. Where do you see that figure falling this season?
Clay Henry: As they say, it cannot be worse. Actually, I thought that last year and was wrong. John Chavis seems excited with his experience and talent at inside linebacker and he said there is proper depth in the defensive line. I think it might fall to the 4.5 level. That doesn't seem like a great target, but it has to go down for Arkansas to have any success on the defensive side of the ball.
Matt Jones: That average was the highest in program history, so it is difficult to imagine it will be topped this year, especially with so many veterans in the front seven. I think you will see opponents average closer to 4.0 yards per carry.
Bob Holt: I expect the defense to be stronger against the run. Not necessarily strong, but stronger. So maybe 4.0 yards per carry?
Tom Murphy: No way in Hades that number stays the same. For the Hogs' sake, less than 4 yards per carry would make a huge difference but it's not reasonable to expect that big of an improvement in the move back to a 4-3 front under Chavis. I'll say 4.3.
Scottie Bordelon: Those rushing numbers last season were pretty ugly, ranking just inside the top 100 in total yards allowed. If Arkansas can drop the yards per rush figure to around 3.5-4, then I think they’ll be in good shape. I understand that’s a fairly significant drop, but if all goes well it could be doable considering all of the talent on the first and second levels. A repeat performance would be pretty disappointing.
Arkansas finished last in the SEC in sacks (19) in 2017. Where do you envision this defense finishing in that regard in Chavis' first year? And who leads the team in sacks? Is it a defensive lineman?
Clay Henry: You'd have to know what the capabilities of other teams to know what ranking could be attained. The sacks will go up, perhaps by a lot. But where that ranks them within the SEC is not a guess I want to make. I just think the sack total will go above 25, maybe quite a bit.
Matt Jones: I envision Arkansas being a team that averages around two sacks per game - maybe a little more depending on how well it does against the non-conference teams it should beat. I expect the team leader to be one of the ends.
Bob Holt: Texas A&M led the SEC with 43 sacks last season when John Chavis was the Aggies’ defensive coordinator. I don’t think it’s realistic the Razorbacks can match that total under Chavis, but I believe they could raise their total to the 28 to 30 range. Having some talent in the secondary is a key to that as well as the players up front, because for Chavis’ aggressive scheme to work, the defensive backs have to play man-to-man coverage much of the time.
The return of cornerback Ryan Pulley after he missed all of last season but the first half against Florida A&M because of a pectoral injury should be huge for Arkansas getting more pressure on quarterbacks because of his coverage skills. I believe Randy Ramsey will lead the team in sacks.
Tom Murphy: Ramsey would have to be the odd's on favorite to be the sack leader based on his expected usage. Chavis' A&M defense always racked up sacks and hard knocks -- just think back to the Austin Allen hit parade game in 2016 -- so let's bump that number up to about 29.
Scottie Bordelon: De’Jon Harris was Arkansas’ sacks leader last season. I believe Randy Ramsey is really going to emerge as a big-time pass rusher and lead the way in that category.