FAYETTEVILLE — Noah Gatlin’s eyes opened wide to the possibility of furthering his football career during his sophomore season at Jonesboro High School.
At the beginning of that year, he wasn’t fully figured into the team’s plans, he said, and didn’t believe his time to get on the field had arrived just yet. Then, on cue, his opportunity presented itself.
“I wasn’t going to play, then there were some injuries, and I finally got in there and realized, you know, this is what I want to do,” said Gatlin, a redshirt freshman at Arkansas. “I can do this. I just had to put my mind and everything into it.
“That was kind of the turning point for me.”
Gatlin started at right tackle for the Hurricane his sophomore season and at left tackle as a junior, paving the way to 17 wins in that span. By his senior year, he had started 23 consecutive games and committed to the Razorbacks one day after receiving an offer at the school’s Trench Hog camp on June 18, 2017.
His durability allowed him to be in the lineup for 34 of 35 games in his career, missing the one game because of an illness. That staying power, as well as experience gained in four games played last fall, may prove to be an invaluable asset for the Razorbacks and offensive line coach Dustin Fry in 2019.
Gatlin, who opened Arkansas’ Red-White game this spring as the second-team right tackle, earned his first career starts in weeks 2-3 in 2018 at Colorado State and against North Texas. According to Pro Football Focus, he totaled 193 snaps on the offensive line, all at left tackle, and allowed just two sacks in pass protection.
He said he was uncertain how he would be used in the week prior to Colorado State but knew with left tackle Colton Jackson still banged up that he might get his chance to step in. Gatlin did get his feet wet in the Week 1 rout of Eastern Illinois, which settled him into the college game a bit.
“But when they told me I was going to start in that game it was sort of surreal,” Gatlin recalled. “At the same time, though, you’ve got to get past that and go and do your job.”
The Razorbacks wound up rushing for 299 yards on 53 attempts against the Rams, third most in a game in Chad Morris’ head coaching career. In a season-high 78 snaps, he graded out at 81.7 in pass protection and 67.6 in the run game. Gatlin played 58 snaps the following week against North Texas in a disappointing home loss then sat until the season finale at Missouri, where he saw 38 snaps.
The speed of the game, the challenges posed by opposing defensive linemen and preparation for games took time to adjust to last season, he said.
“Just everything about it and how different it is (than high school), but learning from that and coming into this year I’m definitely more ready than I would be had I not played in those games,” Gatlin added. “I think my confidence level now is a lot higher than it was when I played last year.”
In late April, Arkansas saw three offensive linemen grab at NFL opportunities. Hjalte Froholdt was selected by Super Bowl champion New England in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and Johnny Gibson and Brian Wallace signed free agent deals with Philadelphia and Denver, respectively. Entering 2019, the question many have for the Razorbacks’ front is how can the unit improve.
It’s going to be tough, Gatlin says.
“That’s three leaders we’re losing,” he added. “We have Colton (Jackson), who’s played on the offensive line for a few years now, so he’s going to lead the way. The rest of us will pick up where we left off and keep doing a good job.”
As of the end of spring practices, Arkansas coaches placed Myron Cunningham at left tackle, Austin Capps at left guard, Fayetteville native Ty Clary over the ball, Shane Clenin at right guard and Dalton Wagner, who Gatlin sought out for guidance, at right tackle. Junior college addition Chibueze Nwanna held the second-team left tackle position alongside Austin Nix, Silas Robinson, Ryan Winkel and Gatlin at right tackle.
Gatlin said he felt as if he played better toward the end of spring drills after moving from the left side of the line.
“(Wagner) taught me some things I can use that will make me a better player,” he said. “I think we’re coming along a lot better. We have a better understanding of the offense and made a lot of progress.”
In late March, the Razorbacks’ staff had been moving in the right direction in regard to nailing down its top offensive line group. Then, Morris, following the team’s second in-stadium scrimmage, announced three linemen, including Jackson, would miss time with injury, which Arkansas has dealt with plenty since Morris’ arrival. Jackson, by all accounts, was having his best spring. His injury required clean-up surgery.
The praise for Cunningham, who will battle Colton Jackson to start the season at left tackle, was constant this spring. His buy-in was immediate, offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said.
“He’s everything we thought he’d be in recruiting,” Craddock stated. “He’s really studied and learned. … He’s done a really good job, and he’s been a really good addition to our room and to that O-line room and the competition in that room.”
Gatlin said his transition from high school to college was tough but could have been much more difficult had Jonesboro not run an offense similar to Arkansas. The competition there, facing the likes of North Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Russellville, helped him excel.
“I’m working on being able to communicate a lot better. That’s the main thing,” Gatlin said. “Being able to communicate with each other and knowing what to do before the play happens (is important).
“I’m comfortable with (playing left or right tackle). If I need to play guard, I will. I’m open to anything.”
This story originally appeared in Hawgs Illustrated