Chad Morris updates spring practice

Arkansas coach Chad Morris directs his players Tuesday, March 5, 2019, during practice at the university practice facility on campus in Fayetteville. Visit nwadg.com/photos to see more photographs from practice.

Chad Morris

– Any time you can get on the field and get better, that's what it's about. Great energy today and fundamentals are being taught. Not a lot of install. Been simple with install and that's by design.

– Scoota Harris is out for the remainder of spring. He will have surgery on his foot on Friday. We expect him back sometime in May. He will definitely still be involved as a player-coach out there.

– More on Scoota: His foot has been nagging him. We rehabbed it and it kept bothering him. We don't want this to carry on. He's going to be just fine. Not a soft tissue deal with him. He's going to have a small screw put in. Has a slight fracture.

– Devwah Whaley at running back, he and Chase Hayden are stepping up. First day in pads we did some hitting and 1-on-1s.

– Ben Hicks has done everything we've asked of him and earned respect of his teammates. Players are relating to him, and he's got a great relationship with the quarterbacks. For three days, he's taken a lot of reps with 1s, 2s and 3s. He's bringing a lot of energy to the QB room and the field. Seeing that, that's been a tremendous addition to that room.

– Glad to have Connor Noland out there today. He went today without shoulder pads. Got some reps in and there wasn't a whole lot for him to learn.

– On Nick Starkel: Always in the quarterback market, and it's my job to make sure every room, not just the quarterback room, can improve. I want competition in all areas. What you're seeing is the competition level rise, and I'm excited about that.

– More: Like all quarterbacks, he's a good competitor. He has a strong arm and good size. You want to bring the right fit and improve every room.

– Linebackers: Moving guys around right now, Gio LaFrance, Grant Morgan and Bumper Pool are getting reps. We don't have proper depth there, but it opens opportunities up for other guys.

– Noah Gatlin was sick today. That explains his absence at practice.

– We'll be in the stadium for practice on Saturday.

– Trey Knox has good speed and great ball skills. He's long, so that really is something we wanted to address in the offseason with this recruiting class. He's got the chance to be a great player here.

– Saturday will be a "big, big scrimmage day." We're going to be simple offensively and defensively, but we want to see guys tackle in space and make good decisions.

– Dorian Gerald should be back Thursday. He was not at practice. He has an infection they are trying to clean up.