Kamren Curl steps into spotlight

FAYETTEVILLE — Kamren Curl trotted onto the War Memorial Stadium field as Ryan Pulley trudged to the sideline with his right shoulder slumped, the result of a season-ending pectoral injury.

Florida A&M didn’t waste any time going after the Arkansas true freshman tasked with replacing one of the SEC’s top cover corners.

On the first play of his collegiate career, the Rattlers tried to send his receiver deep, but Curl played press coverage and used his 6-foot-1, 193-pound frame to knock him off course and disrupt the route. Quarterback Vince Jeffries wound up scrambling for a short gain.

The next snap, on third-and-3, Jeffries bootlegged to the right and looked to target Curl’s man deep down the sideline. But the freshman was in position, so Jeffries tucked the ball and ran out of bounds short of the first-down marker.

Curl passed what amounted to practice exams against an FCS foe. The real tests begin in earnest this week.

A game into his freshman year, Curl sits atop the depth chart at the left corner spot vacated by Pulley with pass-happy TCU coming to Fayetteville for a marquee nonconference matchup Saturday afternoon.

The Horned Frogs have senior quarterback Kenny Hill and a bevy of playmakers, which means Curl will no doubt have a target on his back when he takes the Razorback Stadium field this weekend.

“I don't know if I've ever seen a football team put the sheer number of guys on the field that could just flat-out fly like I saw with them Saturday night,” said Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, referencing TCU’s receivers in a 63-0 win over Jackson State.

Facing a spread attack on national television is quite a setting for a true freshman corner to be thrown into for his first start. He's embracing the challenge.

It’s unrealistic to expect a true freshman to immediately step in and replace what Pulley, a third-team preseason All-SEC coaches selection, brought to the table. It’ll be understandable, expected even, if Curl has a few freshman moments.

But he was solid in his debut against the Rattlers. Florida A&M posed nowhere near the danger TCU or most of Arkansas’ remaining opponents do, of course, but the Muskogee, Okla., native handled the moment well when he was abruptly forced into action.

He wound up playing 38 snaps. He recorded a pass breakup and was targeted 7 times in man coverage, allowing two catches for 18 yards.

Several short passes his way were either poorly thrown or dropped, plays you’d expect a better opponent to make. One of the two completions came when he gave an 8-yard cushion on a third-and-20 and wrapped up securely after a short throw, one of his good traits. The other was an 11-yarder he gave up after slipping in his break on a comeback route on fourth-and-10 during Florida A&M’s touchdown drive.

He made this nice breakup on another comeback route earlier in the game, arriving to dislodge the ball from FAMU’s Brandon Norwood.

His overall solid play was a continuation of his performance in fall practice, when he improved week to week and increasingly impressed the staff as camp progressed.

During the Razorbacks’ first scrimmage, he was beaten on long balls twice by La’Michael Pettway, the kind of big plays Rhoads and his staff have put an emphasis on limiting. But he rebounded and made strong tackles as the day wore on.

The next week, he showed a similar ability to bounce back from adversity along with a flair for playmaking.

In the latter stages of the Hogs’ second scrimmage, he was whistled for pass interference on a deep ball. It was a 50-50 ball and the call could’ve been frustrating, but Curl didn’t let it get to him. Instead, he produced arguably the defensive highlight of the two fall scrimmages, stretching out and diving to intercept a Ty Storey pass intended for Jordan Jones, a highlight-reel grab any receiver would be proud to claim.

Plays like that are why the coaching staff is excited about what his future holds, even as said future has arrived quicker than anticipated.

Curl won’t be the only underclassman playing significant reps in the secondary Saturday.

Fellow true freshman Chevin Calloway, one of the prized signees in the 2017 recruiting class, is Curl’s backup, while sophomore Britto Tutt can play either corner position. The plan for now is to keep senior Kevin Richardson at nickel back, which means senior starter Henre’ Toliver will be the only tested veteran in the corner rotation Saturday, a reality Hill and the Horned Frogs will try to exploit.

All 3 young corners should get a chance to play Saturday, but it’ll be Curl who steps onto the field for the first series.

“He's a very mature young and along with that maturity comes a seriousness,” Rhoads said. “He's an intelligent football player. He's picked up very quickly on what we're doing and how to accomplish it. He recognizes his strengths and weaknesses and plays to them. He's a physical player and a good tackler because of that combination.

“Those things all allow him to rise to the top. Not that there's significant separation between him and the next guys, but enough to give him the nod.”