FAYETTEVILLE -- Trey Knox wasn't himself last year from the end of Week 2 onward.
As a University of Arkansas freshman, Knox took a shot directly on his right hip late in the Razorbacks' 31-17 loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 7, one year and one day ago.
The shot slowed him at the time, eventually cost him one game, and he never got completely comfortable the rest of the year, all while piling up 28 receptions for 385 yards and 3 touchdowns.
"He put his helmet right on my joint," Knox said of the hit by linebacker Donta Evans that caused his injury in Oxford, Miss.
Knox took the shot to his midsection, hesitated, then drove for a few more yards before needing a moment to get up and off the field. Koilan Jackson came in for him and scored on a 6-yard pass from Nick Starkel on the next snap.
The recovery for a joint that gets tested on every rep and every step was not swift.
"It took me really the whole season," Knox said. "I was battling it the whole season. I was taking shots on it week after week after week, and it wasn't getting fully healed."
Knox, who sat out the Texas A&M game to rest the injury for a week, speculated it was January before he felt right again.
He's expecting to unleash his full potential in 2020.
"I'm able to explode more, cut more, cut better and just overall take my game to the next level," Knox said after Friday's scrimmage. "Still running the routes but also moving faster than I was last season.
"I want to have 1,000 yards this season. I want to win a lot of games as a unit. And I think we can win a lot of games. We're gonna throw the ball down the field, and we're gonna score a lot of points."
Knox said sudden change of direction is a big part of his offensive arsenal -- as he displayed while catching a touchdown pass in the spring Red-White game in Little Rock in 2018 after he enrolled early -- and he mostly lost that after the injury.
"With my hip, that's what was hurting me the most, was not being able to move laterally," he said. "Getting that back right 100% helps me to move and make those cuts and make those plays after the catch instead of just trying to run straight and hurting."
Fellow 2019 freshman Jalen Catalon, a defensive back, noted the improvement in Knox in camp.
"What he's improved on the most is after the catch," Catalon said. "I felt like he's doing a great job of knowing that he's actually explosive.
"I mean, his size, he's so big, he's so explosive and he's smart, too. You can tell he's played the game and played the receiver position so long. I don't think you can say he's a possession receiver anymore."
Knox caught a pass covering about 40 yards in Friday's scrimmage. Instead of trying to fight for more yardage or potentially score, he got down on the field because in that scenario notching a first down would allow the Razorbacks to run out the clock with the lead.
Coach Sam Pittman praised the decision, referencing a prior learning moment.
"We were in a no-score situation and he caught a ball ... and I don't know, he probably could have scored," Pittman said. "Maybe. I don't know. But I do know when he caught the ball, he ran a couple of strides and got down.
"Very, very smart play by him. We did not do that last week in a two-minute, and we learned from that as well. That's coaching. That's everything we learn as a group. I thought that was a very smart play by him. You can talk about things, but it's the action that happens in those 2-3-4-5 seconds that matters."
Pittman said earlier last week that Knox, who was sidelined briefly at the start of camp, has been making plays.
"Obviously, we're making a big emphasis on our wideouts in their blocking," Pittman said. "We've gotten better there. He's always been a physical guy. We continue to have to work on getting off man press and getting open ... and he's done a good job of that.
"He's a good one-on-one ball catcher. He's done a nice job. He practices extremely hard, and his skills are getting better each day."
Knox should form a strong nucleus of starting wideouts with fellow sophomore Treylon Burks and junior Mike Woods this season.
Woods said earlier in camp he thinks the receivers are locked in.
"We have to put in the extra work so when we go out there on the field on Saturdays, it's like second nature," Woods said. "We're fine-tuning every day, all the little details. Whatever it is, one thing before practice and one thing after practice, just get better at it. I think as a group, we're all executing and doing our technique and getting better every day ... so I think we're going to look pretty good as a group."
Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles calls Knox a consistent performer.
"He's a long kid, probably 6-3 and a half," Briles said. "The thing that I've talked to Trey about is just trying to play more explosive. Beating people at the line of scrimmage, using his long limbs to his advantage.
"But Trey's done everything we've asked. I really feel comfortable where he's at. He catches the ball really well. I'd say he's probably one of the smartest players on the field. He's really intelligent, and that helps when you're playing with tempo."
Knox hopes his tempo and change of direction stay strong this year with his hip back in shape.