FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman put his humor into gear with the crowd at the Catfish Hole during his first appearance of the season on the radio show “Sam Pittman Live” on Wednesday.
When asked about the running back situation by host Chuck Barrett, Pittman got around to sophomore big back Dominique Johnson, who took a short turn at tight end earlier in camp.
“We moved Dominique Johnson to tight end for a day, and then we moved him back to running back and he was like twice as good,” said Pittman, drawing laughs from the crowd. “So now I’m going to move him to wideout tomorrow and then move him back to running back. We’ve got about two more moves before he might be Herschel Walker or Darren McFadden by the time we get done with him.”
“But really, he got a lot better. I don’t know why, but he did. He started running the ball better.”
More from WholeHogSports
https://www.wholeho…">Latest preseason camp coverage
Eye catchers
Junior center Ricky Stromberg and senior defensive end Tre Williams were given free reign on Wednesday to talk about players who have caught their eyes.
A handful of players have made their impressions on the duo.
“Bryce Stephens, a receiver, a freshman, he catches my eye every time we’re at practice,” Stromberg said. “He’s just fast. Every time I watch him, he’s making plays.”
Added Williams, “A guy with a lot of potential, and he shows a lot of flashes, is Ketron Jackson. He’s got the body, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, and he’s really acrobatic in the air. … I watch Bryce, too. Bryce is pretty good. He’s making plays, and so is Ketron.”
After Williams wrapped up his remarks, Stromberg added tailback Raheim “Rocket” Sanders to the list.
“Rocket Sanders has been a monster this camp,” Stromberg said.
“Yeah, definitely Rocket,” Williams added.
Rice time
Wednesday marked the last day of camp, as the Razorbacks will open preparations for the Sept. 4 season opener against Rice with a heavy practice day today.
“[Wednesday] was the end of what I call camp,” Coach Sam Pittman said on his radio show Wednesday night. “[Today] we start on Rice prep.”
Pittman said the Razorbacks had injuries but nothing major in camp.
“Coming through, we didn’t lose anybody for the season,” he said. “We had some bumps and bruises, and I credit that to our work in the weight room.”
Junior center Ricky Stromberg missed practice time with a knee injury, but he’s now back working with the first-team offense.
“I think camp went well,” Stromberg said. “Watching the O-line and the guys, they worked their tails off. They grinded every single day. So I’m excited to see what this team can do coming out of fall camp and headed into Rice preparation.”
Added defensive end Tre Williams, “I think that’s going to be a big step in our game plan.”
Roster report
Koilan Jackson’s college football experience has come to an end. The senior from Little Rock Parkview — who transitioned to tight end and was wearing No. 88, the same jersey as his former All-American dad Keith Jackson — has taken a medical hardship that will handle his scholarship money.
Tight end Hudson Henry was back at practice Wednesday after missing Tuesday’s work, while safety Jalen Catalon and running back T.J. Hammonds came out of green no-contact jerseys and wore their red No. 1 and white No. 41, respectively, in the practice in spider pads and shorts.
Defensive end Tre Williams and safety Myles Slusher joined the group of players wearing green jerseys on Wednesday. Williams limped off the field Monday during the “fastball” opening with the starters. Slusher had been in the caution jersey earlier in camp.
The group of players in green was similar to Tuesday’s lineup: running back Trelon Smith, receiver De’Vion Warren, offensive linemen Ty Clary and Dalton Wagner, tight end Blake Kern, linebacker JT Towers, and defensive backs Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan, Zach Zimos and Kevin Compton.
Wagner worked with the first team at right tackle, while Clary ran with the second team at right guard behind Beaux Limmer in group work.
NFL scouts in attendance were from the Dolphins and the Rams.
Fastball stuff
The Razorbacks went with three-play “fastball” starts to open Wednesday’s lighter work in spider pads.
The first offense had a productive rack, which opened with KJ Jefferson’s out-route completion to Ketron Jackson, who made a strong all-hands catch on the sideline for a decent gain. Jefferson rolled right, faked a pass and took off for what would have been good rushing yardage on the next snap. Jefferson did not find an open receiver and ran at left end on the third snap.
The second defense won the next series. An unidentified defender got a “sack” on Malik Hornsby in the pocket on the first play. Raheim “Rocket” Sanders had a run up the middle on the next play. Hornsby threw behind Bryce Stephens on a slant, and Stephens dropped the pass on the third rep.
John Stephen Jones worked the third series, and his slant pass for Harper Cole was broken up by Jaccorei Turner to open the segment. Jones rolled right and hit tight end Hudson Henry for a solid gain on second down, then Jones threw sidearm to Henry for a completion in the same area on the third snap.
One on ones
The defensive backs did “shadowing” defense on receivers in low red zone work in spider pads and shorts, essentially jamming the routes and then breaking off coverage on passes from the 7.
That made for a completion percentage of 100%, but it included some highlight-reel catches.
Tyson Morris made the best catch, a high-leaping all-hands grab from Kade Renfro.
After that play, defensive backs coach Sam Carter advised the quarterbacks, “Throw him the perfect ball. We’re just shadowing.”
Moments later, Bryce Stephens made a strong one-handed touchdown catch in the right corner from Malik Hornsby. Ketron Jackson added to the circus catches with a leaping, two-hand pluck and toe tap in front of the end line.
Countdown jersey
Defensive backs coach Sam Carter has changed up his look each day in camp, though his outfit always features a cap, a gaiter, long sleeves, gloves and full-length leggings.
Lately, Carter has worn a different jersey number each day, with a pattern. Carter wore No. 10 on Wednesday, after sporting 11 on Tuesday and 10 on Monday. It’s a countdown jersey to the season opener on Sept. 4 vs. Rice at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Top 100 Hogs
Preseason All-SEC wideout Treylon Burks and linebacker Grant Morgan are among ESPN’s top 100 college football players heading into the season.
Burks, a junior from Warren, is No. 68 on the list, which was compiled by 11 ESPN analysts. Morgan, a senior from Greenwood, is No. 88.
SEC teams have 35 players on the list, including 10 from Alabama, led by offensive tackle Evan Neal (4) and linebacker Will Anderson (10).
Georgia and Texas A&M have five players each.
LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is ranked No. 2 behind Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Other SEC players in the top 25 are Texas A&M running back Isaiah Spiller (13), defensive end DeMarvin Leal (15) and guard Kenyon Green (17); Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral (18); Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (21), receiver John Metchie III (22) and linebacker Christian Harris (23); and Georgia quarterback JT Daniels (24).
The SEC schools without a player on the list are Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
NIL open house
The UA athletic department is hosting an open house to discuss name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities with the Razorbacks.
The 90-minute event, to be held in the SEC Club in the Broyles Athletic Center at 6 p.m. today, is being billed as an educational tool for local businesses to see the UA’s approach to NIL through the school’s “Flagship” program. As of Friday, more than 100 UA athletes had entered into more than 160 agreements with 52 companies for sponsorships.