FAYETTEVILLE — The first “crowd went wild” moment of spring scrimmages during the Sam Pittman era at the University of Arkansas was produced by the kid who came in with a splashy nickname.
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders broke a couple of tackles en route to a 35-yard run in the first fan-attended scrimmage on March 20.
Though the play came with the third unit on offense against nonstarters, it was an eye opener as fans got to see what all the hype was about regarding one of the gems of the Razorbacks’ newest signing class.
Sanders — a receiver, defensive lineman and safety in high school who is built more like a swift linebacker — noticed the cheers that day.
“I could definitely hear the crowd,” Sanders told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette recently. “There was a lot of people there. And actually more people will be there this season. I just can’t wait to feel that atmosphere.”
And Razorback fans can’t wait to see how offensive coordinator Kendal Briles will find ways to light the fuse on ‘Rocket’ against their foes.
Pittman and his staff were stoked to land the Florida native and 4-star prospect Sanders, who signed with the Razorbacks despite not visiting campus due to covid-19 restrictions. Sanders picked the Hogs over finalists Florida State, South Carolina and Missouri and many other offers, including Auburn, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Sanders was recruited as an “athlete,” but it didn’t take long for the Arkansas coaching staff to envision him as a big back with above-average speed.
Measuring in at 6-2 and 210 pounds on his arrival in January, Sanders is now sporting 225 pounds. He’s the same height and about 15 pounds bigger than former Arkansas All-American Darren McFadden in his prime; the same weight and about an inch taller than the great Herschel Walker.
Now, if only Sanders can develop like those two legends, who were blessed with speed, power and instincts that made them a cut above.
Pittman has made it clear Sanders is a player an offense can build around.
“I like Sanders a lot,” Pittman said prior to spring ball. “I like Sanders back there because he’s a big back that’s a very physical guy.”
After that first scrimmage, Pittman remarked, “He is a wonderful kid, a hard worker and … very meticulous in how he handles his business. We moved him to running back Day One. I don’t know that was necessarily the thought when we recruited him, but we need a big back. We needed a little faster big back.”
Sanders, recruited heavily by former Arkansas receivers coach Justin Stepp, just wanted to be plugged in somewhere, much like he told the coaching staff at Rockledge (Fla.) High School.
“I told them what I told Arkansas: I’ll play any position as long as I get to show my talent,” Sanders said. “But at Rockledge, I came in and played receiver, running back and defensive end.
“I had played a little bit of DB when I came there, a little bit of safety. When it got to games, I played mostly defensive end, running back and receiver. I’m just an athlete.”
Sanders committed to the Razorbacks on his birthday as an athlete June 8, 2020. His relationship with the coaching staff and the business environment in Northwest Arkansas were huge draws.
“Why did I pick Arkansas? One thing I’d say is the coaches,” said Sanders, adding that strength and conditioning coach Jamil Walker has been a big influence on him. “The background … I saw they had good business. Every time I talked to Coach Pitt, he’d tell me about the businesses around here, like with the Walmarts and all that.
“About the business, that’s my mom’s main thing. Because I was her first son going to college, that was the main thing with that.”
Sanders said he had had to learn to run with lower leverage as a tailback, and that position coach Jimmy Smith and veteran tailback Trelon Smith have been extremely helpful.
“Definitely Tre[lon], me coming in as a receiver, I really wanted to be with him,” Sanders said. “At the end of the day, our first spring scrimmage we had, the thing that turned me up was he said just treat this like high school, play how you play. Just don’t think about nothing and just go.”
Learning the playbook was a critical part of spring practices for Sanders due to the position switch.
“I thought it was going to be really hard. But man, Coach Smith, he broke it down to me,” he said. “He really broke it down to me, because I came in here a little bit nervous: New atmosphere, new people, everything.
“But I got some reps and got in and it was like ‘Boom.’ He was telling me, don’t worry about nothing, just go. So yeah, I did that. I feel way better. Comfortable. That was like the main thing was me coming here and feeling comfortable so I could show my talent.”
Sanders said his biggest challenge as a freshman tailback is the full scope of pass protection.
“I’m good at blocking,” Sanders said. “Like I’m smart at blocking. I’m usually stepping up to block somebody. One thing I learned throughout the spring was let them come to you. You don’t have to run to them. By the tempo we run, let the middle linebacker come to you. You do your job, you block, you don’t have to run to him.”
Sanders said practice intensity is one thing that separates SEC football from his high school days.
His “welcome to the SEC” moment came in a confrontation with a linebacker.
“It was probably a little hit, a wake-up call I’d say, just for me, running up high, when Grant [Morgan] hit me,” Sanders said. “It wasn’t a big hit, but being a running back playing in the SEC, every practice is serious, even when we don’t got pads on. So it’s like definitely an older guy. That was a little challenging.
“In high school, yeah you go hard every practice. But here you’ve got people watching that’s got the camera out every day. It’s just a little bit different. Changing from receiver to running back, there’s a lot of hardcore hitting, even when you don’t got pads on.”
Sophomore quarterback KJ Jefferson saw enough of Sanders in spring to believe in his ability.
“Rocket, he’s coming along pretty smooth,” Jefferson said. “Rocket, he has pretty good hands catching the ball out of the backfield.
“Just a bigger body, more explosive also, and he can make moves in the open field. So by bringing him in, he’s just a great athlete. I mean, he can do it all. He can catch, he can run, he can block, so that’s a great asset for us bringing him in.”
Junior cornerback Greg Brooks Jr. named Sanders as an impressive rookie.
“For the young guys, I think Rocket, he’s surprised a lot of people,” Brooks said. “He’s running that thing.”
Said freshman quarterback Lucas Coley, “Rocket is just a freak of nature.”
Pittman thinks the combination of Sanders’ power and speed could make a difference in the backfield.
“When he turns his shoulders and goes downhill, he’s hard to bring down in a short area,” Pittman said after the team’s second scrimmage. “He’s still learning, and I’m talking about learning the offense. You’ll see him out there at times where he’s on the wrong side or he might go the wrong way some. That’s understandable for a freshman.
“But I love everything about the kid and his work ethic, and he’s going to be a really fine player for us.”
Sanders thinks the same.
“Really coming here and switching to running back, I feel like God made that happen,” he said, “and I feel like there will be some good things that happen with all the coaches I have around me and the players I have around me.”