Arkansas practiced inside Walker Pavilion on Thursday, getting away from the strong wings that were blowing through Fayetteville. Here are some notes from the team’s work:
• Players in green jerseys: Jadon Haselwood, Jalen Catalon. Dalton Wagner and Trey Knox were again present but not in pads.
• Haselwood spoke to reporters following practice and said his shoulder, which he injured early in spring drills, is feeling better. Things are going smoothly for him outside of that hiccup.
Picking up the offense and playbook has been a smooth transition for him. He said Arkansas' offense is easier to learn than the one he had to pick up at Oklahoma. He learns by writing things down. When he visited the Razorbacks prior to committing, he wrote notes on the offense while having conversations with Kendal Briles.
• Malik Hornsby was wearing the new Axiom helmet from Riddell Sports. The Razorbacks’ equipment staff unveiled it on Twitter on Wednesday. It looks a little bit futuristic. It's stylish.
Hornsby again got some reps at wide receiver, though I don't remember him making any grabs in team sessions. But he did have a terrific day at quarterback and made some the practice’s best throws, including a rope of a touchdown pass to Harper Cole from 27 yards out. The ball was on the money and exploded out of his hand. It made me wonder just how fast he threw it.
Hornsby later completed a ball to tight end Nathan Bax for a big gain on a seam ball. He was picked off once by linebacker Jackson Woodard, but overall had a strong showing.
• KJ Jefferson had a solid day, as well. He connected with Haselwood for a long touchdown. Not exactly sure what happened in the secondary to allow for the big play, but Haselwood was wide open. He said he and Jefferson have developed a chemistry and they are eager to see what's in store in the fall.
Late in the workout, Jefferson hit Rocket Sanders for a touchdown on what I believe was a wheel route. The tailback brought in the contested ball while matched up in single coverage with linebacker Drew Sanders.
Another nice throw from Jefferson came in situational work when he hit tight end Hudson Henry for first-down yardage facing third-and-10. He was intercepted about midway through on a nice diving play by Myles Slusher.
• Malik Chavis, who is working at corner and has really impressive size and length for the position, made a heady play on a Cade Fortin deep ball and broke up a potential huge gain. Chavis worked with the second-team defense Thursday.
• LaDarrius Bishop, AJ Green, Slusher and Jaedon Wilson worked at kickoff return. I believe Rocket Sanders was also back deep. He threw a good block in one sequence that sprung Green for what would’ve been a big return.
• I continue to be impressed with the play of defensive tackle Taurean Carter. Sam Pittman said Tuesday that he is getting off the ball quicker and spending a lot of time in the backfield. We saw that throughout practice.
He has really good power through a strong lower body, and his hand placement has keyed many of the plays he has made.
Carter on Thursday in the interview room said he likes Deke Adams a lot. He has gone through 4-5 defensive line coaches since he’s been at Arkansas. Adams has been a positive for him.
He is teaching Carter proper technique, which the lineman said is mixing well with what he is already naturally gifted at. Carter noted the same came be said for Cameron Ball, another physically impressive tackle.
Isaiah Nichols, too, is making strides and playing well on the first-team defensive line.