FAYETTEVILLE — One receiver after the next continues to show up big during team periods for the Arkansas Razorbacks, confirming Coach Sam Pittman’s recent remark that the receiving corps is the most improved unit on the team since spring.
Wednesday was Ketron Jackson Jr.’s turn in the media viewing segment of practice. The 6-2 sophomore ran a post from the right flank, tracked past safety Myles Slusher and hauled in a long touchdown pass from KJ Jefferson to put an exclamation point on the first offense’s “fastball” starts inside the Walker Pavilion.
The media, during limited viewing windows, has seen a handful of receivers flashing speed to get deep and hauling in long-range passes from Jefferson, Malik Hornsby and Cade Fortin.
The Razorbacks' work in last Saturday’s initial scrimmage provided further confirmation, as Matt Landers had 2 receptions totaling 115 yards, Warren Thompson had a 40-yard scoring catch, Jadon Haselwood had a 25-yarder and tight end Trey Knox hauled in 2 receptions totaling 55 yards.
Additionally, Jaedon Wilson, Bryce Stephens, Quincey McAdoo, Isaiah Sategna, Sam Mbake and others have turned in impressive catches.
Catalon selected
Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon was named second-team All-America by CBSSports.com in a preseason team released Wednesday.
Catalon, a redshirt junior from Mansfield, Texas, was a second-team choice at defensive back along with Georgia junior Tykee Smith and Miami sophomore James Williams. The first-team picks at defensive back were Alabama senior Jordan Battle, Texas A&M senior Antonio Johnson and Notre Dame junior Brandon Joseph.
The SEC led all conferences with 18 selections on the two teams and tied the Big Ten with eight selections on the first team.
Catalon racked up 46 tackles, 4 pass breakups and 2 interceptions last season while not playing at 100% due to a shoulder issue that knocked him out of the season for good following a 52-51 loss at Ole Miss on Oct. 9. He burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2020 with 99 tackles and three interceptions to earn Freshman All-America honors.
Rainy Wednesday
The Razorbacks worked almost exclusively inside Walker Pavilion for camp practice No. 11 on a drizzly Wednesday morning.
Special teams coordinator Scott Fountain, who did media interviews along with kicker Cam Little and punter Reid Bauer, said his units have to take advantage of a day like this to get in wet-ball work.
“If it’s raining and we’re indoors, we’re always going to go outside and handle the ball,” Fountain said.
Fastballs
The action was a little more explosive than normal during the fastball starts, a series of four plays to kick off practice, for the top three units.
KJ Jefferson went 2 for 3 through the air following a run by Raheim Sanders, throwing incomplete for Warren Thompson, then hitting the 6-3 senior with an out cut. On the fourth snap, Jefferson drilled Ketron Jackson Jr. on a deep post for a touchdown.
Malik Hornsby completed his first two passes of the sequence to Nathan Bax and Isaiah Sategna. On the next snap, Hornsby tried to go back to Sategna down a seam but safety Latavious Brini read the play, stepped in front of the freshman and recorded an interception, followed by a good return. Hornsby scrambled around left end on the final rep.
The third-team defense had a good period, holding Rashod Dubinion to a couple of short runs on run-pass option plays, then Keaun Parker broke up a Cade Fortin pass intended for Landon Rogers on the right edge. On the fourth play, it appeared a defender swiped the ball free from Fortin, who had dropped back into the pocket. Fortin collected the loose ball but the play was blown dead.
Going gunning
Special teams coordinator Scott Fountain said he had a few speedy players in mind to play the “gunner” spots on the punt team, which typically line up on the edges and try to shake blockers to reach the punt returner first.
Senior TJ Hammonds was the main gunner last year.
“Right now we have about four guys,” Fountain said, singling out cornerback LaDarrius “Day Day” Bishop as the top choice.
“Day Day did that for us a little bit a couple of years ago,” he said. “Day Day’s value, he’s very fast, and he’s a tackler. He plays on defense.
“You have AJ Green, you have Matt Landers and Isaiah Sategna plays there, as well. So, those are four I’m excited about. They’re all fast kids, and we’ve just got to see who can get in there and get physical the most and get off the hold up and those types of things.”
Birthday boy
Sophomore kicker Cam Little celebrated his 19th birthday Wednesday, which happened to coincide with the special teams’ day in the camp spotlight in the media interview room.
Little said he was treating the day like business as usual, but suggested he might go eat at Big Orange in Rogers.
Little said former Razorback Vito Calvaruso accurately predicted Little’s winning field goal in a 16-13 victory at LSU last season.
“We were talking from the third quarter on about, he’s like, ‘Man, I feel like you’re going to have to kick a really big kick this game, either to tie it or win it,'" Little said.
“I was like, ‘Man, I’m ready for it.’ So he just kept instilling confidence in me.”
While many of his teammates raced to claim the Golden Boot Trophy for the first time since 2015 after Little’s 37-yard game winner in overtime, Little raced over to Calvaruso to quickly enjoy the moment before joining up with the rest of the team at Tiger Field.
Where’s Drew
The day after defensive line coach Deke Adams said linebacker Drew Sanders, who projects as one of the team’s top pass rushers, had not spent much time with his position group, the 6-5, 232-pounder made a move.
Sanders has been running with Bumper Pool on the first offensive unit at linebacker, but when the team split into group drills inside Walker Pavilion on Wednesday, Sanders traveled to the southwest corner of the building to go through drills with the defensive linemen.
Top Hogs
Three Razorbacks made ESPN.com’s list of the top 100 players in college football this season, which was released this summer.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson headed the list of Arkansas players with the No. 32 spot in the rankings, followed linebacker Bumper Pool at No. 39 and safety Jalen Catalon at No. 66.
Alabama linebacker Will Anderson and quarterback Bryce Young were Nos. 1 and 2 in the rankings, and other SEC players joining them in the top 10 were Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter at No. 6 and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers at No. 8.
More than one third of the players on the list compete for SEC schools, with a total of 36.
Little details
The veteran personnel returning for running backs Coach Jimmy Smith in sophomores Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, AJ Green and injured junior Dominique Johnson allows him to teach on a higher plane.
“It makes it easier, because what happens is at the beginning you teach them what to do,” Smith said early in camp. “Then you teach them how to do it, and when they know how to do it, you teach small details.
“The better they get, the more they know when they come out there, the better they get at the next level up. The smallest details, guys can get it because now you’re not teaching them what to do anymore.
“Everybody knows what to do. Film session looks totally different now. Instead of watching film on strips and telling them what to do, we go over details like ‘OK, you need to get your hand on the inside, your eyes are in the wrong place.’ It’s more details.”
Smith said he feels more comfortable in games because of that level of experience.
“Last year, I was like ‘I hope they don’t do this, because I don’t know if he knows it that well,'" he said. "Now it’s like, ‘It doesn’t matter, we’re ready for it, we’re going to be all right.’”
Extra points
* Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and receivers coach Kenny Guiton teamed up on an early ball security drill. The pair took turns trying to hack the ball free from Jadon Haselwood on the strip drill.
* Former Razorback defensive lineman Robert Thomas, who notched 22 tackles in 26 games for the Dolphins, Giants and Bills over the course of four seasons, attended practice on Wednesday wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates cap.