FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson is expected to enter the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 28 with a largely unproven group of pass catchers at his side.
As of now, the Razorbacks will be without three of their top four players in terms of receiving yards during the regular season. Jadon Haselwood declared for the NFL Draft in late November, and tight end Trey Knox and receiver Ketron Jackson have entered the NCAA transfer portal in recent weeks.
Matt Landers, a receiver transfer from Toledo who began his college career at Georgia, has not indicated whether he will play in the bowl game. If Landers does not play, running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders would be Arkansas’ leading receiver with 28 catches for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Landers leads the team in yards (780) and touchdowns (7), and Haselwood led all players with 59 receptions. Knox was among the SEC leaders at tight end in yards (296) and touchdown catches (5).
More from WholeHogSports: Top storylines from Sam Pittman's press conference on Friday
Arkansas will turn to a number of young faces to push the passing game forward, coach Sam Pittman said Friday. Sam Mbake, Bryce Stephens, Jaedon Wilson, Isaiah Sategna and Landon Rogers were among the names the third-year head coach mentioned, as well as Chris Harris and Harper Cole.
“We’re a little short there in numbers and in playing experience,” Pittman added. “We went out and won the Outback Bowl last year without (Treylon) Burks. We did not just light it up in the air. I think we were around 100 yards. But it’s time.
“It’s time for these guys. We talked about it being next year.”
At wide receiver, Stephens has the most on-field experience outside of Landers. He caught 8 passes for 92 yards and 1 touchdown this fall, and returned 15 punts for 149 yards, including a go-ahead 82-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against Missouri State.
Sategna, who battled an ankle injury, has 1 catch for 10 yards, and Wilson brought in 1 pass for 2 yards. The remainder of the players Pittman made reference to do not have any statistics.
At the tight end position, productivity was scarce beyond Knox.
However, Pittman said Arkansas will have Hudson Henry, a Little Rock native, available for the game, as well as Nathan Bax. They combined for four catches for 19 yards in the regular season.
Ty Washington, a freshman who impressed at times in preseason camp, can play in the bowl game. He has played in four games this season, and the coaching staff was previously planning to hold him out against Kansas to avoid burning his redshirt.
“We found out...that the NCAA passed a rule with Tyrus Washington to where your fifth game would not count toward your eligibility number,” Pittman said. “He’ll be able to be active and play, as well.
“It’s a great rule, especially with the numbers (being) down probably for a lot of teams. I think that was a great rule.”
Without Burks last season against Penn State in the Outback Bowl, Arkansas passed for 98 yards — its second fewest in a game under Pittman. The Razorbacks leaned heavily on their run game against the Nittany Lions, which put up 353 yards and 3 touchdowns on 58 carries as Arkansas won 24-10.
This season, Jefferson is averaging 236.1 passing yards per game.