FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman’s philosophy about recruiting specialists was validated over the course of two Saturdays last November.
Freshman kicker Cam Little made 6 of 7 field goals against Mississippi State and LSU — three in each game. Arkansas won both games by three points.
Against Mississippi State in Fayetteville, Little connected on field goals of 46, 48 and 51 yards. Each was a career-long make, the final of which put Arkansas ahead 16-14 in the third quarter.
Little did not kick a game-winner against the Bulldogs — Dominique Johnson’s 4-yard touchdown and two-point conversion with 21 seconds remaining set the 31-28 final score to give the Razorbacks bowl eligibility — but Little’s 11 points that day played a crucial role in the outcome of the game.
“That’s why you put a scholarship into a kicker,” Pittman said a few days later on his radio show, “because he’s valuable and he can win a game for you.”
Those words were prophetic later that week at LSU. Arkansas’ offense was held to 283 yards in Death Valley — its second-lowest total of the season — but was successful enough to set up Little for multiple opportunities. He made field goals from 48, 27 and 37 yards, the final of which gave the Razorbacks a 16-13 victory after they made a defensive stop in overtime.
“Some teams that we played, it really came down to special teams,” Little said. “At LSU we put up nine points on special teams and a huge punt return by Bryce Stephens, which really gave us some momentum in the game.
“In opposing stadiums, it’s kind of nice just shutting up the crowd after a kick. I remember at LSU when I made that 48 at the beginning of the game, that crowd went dead silent. I can remember high-fiving (holder Reid) Bauer and I could hear the high five. That’s a big confidence booster.”
While many major college football teams reserve their 85 scholarships for position players on offense and defense, Pittman and special teams coordinator Scott Fountain grant scholarships for the most important positions in the third phase. The opportunity to play on scholarship has quickly made Arkansas a landing spot for coveted specialists like Little, who was rated the No. 2 kicker in his class by Kohl’s Kicking and was also offered a scholarship by Colorado on the same day as the Razorbacks offered.
“I knew immediately when Arkansas offered me that I wanted to come here,” Little said.
In 2022, the Razorbacks will have three specialists — Little, punter Max Fletcher and deep snapper Eli Stein — on scholarship. Kohl’s Kicking rated Stein the No. 2 snapper and 247Sports rated Fletcher the No. 5 punter in the 2022 high school senior class.
“I think it’s huge,” Little said. “I think a lot of schools overlook that part of the game. A school that recruited me didn’t believe in (giving a scholarship to) kickers out of high school, and that said school has not necessarily had the best output of kickers before. That’s just an example of how (a scholarship for) your kicker really can affect your special teams. You’ve got to have a guy that makes kicks, a guy that oozes confidence in your kicker, punter and long snapper.”
Little was voted a Freshman All-American last season by the Football Writers Association of America when he made 20 of 24 field goal attempts and all 46 of his extra points. He is one of 35 kickers on the watch list this year for the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best at his position.
Little made multiple field goals in five games last year, including four during the 40-21 victory over Texas in Week 2.
HIs 83% success rate fell shy of Little’s goal of 85% as a freshman. Half of his misses were from 50-plus yards against Ole Miss and Auburn. He also missed a 37-yard kick during a shutout loss at Georgia and a 42-yard kick in the fourth quarter of the Mississippi State game.
“I think the main goal this season was to get better at those long-distance kicks,” Little said. “Ultimately in the NFL, that’s more of a common kick. You’re expected to make those or you won’t have a job the next week.”
Little has spent the offseason working on lower-body strength and leg flexibility, both factors that he said will allow him to kick the ball farther. He has made a 61-yard field goal in practice and feels comfortable from inside 55 yards.
“I think maintaining the same swing you have at 50 yards versus 60 yards in huge,” Little said. “If you get out of rhythm you’re going to over-swing on the ball.
“If I hit a 40-yarder and I smoke it, then I think that same ball needs to be hit from 55 and I can get it there. Just hit the same ball at 40 yards that you do from 55 or 60.”
Added leg strength will also benefit Little’s potential role as the team’s kickoff specialist this year. Vito Calvaruso handled that responsibility during the 2021 regular season, but transferred to Wisconsin before the Razorbacks’ game against Penn State at the Outback Bowl.
Little kicked off during the bowl game and had touchbacks on all five of his kicks.
“I kicked off really well in that game and was hitting some really big balls,” Little said. “Throughout the spring I’ve been kicking off really well.”
Little handled field goals, kickoffs and punting at Southmoore High School in Moore, Okla. He didn’t pick up football until his freshman year. Until that point he was a soccer player.
According to an ABC interview, football was so foreign to Little that he called his father, Todd, and told him he did not know how to put on his pads. Within two weeks of that call he was playing for his school’s varsity team.
“At an early age I really developed a knack for technique in kicking,” Little said. “I studied so many different kickers in the NFL and college, just watching videos of how they kick. I feel like that’s something I’m still trying to learn a little bit, but I feel like I’m really skilled in that environment of learning how to kick.”
In Moore, Little developed a strong sense of family and community — characteristics that he said attracted him to Fayetteville during the recruiting process.
When he was in fourth grade in 2013, Little’s hometown was hit by an EF-4 tornado that killed 24 people and injured more than 200. His elementary school sustained roof damage and two nearby schools were destroyed.
“Our community gathered like crazy after that event,” Little said. “I think that tells a lot about Oklahoma and the type of people where I grew up. It’s a huge reason why I chose here because it reminded me of the people back home.”
Little has observed other characteristics in his college town that remind him of home. Early last season he announced he would donate $10 toward the Down Syndrome Connection of Northwest Arkansas for every field goal he made.
His first cousin, Ayden Little, has Down syndrome.
“He’s always been a great athlete,” Cam Little said of Ayden, who competes in Special Olympics. “I think that kind of tied us together. Whatever sport he was playing — football, swimming, basketball, soccer — he always had a smile on his face doing it. That always had a big impact on me, to look on the bright side of things.”
Razorback fans joined him in making contributions toward the foundation, a total estimated to be more than $10,000 as of the spring.
In April, Little was surprised when Fort Smith-based logistics company ArcBest made a $25,000 donation in his honor during a segment of ABC’s “Good Morning America.” The segment was live from Reynolds Razorback Stadium as part of a hometown tour for host TJ Holmes, a University of Arkansas graduate.
As the announcement was made, Little was surprised on field by several family members who had made the four-hour drive from his hometown, including Ayden.
“If you would have told me in high school this stuff would have happened I would have said you’re crazy,” Little said. “I’m a college kicker. I think that kind of just tells a little bit about Arkansas’ community and how much they care about their athletes.”
This story first appeared in the 2022 Hawgs Illustrated football preview