Three Big Questions: Arkansas Razorbacks
A look ahead at what what 2023 has in store for each FBS program, alphabetically
Most teams in the SEC live in the minds of the public as blue bloods. Alabama. LSU. Georgia. Tennessee. Florida. Soon, Texas and Oklahoma will join that list. But Arkansas? Give me a second, and let’s think about it. Under Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks have been a solid SEC team. They’ve been in the upper half of the conference, cannibalized the top many times, and garnered a few rankings along the way. They’ve got a great quarterback in KJ Jefferson, but is that enough? What does 2023 have in store for the Razorbacks?
Team Information
School: Arkansas Razorbacks
Conference: Southeastern (West)
2022 Record: 7-6 (3-5)
Bowl: 55-53 3OT win over Kansas in Autozone Liberty Bowl
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Sam Pittman,
Offensive Coordinator: Dan Enos, first season
Defensive Coordinator: Travis Williams, first season
1. How does KJ Jefferson look in Dan Enos’s offense?
Everyone in the SEC knows that KJ Jefferson is an elite passer. His dual-threat talent lethal, and requires a lot of gameplanning to slow down. So far, he’s been used in Kendal Briles’s run-heavy, up-tempo spread scheme. But Briles is gone after taking the TCU offensive coordinator role. In steps Dan Enos, who returns to Fayetteville after leading some of the Hogs’ most successful offenses in history.
Already in spring ball, we’ve seen a shift in the offense with Enos at the helm. Jefferson is taking snaps from under center, and the scheme seems to be much more friendly to his health. I’m sure he’ll be running some zone reads, but those should be significantly cut down.
This season, we should expect to see more of Jefferson as a passer. Briles, as already mentioned, runs a very run-heavy scheme. Enos tries to live in the balanced middle ground. He also isn’t going to be pushing tempo, which could allow Jefferson to take some time, read the defense, and make quick adjustments.
Of course, those adjustments only matter if Jefferson is able to make smart ones. That’s not something we’ve seen, and isn’t really possible in such a quick offense like Briles’. Looking at his interception numbers, though, shows that he can read a defense well. In his 666 career attempts, he’s only thrown 10 interceptions. That’s a pick on only 1.5% of passes.
Even in a run-first scheme that Jefferson has started in, he’s gone over 2,600 yards and 20 touchdowns his two starting seasons. In those, he’s thrown five or less interceptions. He’s an elite quarterback, and giving him more of the reigns in this offense could open up a very dangerous Razorback attack.
2. Can the defense continue to bring pressure?
While Jefferson and company attacked hard on the offensive side of the ball, the defense attacked even more. The Razorbacks led the SEC in sacks and finished fifth in the nation with 39.
It goes without saying, if a team can wreak havoc on their opponent’s quarterbacks, that’s a recipe for success. But, this is a team with a new defensive leader in Travis Williams, who comes to Fayetteville by way of UCF. And that’s before mentioning that there are only four returning starters from a year ago.
For the pass rush, Missouri transfer Trajan Jeffcoat is getting rave reviews from Pittman through spring camp. There’s also four-star defensive lineman Anthony Booker from Maryland to factor in. The Hogs have a lot of questions up front, but they have brought in the right players to keep up the pressure.
Williams’s defensive scheme lends credence to the attacking style the Razorbacks have typically employed under Pittman. His defensive linemen at UCF were always in the offense’s backfield, with Ricky Barber and Tre’Mon Morris-Brash each raking up 13.0 tackles for loss.
With this unit, and a linebacking corps that can allow the defensive line to attack, the front seven should once again be near the top marks in the nation.
3. Can Williams improve the pass defense?
Williams’s biggest claim to fame at UCF, though, was drastic improvements in passing and scoring defense. While pressure helps both, he’s developed many strong secondary groups.
The Hogs return their top two corners from a year ago in juniors Hudson Clark and Dwight McGlothern, who are ready to take another step this season. However, they lost two big contributors in Jalen Catalon (transferred to Texas) and Simeon Blair (transferred to Memphis). Pittman and Williams hit the portal to replace what they lost, adding four-star Al Walcott from Baylor to replace Catalon and four-star Jaheim Singletary from Georgia to replace Blair.
With this new unit, Williams needs to find answers quickly. Arkansas allowed 6.5 yards per play a year ago, which is unacceptable for this season. They also ranked 13th in the SEC in pass defense efficiency, which shows they had major lapses across the season. If the Hogs want to improve on the defensive side, the secondary is the first thing to fix.
Looking at Williams’s career history shows he’s up for the task. In his first season in Orlando, the Knights ranked seventh in pass defense efficiency in the nation, moving up 90(!) spots from a year ago.
What are the expectations for Arkansas in 2023?
I have no doubts the offense is going to be potent. Jefferson is an elite quarterback. They’ve added a bevy of elite pass catchers through the portal (keep an eye on Bowling Green transfer Tyrone Broden for a breakout). Sophomore tailback Raheim Sanders returns after posting 1,443 yards in his redshirt freshman season. The only major questions rest on the defensive side of the ball. Can Williams turn around a porous pass defense? Based on his past stops, he can. But, I’m not counting on a 90-spot reversal. FPI projects the Hogs at 5-7 wins, and I think that’s about right. They’re not in the thick of the SEC title race, but they’ll beat a team or two they shouldn’t, sit in the rankings for a bit, and then blow someone out in a lower-tier bowl game.