FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas offensive stars Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis made a “cool” new friend on their swing to New York City and Bristol, Conn., last week.

Davis and Wilson bumped into the actor Ice Cube while at the ESPN studios in Bristol on Thursday.

“I’ve always been a fan of Ice Cube,” Davis said. “We got a chance to meet him, talk to him a little. He said he’d try to watch us this year.”

The actor was at ESPN studios taping a segment on being a fan of the Oakland Raiders.

Wilson called the publicity tour, which included a stop at SEC media days two weeks ago, a positive trip.

“I’d never been to New York or to Bristol,” Wilson said. “Central Park was really cool and Times Square, a place you’ve always seen on TV, was fun.”

Davis and Wilson, who are well known in SEC country, are considered among the top wave of Heisman Trophy candidates by analysts.

New hands

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson will have an almost entirely new cast of wideouts — Cobi Hamilton the only exception — to work with on the starting offense in 2012.

Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino doesn’t sound concerned. In fact, Petrino compared the incoming class of Razorbacks receivers to the trio of Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright — fourthround NFL Draft picks all — from four summers ago.

“This class coming in right here ... has a chance to be like that class that just left,” Petrino said. “When Jarius and Joe and Chris Gragg and Greg Childs all came in here, they all played as true freshmen.”

Petrino said the learning curve for freshmen D’Arthur Cowan, Keon Hatcher, Eric Hawkins, Mekale McKay and junior college transfer Demetrius Wilson will be accelerated behind the crop of veterans that also includes Javontee Herndon, Julian Horton and Keante Minor.

“There’s going to be enough competition that we’re going to be good at receiver,” he said. “I’m very confident of that.”

End games

Defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell said the stretch of time Arkansas played last season without starters Jake Bequette and Tenarius “Tank” Wright hurt at the time, but will pay dividends now.

Wright broke a bone in his arm early in the Alabama game, joining Bequette (hamstring) on the sideline for several weeks.

“As tough as it was, we didn’t play very good defense while those two guys were out, but it did give Trey [Flowers] a lot of experience,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell said he expects Chris Smith and Flowers to man the starting spots, with Austin Flynn, Colton Miles-Nash and Wright, who is now at middle linebacker, rolling in relief.

“We will still use Tank on some third-downsituations,” he said. “It just depends on what personnel package we have in the game. There might be three ends in the game rushing the passer.”

Back to grind

Arkansas running backs coach Tim Horton said he thinks there’s a chance for tailback Knile Davis or quarterback Tyler Wilson to win the school’s first Heisman Trophy, but he warns the team can lose its focus.

“One thing that we’ve got to make sure we do, though, is not get caught up in beating Alabama and beating LSU, and winning this award and that award,” he said. “I think it’s really important that we just grind and worry about it one day at a time. So I hope we don’t look too far down the road.”

Key dates

The Razorbacks open practice Thursday and media day will follow two days later. Practices at the intramural fields, through Aug. 18, are open to the public, while workouts in the Walker Pavilion are closed because of space constraints.

Arkansas officials ask that cell phones not be used, and photography and videotaping is restricted to media for the first 20 minutes of practice.

The first scrimmage is scheduled for Aug. 11 between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Fan day will be at Walton Arena between noon and 2 p.m. on Aug. 18, with a scrimmage that evening at 7 p.m. at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The Razorbacks’ annual kickoff luncheon will be at noon Aug. 17 at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale.

Smith on air

The first airing of

Razorback Football Live

with John L. Smith, from the Catfish Hole on Wedington Drive in Fayetteville will take place on Aug. 29, three days prior to Arkansas’ season opener against Jacksonville State. The show will air on Wednesdays each week, with the exception of Oct. 17. For ticket information to the show, call (479) 521-7008.

Sports, Pages 28 on 07/29/2012