Razorbacks report

CB’s INT ends drill, gets kudos

Arkansas offensive line coach Cody Kennedy gives instructions to players during workouts Friday at the Razorbacks’ practice facility in Fayetteville. The Hogs opened preseason drills Friday. More photos available at arkansasonline.com/86uapractice/.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Arkansas offensive line coach Cody Kennedy gives instructions to players during workouts Friday at the Razorbacks’ practice facility in Fayetteville. The Hogs opened preseason drills Friday. More photos available at arkansasonline.com/86uapractice/. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Junior cornerback Hudson Clark had one of the top highlights of the opening day of camp for the University of Arkansas on Friday.

Clark, in coverage against transfer receiver Jadon Haselwood during a two-minute drill for the top offense against the top defense, undercut a route and intercepted KJ Jefferson to end the drill.

"Hudson Clark made a really nice catch in the two-minute drill, intercepted a ball against the ones," Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said. "He intercepted it and understood to get on the ground. There's no reason to do anything with it, the game is over at that point."

Said Jefferson, "I was throwing to Haselwood on a corner route. He sunk back and made a great defensive play. For me, it's being able to read the defense and also not be too greedy in a two-minute situation. Just be disciplined."

Safety Jalen Catalon was on the field for the key play.

"That play he made, Hudson broke on the ball," Catalon said. "It was a great play. If I was a quarterback, I would have thought that the route was open. But he came in, broke on it and made a great play. Then he fell down in the two-minute like he was supposed to do."

Cool turf

A reporter asked Sam Pittman what he thought of the new outdoor artificial turf the Razorbacks will be working on during camp.

Pittman said the Razorbacks didn't work on it much during the camp opener on Friday but the players had done summer conditioning on it and liked it.

"We know it's got some coolant in it or some sand in it where it's not going to be quite as [hot]," Pittman said.

When the reporter mentioned it might be "20 degrees cooler" on the new turf, Pittman got a laugh.

"Well, I think it's 20 degrees cooler than the old turf," he said. "You know if it was that way, I'd be over there laying down on it. But I think it's 20 degrees cooler than the old turf, which was hot, hot."

Pittman said the breeze outside made it a more tolerable even in the sun than inside the Walker Pavilion, which he said felt like hot air was stirring around and was muggy.

Roster updates

Redshirt sophomore center Marcus Henderson worked in a green no-contact jersey.

Sam Pittman said Henderson, who likely will be the No. 2 center behind Ricky Stromberg, has a pectoral injury and might not be able to go full speed for a week to 10 days.

"Nothing serious, but certainly serious enough that we need to take care of him here for at least another week," Pittman said.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Chase Lowery is healthy, Pittman said, but is not on the training camp roster.

Eric's options

Veteran defensive lineman Eric Gregory has the ability at 6-4, 303 pounds to play both on the interior and the edge on the front.

In Friday's camp opener, Gregory worked inside with senior Isaiah Nichols during the fastball start, while Jashaud Stewart and Zach Williams were the ends.

"Eric's got a lot of value for us because he certainly can play end when we're in our three-down line," Sam Pittman said. "In a four-down configuration, he certainly can play inside as well. So he's got a lot of value there, just because he's worked so hard and he's strong and he can run."

Coming back

Players who are back from injuries are headlined by defensive end Dorian Gerald, who has been hurt during each of his three seasons with the Razorbacks and who was granted a rare seventh season of eligibility.

Gerald, now wearing No. 23, ran with the third unit on Friday.

Landon Jackson, a sophomore transfer from LSU who missed spring while recovering from ACL surgery, ran with the second unit at defensive end.

Senior slot receiver Jaquayln Crawford was running full speed after suffering a broken leg during spring drills.

Redshirt junior Zach Zimos, who suffered an ACL injury against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last year, was back and working at third-team safety.

Offensive lineman Terry Wells also returned to work as a reserve interior lineman after having a back issue during spring.

Who's kicking?

Arkansas is looking for a new kickoff man with Vito Calvaruso's transfer to Wisconsin. Calvaruso had 96 touchbacks on 122 kickoffs the last two seasons.

"Vito was valuable now," Coach Sam Pittman said. "Lot of value there when you don't necessarily have to defend a kickoff return from somebody else's team."

Jake Bates, a fifth-year senior transfer from Texas State, will compete for the kickoff job with sophomore Cam Little.

Pittman said special teams coordinator Scott Fountain would prefer Bates win the kickoff job so Little can focus on placekicking.

Little made 20 of 24 field goal tries and all 46 of his extra points last year.

Bates, who played soccer for two seasons at the University of Central Arkansas, had 63 touchbacks on 113 kickoffs the last two seasons.

"Whomever wins that spot is going to be the one who kicks it the furthest and the highest and with the most consistency," Pittman said. "I think they're both kicking it 6, 7 [yards] deep right now on average."

Little handled kickoffs in Arkansas' 24-10 win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl because Calvaruso already had announced that he was transferring.

Number news

The scholarship Razorbacks who have arrived since the end of spring are wearing a variety of jersey numbers, including the 0 donned by freshman defensive lineman Nico Davillier.

The rest of the jersey numbers for newcomers, in numerical order: 3 Matt Landers, 14 Jordan Domenick, 16 Isaiah Sategna, 17 Sam Mbake, 75 Patrick Kutas and 99 Terry Hampton.

New numbers for veterans are 11 LaDarrius Bishop, 23 Dorian Gerald and 33 Isaiah Nichols.


  photo  Hudson Clark
 
 


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