FAYETTEVILLE -- The first workout at the University of Arkansas nearly overwhelmed transfer receiver Andrew Armstrong.
And it wasn't even mat drills or runs or an on-the-field workout during winter conditioning.
"That first day of workouts it was like, I've never felt lightheaded during a workout," Armstrong said Thursday. "Like lifting. We didn't even run. It was straight lift.
"And I was in there feeling like I was about to pass out. I'm like yeah, I'm going to need to go home and drink some water or something, have to get my hydration up or something. It was crazy. It was crazy the first day of workouts."
Things have gotten a lot better from Armstrong, who has shown through 10 practices of spring he could be in position to jump into a key role in the Razorbacks' overhauled receiver room.
Armstrong and fellow transfer receiver Isaac TeSlaa had their first group media interview together Thursday and showed their senses of humor and camaraderie with their new teammates and program.
TeSlaa said he didn't want to think of injuries to receivers Jaedon Wilson and Tyrone Broden as more opportunity for the other split receivers. Wilson is rehabbing from a broken leg suffered in a car accident this spring and Broden from a knee injury resulting from severe collision with Armstrong in the end zone that nearly took out two transfer receivers at once just before spring break.
"I don't wish any bad on my teammates," TeSlaa said. "I want them back as soon as possible, Broden and Wilson, so I'm not going to say it like that.
"But overall the room is crazy. Everyone, they like to talk about the height that we've got, but we just have some dudes who know how to play some ball."
Armstrong and TeSlaa have both gotten work with the first unit through three weeks of spring workouts. Both are seniors and 6-4, three inches shorter than Broden, but they have something else in common that could be a motivating factor. They both are coming from lower-level ball: Armstrong from Texas A&M-Commerce and TeSlaa from Division II Hillsdale (Mich.) College.
TeSlaa, a native of Hudsonville, Mich., caught 68 passes for 1,325 yards and 13 touchdowns and was named team MVP and Great Midwest Conference offensive player of the year last season.
Armstrong, a native of Dallas, caught a team-high 62 passes for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 92.7 receiving yards per game as Texas A&M-Commerce's first 1,000-yard receiver.
Neither of the new Razorback wideouts was strongly recruited out of high school, and both had huge transitions to make on the smaller-school level.
"I don't blame coaches for not recruiting me out of high school," TeSlaa said. "I mean, I was a quarterback and I didn't have any film at receiver. Small school, we played the wing-T and I was a quarterback.
"I mean, I don't blame them for not seeing the receiver potential in me. But I knew if I put the work in, I would be able to produce some numbers. Then obviously I balled out the last couple of years and luckily the guys here noticed I'm a playmaker and that's what I'm here to do now."
Armstrong didn't start earning playing time until his senior year at Bishop Dunne High School in Dallas, and the rail-thin kid had some filling out to do to reach his current 201 pounds.
"I don't feel I was overlooked," Armstrong said. "I just hadn't developed. I wasn't as fast coming out of high school. I really didn't play varsity football until my senior year of high school.
"So I ended up going to Commerce and from there I just worked, worked, worked, worked. Three whole years I really didn't play, then that fourth year, which was last year, you know. I zoned in, locked in and what happened happened."
Wilson, a high school buddy of Armstrong's, made tremendous strides during winter workouts and he's expected to push back into the rotation when he fully recovers. He and slot receiver Bryce Stephens were the two most experienced returning receivers from a unit that lost its top five wideout and tight end pass catchers from 2022.
Redshirt freshmen Isaiah Sategna and Sam Mbake have asserted themselves this spring, giving the Razorbacks the makings of a solid rotation when everyone is healthy.
"I feel like with me and Isaac, Tyrone when he gets back, Jaedon, we got Sam ... the room is very, it's crazy," Armstrong said. "It's a lot of guys that can play. Isaiah Sategna, I just heard he was fast, but I've been seeing routes and he's crazy."
Added TeSlaa, "Bryce Stephens too. He runs some nasty routes."
TeSlaa, a 214-pounder, said his "welcome to the SEC" moment wasn't a specific workout or the intensity level of winter conditioning, but something else.
"It was much more than like the speed of everything," he said. "The SEC is a whole different level, especially the defense, just the speed of everyone, even the linebackers. I feel like some of these linebackers are just as fast as I am. It's crazy learning the speed and how to get off [press] man."
Both new receivers spoke about making strides during the spring.
"I feel like I'm learning the playbook, starting to get comfortable," Armstrong said. "Starting to feel my way through practice. Starting to learn how the defense plays. How to get open. Finding ways to get open even if the play breaks down. Zone, sitting in the holes, man, just keep rolling and running out. Just things like that. Just football."
Added TeSlaa, "I'd say the more practices we have ... under our belt, it's less about thinking and more about playing ball. Football is all about just going out and playing.
"If you're thinking too much, you aren't going to do it right and you're going to mess it up. So just going full speed and making sure you've got all the knowledge of the game."
Isaac TeSlaa
Arkansas transfer receivers Andrew Armstrong (shown) and Isaac TeSlaa have three weeks of work with the first unit under their belts. The 6-4 seniors had their first group media interview on Thursday. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
Arkansas transfer receivers Andrew Armstrong and Isaac TeSlaa (shown) have three weeks of work with the first unit under their belts. The 6-4 seniors had their first group media interview on Thursday. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)