Spring forward: UA football team returns to practice

Arkansas Defensive Lineman Taurean Carter (91) makes tackle on Auburn Running Back Tank Bigsby (4) on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, during the first half of play at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville. Visit nwaonline.com/211017Daily/ for today's photo gallery..(Special to the NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Beach)
Arkansas Defensive Lineman Taurean Carter (91) makes tackle on Auburn Running Back Tank Bigsby (4) on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, during the first half of play at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville. Visit nwaonline.com/211017Daily/ for today's photo gallery..(Special to the NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Beach)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Spring break over, the Arkansas football team will shake off the rust in a return to the practice field today for workout No. 6 of spring drills.

Fourth-year Coach Sam Pittman scheduled the 15 practices of spring to conclude just as the NCAA transfer portal opens back up on April 15 with at least eight scholarships still available to fill.

In the meantime, the University of Arkansas will continue installing offense and defense for another five practices or so for new offensive coordinator Dan Enos and new defensive coordinator Travis Williams.

"In the spring, especially with two new coordinators, I think we'll install up to probably around practice 10," Pittman said after workout No. 4. "Now there will be situational install and all that stuff, but we'll probably be done with about five practices left in spring."

One of the key position groups Razorback fans will likely focus on this season is defensive tackle, where the Hogs were relatively short on numbers last season and lost team leader Isaiah Nichols and graduate transfer Terry Hampton after the season.

On top of that, seniors Taurean Carter and Eric Gregory are coming off knee injuries. Carter had ligament replacement surgery after going down in last year's spring showcase inside the Walker Pavilion. Gregory had an arthroscopic procedure done between the end of the regular season and the Razorbacks' 55-53 triple overtime win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl.

The team's top returning tackler at defensive tackle is third-year sophomore Cam Ball, who notched 31 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack, mostly as a reserve. The 6-5, 311-pounder from Atlanta started in the Liberty Bowl after Nichols left the team and produced three tackles.

Carter seemed on the verge of a breakout season before his injury last year. While Pittman talked last year of possibly getting him back late in the season, he stayed out the whole way, potentially setting himself up for a bonus year based on a medical redshirt.

Even now, he approached the enhanced contact of the last practices before spring break with a little trepidation.

"I love Taurean Carter," Pittman said. "He came up to me as we were getting ready to do pods and he said, 'Coach, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm a little nervous.'

"So they did what we call a Hog Drill. One of the defensive guys was blocking basically and another defensive guy slung him and he landed kind of on that knee. I was watching him. I think he was kind of testing it and things of that nature.

"I asked him about it today and he said it was exactly what he needed. He needed that hit on there and he was fine the rest of the way. He has been playing well. I love him and I'm so proud. We mentioned that in our team meeting about he had been a long way back and has been doing a really good job. He survived the first day of pads."

Pittman likened Carter's return to physical play to what end Landon Jackson went through last year after rehabilitating from knee surgery. Jackson came on as the season progressed and finished with 23 tackles, including three sacks.

"I think he's going to be a really good player for us," Pittman said of Carter. "I think you're going to play a little slow coming back from that ACL at the beginning, sort of like Landon Jackson did last year. But I think he's going to be fine. I'm really happy for him."

Gregory elected to return for his super senior year after notching 19 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 4 quarterback hurries. He has had a brace on his injured knee during the early practices of spring.

"Eric, we held him a little bit in team situations today just because he's not playing as fast as what we feel like he's capable of doing," Pittman said after practice No. 4. "So we tried to hold him and maybe get him a little more healthy. He went through indy [individual drills] and things like that, but in a team situation we're trying to hold him."

Pittman spoke early in spring about the new makeup of the defensive line, which returns veterans like Zach Williams, Jashaud Stewart and Jackson at end, and Gregory, Carter, Ball and Marcus Miller at tackle. That group will mesh with young risers like redshirt freshmen Nico Davillier and JJ Hollingsworth, and incoming transfers like Trajan Jeffcoat and John Morgan.

The Razorbacks have 13 defensive linemen going through spring, 11 of them scholarship players.

"I think our defensive line is going to be fine," Pittman said. "We've had some additions and I think they'll help us."

Pittman said Davillier, a 6-4, 273-pounder from Maumelle, has the kind of body type Williams and defensive line coach Deke Adams are looking for at the hybrid "Jack" or "Buck" spots, "because he can run so well. Good pass rusher, as well."

"So right now he's about as big as we probably want him to get," Adams said. "If it ever came to a point where we thought he could get on the field more by moving him inside, we would certainly talk to him about that. But right now he runs well enough, he can stand up and rush from a stand-up or he can drop. I think we got him right where we want him at this point."

The Razorbacks will practice today, Thursday and Saturday this week with their annual Pro Day scheduled for Wednesday.


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