About All Sam Pittman Has for Razorbacks Now Could Be Simply Hope
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Along with a myraid of questions looking for an answer, about all that's left for Arkansas headed into a football season filled with land mines is hope. This is not what Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman was expectating in his fifth season.
That's exactly where he finds things now, though. In all the transfer and signings, the Hogs ended up with some players that will be starters, but nobody that is going to cause them to move them up in the preseason projections. Maybe the biggest hope coming back is a redshirt freshman tight end that was the most reliable target for KJ Jefferson last season.
Right up until Luke Hasz broke his collarbone in th fifth game of the season against Texas A&M. After that, nobody was able — or appeared particularly interested — in trying to take over that role. Right now there are a bunch of second and third choices for Taylen Green to pick from on passing plays. Nobody has emerged as the go-to receiver that hasn't been on the roster since Treylon Burks left town for the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
Hope is usually the answer disguised as a statement of fact by a lot of people. The common belief is that new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino will develop one. He did it before. The problem with that is he doesn't have the sam players (or anybody showing it now) he recruited in 2008. Hasz may be really good, but he's a long way from DJ Williams' ability to rise to be the top tight end in college football.
Petrino did have a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Lamar Jackson at Louisville. It's the only one and his offense at Texas A&M last season didn't set the world on fire and the coach got fired. That roster, filled with five-star recruits, finished No. 25 in the country and squarely in the middle of the SEC.
The bottom line to all that is hoping Petrino can be the big difference might not be the best idea. It will be improved over last season, but that's admittedly a really low bar. There are even Razorback fans that have the hope he'll be the head coach next season, Don't count on it, though.
Right now the focus is on a schedule that half of it ranked in the Top 25 of the preseason rankings. That's bad enough. Having to rely on transfers is never a dead cinch. Having to count on freshmen to put you immediately into the the championship game is less reliable, especially when the transfer rankings for the 2024 class that have consistently fallen is now No. 31 at 247Sports (15th in the SEC).
Just remember all this because hope isn't a plan. Right now there doesn't appear to be anything better, though, so it may be all that's left for the time being.
HOGS FEED:
• Spring's Muldrew turning heads, moving up recruiting rankings at Nike EYBL
• Importance of scoring first for Arkansas’ offense
• Molina's Good Outing Could Give Razorbacks Boost Heading to NCAA
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ANDY HODGES
Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.