Hogs' WR Coach Larry Smith: 'Hard To Say' Who WR1 Right Now

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas wide receivers coach Larry Smith was asked Monday if the Razorbacks have a standout WR1 less than a month before its Sept. 5 season opener against North Alabama.

Smith didn't explicitly say that the Hogs have a top target, choosing instead to highlight the entire receiver room.

"You would like to say all eight to nine guys can strike fear," Smith said. "You look across the board: you got Chris Marshall, who's a prototypical X receiver. 6-3, roughly 215. You got [Antonio] Jordan, still kind of learning, but getting there. You got Jamari Hawkins, who can run, who has elite speed.

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— Arkansas Football 🐗 (@RazorbackFB) August 10, 2026

"CJ Brown is another guy that can run. [Ismael Cisse], who's another guy who's smart, versatile guy you can move around. Not to mention, we just added Jelani Watkins. I think we got a few guys. Courtney Crutchfield is starting to show up. Donovan Faupel. So, it's kind of hard to say right now, but I do think we have a few guys who could emerge and be that receiver 1 for us."

Marshall, a transfer from Boise State, is the favorite to win the WR1 job. He hauled in 30 passes for 574 yards and two touchdowns last season.

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— Arkansas Football 🐗 (@RazorbackFB) August 8, 2026

From there, Brown, Faupel, Jordan, Cisse and Watkins could all see a good amount of snaps, alongside Jordan and Watkins.

Overall, however, Arkansas' receiver room is still a mystery. Whether or not the unit can have success against an SEC defense is a question that won't be concrete until Week 3 when the Razorbacks host Georgia.

As tough of a matchup as that appears to be, facing what will be a talented UGA defense early in the season will provide answers one way or another for the Razorbacks.

Smith spoke especially highly of Brown, a Bentonville native who is entering his third season at UA.

"I think when I first got here in January, he was more of a lead-by-example guy," Smith said of Brown. "Now, he understands that he's kind of the vet in the room. He's going into his third year here, obviously a hometown kid. He understands this is a very important year for us. He's the guy that's been here.

"He understands the pride he has playing for the University of Arkansas. And with more confidence, he's starting to speak up more. He's starting to be more vocal, he's starting to bring the young guys along as well. I think CJ's been pretty consistent through these first five practices for us."

With a quarterback battle purportedly raging between KJ Jackson and AJ Hill, a confident, together receiving room will be paramount for the Razorbacks as they work through the rest of fall camp and get the season started.

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