Pittman praises secondary as bigger, faster unit for 2025

Razorbacks coach says secondary won't be as passive about coverage this season

Arkansas Razorbacks' defensive back Jaheim Singletary makes a play during drills at the team's first fall practice in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs On SI Images

FAYETTTEVILLE, Ark. — Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman may like his defensive backfield going into the first day of fall practice.

He must face the fact that for the second time in his tenure, the secondary was among the worst in the FBS, finishing No. 111 in pass defense while yielding 247 yards per game. In 2022, Arkansas allowed 295 yards per game and finished No. 102 in 2020 during Pittman's first season.

Defensive backs coaches Marcus Woodson and Nick Perry were desperate to flip the narrative of Arkansas' weak coverage and added seven transfers along with two incoming freshmen.

This position group had a need for speed which was noticeable against teams with strong aerial attacks such as Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, LSU and Ole Miss.

When Pittman met with the media Thursday, he mentioned corner and safety will be heavily evaluated to figure out who starts in the season opener against Alabama A&M.

"Corner, I think we're pretty talented," Pittman said. "We're big and we're talented. We can run. Corner has a lot of depth there, so hat would be one of those positions [fans can keep an eye on]."

One of the best additions from a ratings standpoint was Julian Neal coming over from Fresno State after a great 2024 season. At the time of his commitment in the spring, Neal was the No. 1 cornerback available after recording 35 tackles, five tackles for loss, six pass break-ups, two interceptions and one sack.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive backs Caleb Wooden and Anton Pierce at spring practice on outdoor practice fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

Neal's role is a bit of an unknown at this point as there was belief he would play at the HOG position but Pittman sees him as a versatile defender at 6-foot-2, 208 pounds.

"I see him as a corner," Pittman said. "When Julian came up in the portal, he was really a no-brainer in that, the way he played his position at corner. But he's big, and so now he could move and depending on how that all works out, could move to a HOG position, because he's got great size and speed and can tackle.

Pittman continued on about the size of his secondary, but depth and competition can make this group better than they were in 2024. With so many new players, he knows that plenty of time will need to be put toward evaluating who will start and even rotate with the top two groups.

"Here's the thing, you got to find out who's going to play corner first. That's the bottom line. Because they're big, who can we move to another position. [Neal] would probably be in that category as well, along with Jordan Young.

Former Fresno State Bulldogs defensive back Julian Neal (15) tries to deflect a pass attempt by Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback Brendon Lewis (2) in the fourth quarter at Valley Children's Stadium. | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

"Jordan Young played corner, he's played HOG, he's played safety. He'd be another guy that could move around. We've got to find out exactly the best position for our team, for him."

Young aggravated his shoulder during his time with the Bearcats which kept him out during the spring to see where he would factor in, but Pittman believes the tape tells the whole story.

"With him, he also wanted to play corner when he first came in," Pittman said. "He's gotten bigger. He had the surgeries on the shoulders, but he's gotten bigger. I really like him. He's done a really nice job of getting his strength back. But for us, it was always the nickel. For him, and he can play corner as well, that was a plus."

As for the safety position, it seems like coaches have a pretty good grasp of their starters with Miguel Mitchell and Larry Worth back. One key addition to the room is Auburn transfer Caleb Wooden, who offers the Razorbacks another big body in the backend.

He brings three years of starting experience and knowledge of SEC defenses that cannot be replicated going into fall camp.

"We like the addition of Caleb Wooden," Pittman said. "He can play Hog, boundary or free or strong safety. The Hog position is the one there where we think we’ve got really good talent but that’s going to be wait and see on who’s going to be the starter there with that competition that we talked about with Jordan Young and Shakur Smalls."

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Silas Bolden (11) runs the ball in the first quarter as Arkansas Razorbacks safety Lary Worth III (30) defends at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The size of his secondary is something Pittman takes pride in going into fall camp and his two returning safeties Miguel Mitchell and Larry Worth providing mismatches in certain pressure packages.

“[Our safeties] are big, and they don't look like me. They look good," Pittman said. "[They] can run, but they'll hit you now. We got a little bit of Miguel last year. He really played really good in the bowl game, but he's played [a lot of football] and played some ball before at Florida.

"Larry will be so much different this year because he is bigger, he's faster and all that. But also we know where to play him. A year ago, we played him inside at linebacker to start out because he's big and can run. Very, very talented guy that will hit you.

"I always thought if you had really good linebackers that could run, which we do, and you [can] put some fear in the offense with your big safeties, you could be pretty good on defense. And I feel real comfortable that that's what we have."

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