Three Freshmen Who Have Stood Out at Hogs' Spring Practice

Razorbacks trio of newcomers have impressed coaches, teammates early

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Madden Iamaleava at spring practice on outdoor practice fields in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Razorbacks are one of college football's Top 10 teams as it pertains to roster transactions going into spring practice.

Coach Sam Pittman's staff brings in nearly 50 new players which is the new normal in college football. Of that number, Arkansas added 24 high school signees to its roster with 18 taking part in spring practice.

Hybrid safety Larry Worth has already taken note of one freshman defender who has stood out during the early part of spring practice. Tavion Wallace signed with Arkansas as the No. 185 overall prospect in the 2025 class according to 247sports, but was as high as No. 26 last spring before making his pledge.

"One of them, I would say, off the first thing I've seen was Tavion Wallace, the linebacker they brought in," Worth said Tuesday afternoon. "The edge that he brings, he works like he's a walk-on So, if that's after practice, before practice, he just always has that edge and that drive to keep going. And I'm expecting very big things for that guy."

The 6-foot-1, 215 pound linebacker amassed 50 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions as a senior. Arkansas held onto Wallace as a signee, but had to withstand last second heat from Florida State trying to convince him to forego his relationship with defensive coordinator Travis Williams to stay closer to home.

Offensive lineman Fernando Carmona has always come across as a team guy; someone who sees the best in every single teammate. While he could be sidetracked with his own position change to left guard, he's still paid attention enough that a pair of freshmen have caught his eye on the offensive side.

"There's two people that I have in mind," Carmona said. "Kash [Courtney], he came in, he's playing center, and just kind of what Coach [Eric Mateos] has thrown on him, instantly he's just kind of absorbing everything, and he's putting it out there on the field. He's doing really good, and it's really cool to see him grow."

Courtney flipped his commitment from Baylor to Arkansas last June and has added an extra 10 pounds to his 6-foot-4 frame since arriving on campus in December. Pittman is also high on him along with fellow true freshman lineman Blake Cherry.

"I like our young guys with Kash Courtney and Blake Cherry, I like them," PIttman said last week. "I think we hit on those guys athletically and [their] knowledge of football."

Four-star quarterback Madden Iamaleava missed his senior year because of eligibility issues stemming from his decision to transfer high schools. He still passed for 4,200 yards, 53 touchdowns and only five interceptions during his high school career and is focused on details of Arkansas' offense this spring.

"Then Madden, that guy, he is dialed in every single rep, even if he's not in, he's behind the quarterback, taking reps, throwing to air," Carmona said. "So, he's going to be a really good quarterback for Arkansas one day, and I'm excited for him."

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