What Is Razorbacks Biggest Concern Going into Fall Camp?

Arkansas' new coach isn't worried about wins yet. He's worried about whether his quarterbacks will still be standing by October.

Forget the culture talk and the "dungeon" comments about the old facility and the promises about accountability for a second.

Of course, that stuff will matter eventually, but it really doesn't matter in August.

As fall camp closes in, Ryan Silverfield's own words point to one specific worry keeping him up at night, and it has nothing to do with belief or buy-in.

It's whether Arkansas has enough offensive linemen who can hold up in the SEC. By his own admission, he doesn't know the answer yet.

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive lineman Caden Kitler (52) speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Do We Have Eight?"

Silverfield hasn't hidden behind coach-speak on this one, which is refreshing given how much of the offseason chatter has been pure PR gloss.

After spring ball wrapped, he put the concern in blunt terms.

"Can we identify eight to nine offensive linemen capable of playing well," Silverfield said. "We appreciate all the offensive linemen, even if we have 20 on the roster, but we need to ascertain if we have eight who we feel can start. That's an area we must keep evaluating."

Read that again, because that's not a coach protecting a two-deep from reporters.

That's a head coach admitting on camera that he isn't sure his own room can hold up against SEC pass rushers. The tape, at least from last season, backs him up.

Arkansas ranked No. 106 nationally in sacks allowed a season ago, surrendering an average of 2.4 sacks per game from a group that has since lost both tackles in Corey Robinson (graduation) and E'Marion Harris (transfer).

The Hogs didn't fix the problem this offseason, they started over with fewer proven pieces to work with.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes during game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

The Defense Is Ahead, That Should Scare Everybody

Here's the part that ought to worry anybody paying attention.

Normally, a defense outpacing an offense in July is a good problem to have.
Not this year, and not at Arkansas.

Defensive tackle Quincy Rhodes already has NFL evaluators throwing around first-round grades, while a trio of pass rushers in Steven Soles Jr., Charlie Collins and Jamonta Waller combined for five sacks in the spring Red-White game alone.

Silverfield watched it happen and didn't pretend otherwise.

"I believe the pass rush made its presence felt."

Translate that out of coach-speak, and it gets uncomfortable fast.

If Arkansas's own backups were getting home that easily on a meaningless spring Saturday, what happens in September when Utah and Georgia show up back-to-back against an offensive line still sorting out who its top eight actually are?

On3 ranked Arkansas' schedule as the second-hardest in the country.

There's no soft landing spot to hide a shaky front five, and Silverfield knows it better than anybody watching from the outside.

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive lineman Kobe Branham (50) gets back in line for the next drill during spring practice at the Arkansas Razorbacks practice facilities. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Some Pieces in Place, Still No Settled Answer

To be fair, this isn't a total void up front.

Arkansas returns four linemen with real starting experience in right guard Kobe Branham, center Caden Kitler, tackle Kavion Broussard and interior lineman Kash Courtney. The Razorbacks added Louisiana transfer tackle Bryant Williams, who brings 14 career starts to a room that badly needed a veteran presence.

Kitler, notably, was one of only three players Silverfield brought with him to SEC Media Days in Tampa, alongside Rhodes and running back Sutton Smith.

He was far from a random pick, but someone Arkansas' coaching staff believes in as a leader in the locker room. It also signals that they know this season will be decided up front, in the trenches.

That's far from a glamour position.

But experience listed on a depth chart hasn't translated into stability on the practice field.

Combinations shuffled all spring at multiple spots.

Nobody has settled on a clear starting five, let alone the "eight to nine" trustworthy bodies Silverfield says he needs before the lights come on in September.

That's the concern in a nutshell, and it's not for a lack of bodies on the roster. It's a lack of certainty about which of those big linemen can actually help win football games in the SEC.

That uncertainty is the biggest variable hanging over this entire camp.

Bigger than the quarterback battle, and jockeying for a spot at receiver and whatever happens in the secondary.

If Silverfield can't answer his own question by September, nothing else about this rebuild is going to matter much at all.

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