Which Injuries Could Sink Razorbacks' Season

With depth an issue at Arkansas, the loss of certain players could bring progress to a screeching halt

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Aug 5, 2022 11:05 AM EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With a schedule that is relentless, even when FCS teams come to town, the margin between 10 wins and four wins will be razor thin.

A major factor in that margin will be injuries and there are already areas of concern. Starting running back Dominique Johnson is already expected to miss the opener against Cincinnati and reports of back issues for Dalton Wagner are reportedly already impacting the thought process for how to best utilize backup linemen.

With that thought in mind, let's look at the top five players Arkansas can't afford to get injured.

#5 Cam Little

There was thought about putting Jadon Haselwood here, but at the moment he is an unproven commodity. That is something no one will ever say about Little.

There are multiple wins that aren't on the board last year without Little. The argument isn't whether he should be here, it's whether he should be as high as No. 2.

Outside of Jefferson, there may not be a player who will impact the first three or four games of the season more than Little.

It took a while for Arkansas to fully hit stride on offense last year despite big wins. Defense played a major role in what happened and will be in a state of adjustment this year versus its state of clear stability that carried the team early last year.

There will be a lot of drives that will result in points that would end in a giant goose egg if any less of a man were swinging the leg for Arkansas.

Just the field goals that wouldn't even be attempted because of distance means points are definitely coming off the board and Arkansas can't afford to lose a single point this year.

#4 Trey Knox

Tight end is going to be the strength of this team in the future, but this isn't the future.

An already thin room got thinner with the retirement of Dax Courtney due to injuries. The good news is the Trey Knox transition from wide receiver to tight end after Pittman ran the whole team and anyone he ran into shoveling popcorn and stocking shelves around Fayetteville through the position.

Remember Johnson's time out there? Fortunately Arkansas finally saw his value as a running back instead.

Knox has bulked up a bit more coming into the season to help with the blocking aspect of the game. He had already created a big gap between himself and the rest of the tight ends last year, so this, along with experience, should not only create more distance, but push him closer to an All-SEC group of tight ends around the league.

If Knox goes down, perhaps Hudson Henry could step up and fill his shoes, but how many years have Razorback fans been toying with that thought with it not coming to fruition?

Knox will be Jefferson's safety blanket this year. Those throws that went to Burks when Arkansas needed someone reliable to come down with the sure catch will now go to Knox.

It's possible he leads the league in both catches and yards at the position. There's no one else on the team who has shown the ability to be in the top half of the league, much less lead it, if Knox goes down.

#3 Jalen Catalon

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Jalen Catalon (1) celebrates during the second half against the Texas A&M Aggies at AT&T Stadium. — Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

This doesn't need much discussion because Arkansas fans have already seen it. Look at the Razorback schedule from last season, find when the string of losses occurred, and match the calendar to when Jalen Catalon hurt his shoulder.

Discussion over.

If Catalon doesn't get hurt, Arkansas is potentially getting a rematch against Georgia at the end of the season.

At the very least, Pittman's contract is a bit sweeter and the hype is much bigger this season because the Razorbacks are coming off an 11-win season.

#2 Bumper Pool / Drew Sanders

Razorbacks linebacker Bumper Pool points the defense in the right direction against Tennessee in a game Nov. 7, 2020. — Arkansas Communications

Drew Sanders-Ole Miss — Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas is a step or two away from being a consistent contender because it lacks depth. There are three position groups that are a single injury away from disaster and linebacker is No. 2 in that list.

There's not a lot that can be gained from watching spring games usually, but one thing that was easy to see is that Bumper Pool and Alabama transfer Drew Sanders can be what Pool and Grant Morgan were last season.

What it also showed is the gap between these two and where the rest of the linebackers were at that time is wide. Scary wide.

A big part of the Pool-Morgan formula working out last season was the quality of play from Hayden Henry and his 100 tackles. There's no Henry on this team to fall back on when arms break, shoulders give out, or legs get rolled up on one too many time.

If either player goes down, Arkansas will automatically have a target placed right in the middle of its defense that teams will look to pound with the running game and shallow routes across the middle.

Until someone steps up and proves himself worthy of being the third wheel in this relationship, this is one that should keep Arkansas fans up on Friday nights.

1. KJ Jefferson

If worry about the health of Sanders and Pool keeps Arkansas fans up at night, the concern about KJ Jefferson's health could develop into a non-stop waking nightmare.

If last season showed fans anything on the few plays Jefferson sat out it's that the season is over if he goes down. Remember the ill-advised dragging of his battered carcass back onto the field last year because the offense was failing so bad without him that all Arkansas fans could do is laugh at its ineptness?

Coaches spent the off-season trying to sell South Florida transfer Cade Fortin after fans lost hope in Malik Hornsby's ability to develop into an SEC quarterback. The spin is almost believable until you realize Fortin has only broke 42 yards passing once in his career and went 7-of-20 for 41 yards against NC State.

Half of that 42 yards came on a single pass. That means six of those completions went for three yards each.

He's also never thrown a college touchdown and doesn't run as a quarterback.

Kade Renfro showed potential, but an injury has taken him out of the equation. As far as freshmen quarterbacks, fans outside of Jonesboro could be given an entire day to try to come up with a name without arrive at walk-on Rykar Acebo as the lone freshman quarterback on this team.

If Jefferson stays healthy, Arkansas will always have a chance to stay in the game. If he goes out and blows a knee against Cincinnati to open the season, it will be a long season.