Five Big Questions Heading into Spring Football Practice for the Razorbacks

Arkansas is an enigma in every way possible this season outside of the running back position

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Mar 9, 2023 11:13 AM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Clues to the greatest mystery in college football will begin to be revealed on the practice fields at the University of Arkansas over the next few days.

Never has so little been known about a Razorback team as there is this year. While there are way more questions than five, such as who is going to be snapping the ball from center, these are the five most pressing questions heading into the next few weeks.

How will Sam Pittman handle truly having all coaching accountability squarely on his shoulder?

This is a new world for Pittman. No longer does he have his long walks around Fayetteville with his buddy Barry Odom to pick his brain on how to go about doing certain things as a head coach or getting general advice on decisions for the program.

This is now truly a Sam Pittman production and it should be. He's no longer a fledgling head coach. He's an elder statesman in the SEC now.

Pittman is facing a lot of unknowns. He has a lot of new cast members in this upcoming season of Arkansas Razorback football, so he will need to do a lot of walking around and observing.

Whether he can properly adjust what he sees to his overall vision for bringing the program back into prominence will determine how successful this new version of Pittman will be.

Can Dan Enos help KJ Jefferson grow as a quarterback?

Two years ago under Kendal Briles, Jefferson made a huge leap in his ability to handle the quarterback position. Last year, in what turned out to be his last with the offensive coordinator, he grew in maturity and as a leader, but statistically was a carbon copy of himself from the previous year.

Looking back on the film and interviews from Jefferson's time with Briles, it's easy to see that he milked that cow dry. The potential for continued growth while hearing the same voice and attempting the same tricks was minimal at best.

That's why Jefferson getting to work with Enos brings a bit of excitement.

It was easy to see that the veteran quarterback wanted to improve his ability to read defenses midway through the season. Unfortunately, the system and circumstances didn't lend itself to Jefferson building on his skills to become a complete, more NFL ready quarterback.

That's why this is a perfect fit of strength and need.

Enos has the ability to develop NFL skills in quarterbacks. It's probably his greatest calling card.

If these two can get on the same page and Enos can find three serviceable receivers out of what is left on campus, the offense can become borderline unstoppable while Jefferson proves to doubting NFL scouts that he can play at that level.

Who in the world is going to be catching passes
and can they do it at an SEC level?

This is where things are going to be dicey.

The Razorbacks are hanging their hat on a bunch of Division II, FCS and mid-major transfers with a handful of guys left over that fans either didn't know were on the roster or simply forgot.

The biggest name in this receiving group is rising sophomore Isaiah Sategna. As for the rest of the group, names could be gathered randomly from people walking into a movie theatre in Maine and mixed into a hat full of current wide receiver names and few Razorback fans would know from which group they drew the name.

It will be important for two or three players to prove they can get open against SEC defenses and make plays. If they can't, the receivers will become the new secondary of 2023.

How will all these new coaches approach these players?

There will be a lot of attention paid to how these coaches handle the players.

Can they be teachers? Do they appear to relate on a personal level? How do they go about critiquing a player who needs to make adjustments and improvement?

So little is known.

What will the new image of the Arkansas defense be?

Obviously there was a huge need to overhaul the Razorback defense, especially in the secondary. These next few weeks will go a long way in determining whether the defensive coaches try to force the players to fit their scheme, or whether they will adjust the scheme to fit the players on hand while they recruit to the scheme they ultimately want to run.

One thing that definitely needs to be seen is how players respond to a fresh opportunity. The slate is wiped clean, so any players who thought they were stuck behind a guy because of politics, previous mistakes made that seemed to stick or because he didn't feel like he was one of Barry Odom's boys now has a new leash on life.

Everyone gets a chance to revamp how he is perceived, which means the brass ring is there for the taking. Who is going to show that he is not only coachable, but also demonstrate a certain level of ruthless aggression needed to play defense in the SEC?

One person who will be interesting to see is Quincey McAdoo. If anyone proved last season that he has the personality to play defense in the SEC, he's the man.

There was talk at the end of the season about whether he would go back to playing wide receiver. According to the depth chart, he is listed as a defensive back.

However, just like last season forced him onto the defensive side of the ball out of necessity, it will be interesting to see if that road goes the other way this season.

It would be a shame to see a guy who showed signs that he can develop into a defensive back with NFL draft potential lose time building on his skills at that position, but duty may call once again.

It was his time as a receiver that made him so deadly as a defensive back. It would be interesting to see if it works both ways should the need arise.