Isaiah Sategna May be Ready to Break Out as Playmaker

Razorbacks need someone to make big plays and speedy receiver may fill role

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Aug 20, 2023 2:39 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After not getting to see an awful lot of Isaiah Sategna on the field for Arkansas last year, it was interesting to see how he developed. The redshirt freshman has shown he's ready to emerge as the playmaker on this team. It's one of the biggest questions coming into fall camp.

Don't read that the wrong way. At 5-11, 180, going repeatedly over the middle for that big catch on convert a third-and-4 probably isn't going to be his thing. He's got good hands and is tough enough, but even Sategna would probably admit he's not going to out-muscle people consistently.

What he does have, though, is world-class speed, a good football IQ and he's added the one element he didn't really have as a true freshman from Fayetteville High School was running routes. It's something he's worked on since spring practice.

Last year, his routes weren't crisp like you want to see. That's not unusual with true freshmen because they're processing a lot of information and, quite simply, over-thinking the whole process. He's used spring practice and another summer of individual work.

When we've seen them work, he's breaking them off and accelerating out of the break. Last year, he waited a step before putting the throttle to the floor and that's enough in the SEC to where you're not open anymore. Everybody has scholarship secondary people and an awful lot of them make it to the NFL.

"Just focus on the little details and play my game," Sategna told us the one time we've gotten to talk to him back on Aug. 8. "Show the world who Isaiah is. They haven't seen that."

He doesn't really care where that is. In high school, his speed showed up on returns. That's where the really big game-changing plays take place. It can crush a team trying to make a comeback or it can key a drastic change in momentum. The guess is most teams will try and keep the ball away from him as much as possible, though. Sategna just wants to get on the field. That's how Saturday's scrimmage started.

"Opening kickoff of the game, Sategna took it 100 yards," said coach Sam Pittman said Saturday after the scrimmage. "Took if for a touchdown on the opening kickoff and it was a live rep. As happy as I am for the kickoff return team, the kickoff team gave up a 100-yard return. But that was a good way to start the scrimmage."

In the interest of complete disclosure, it was clarified after the final fall scrimmage he didn't catch it like normal and take off. Cam Little sailed the kickoff out of bounds, but the minions were on both sides of the field, ready to throw Sategna a ball and take off for a live return.

"I'm just trying to get on the field this year," Sategna said earlier in August. "I don't really care where. Last year it was weird for me because I was on the bench and that's never happened for me."

That's what Hog fans are hoping they get to see this year when they kick off the season Sept. 2 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. (yes, it will be hot on those metal bleachers) and only available on ESPN+.