Trajan Jeffcoat Part of Razorbacks' Defense Carrying Load
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For all the trials and tribulations Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has gone through this year, he was spot-on about one thing. The transfer portal can be hit or miss. Just look at where the Razorbacks' offense is right now.
A mishmash of transfers at receiver and offensive line has produced a subpar product. However, Pittman tried to warn us that the senior defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat was going to be special. After Saturday's final scrimmage of fall camp.
Pittman called Jeffcoat up to the table before the cameras after a scrimmage in September. "In 1983, this is what an All-American defensive end looks like," Pittman said pointing to himself (he was an NAIA All-American) before turning to Jeffcoat. "In 2023, this is what one of them look like. He's 280, can run 20-21 (miles per hour). Very strong, very fast, great leader and to be honest with you, probably hungrier than you've ever been in your life, and that makes a big difference."
Six weeks into the season the Mizzou transfer has validated all of Pittman's preseason praise. Jeffcoat is coming off arguably his best game against Ole Miss. He had three solo tackles to go along with a sack and three tackles for loss. Jeffcoat also received SEC Lineman of the Week honors after his week 2 performance against Kent State, which featured 1.5 sacks. With the team going through tough times, to say the least, Jeffcoat and the rest of the defense seem to be the one unit that remains unaffected.
"We’re just definitely staying positive (and) encouraging each other, Jeffcoat said. "Keep emphasizing that we have to have faith in ourselves and faith in the team as well. We’re definitely staying positive. Coach is reiterating that to us, that we’re just taking it one day at a time."
Success in the SEC is nothing new for Jeffcoat. In four seasons at Missouri, Jeffcoat accumulated 19.5 tackles for loss, including 10 during the 2021 campaign, which ranked third on the team that year. He also had 11.5 sacks in a Tiger uniform.
"If you look at his first game of the year [against Western Carolina] there was no stats," Pittman said Wenesday. "But we knew we had us a really good player. I think this: there was more opportunity that came his way to make plays."
The Hogs are going to need all the positivity that they can get, even with Alabama capping off a tough four-game road stretch, no surefire wins are anywhere in sight on tap.
"I think we’ve got to be the light in our locker room as a defense and take control and be leaders," senior safety Hudson Clark said. "This isn’t the start we wanted but we still have a whole half of the season left and we can’t give in just because we didn’t start the way we wanted to."
The Razorbacks will look to take whatever positivity that's left and turn it into something meaningful against Alabama Saturday 11 a.m. inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The game will be televised on ESPN and fuboTV.
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