10 most critical questions Arkansas Football must answer in 2023

With so much turnover from last year’s team, there are loads of questions that fans have going into next season. Here are 10 critical questions Arkansas Football must answer in 2023:

Can KJ Jefferson become Arkansas’s all-time leader in career passing yards and TDs?

Currently, Tyler Wilson holds the record for career passing yards with 7,765 yards, and Brandon Allen holds the record for touchdowns with 64. KJ Jefferson will need to record at least 1,949 yards through the air and 16 more touchdowns.

As a starter, Jefferson has never finished below 2,000 yards passing. Last year KJ missed two games and still recorded 2,648 yards. His worst season in passing touchdowns was 2021 where he had 22, six more than the number to break the record. There is no doubt that he’ll break the records, but with a better passing offense and a dubbed QB whisperer, Dan Enos coaching him, he could shatter them.

Who will replace Jordan Domineck and Drew Sanders as sack leaders?

With 17 sacks, Domineck and Sanders were monsters in the backfield. With Sanders being drafted by the Denver Broncos and Domineck joining coach Prime in Colorado, nearly half of Arkansas’s sack production has left the team.

Trajan Jeffcoat had a breakout year in 2020 with Mizzou, recording 6 sacks as a redshirt sophomore. He did dip in production the next two years, but the 6’4, 280-pounder has great potential. Landon Jackson is another who could make up for the lost sacks. At 6’7, 270 pounds, he’s the tallest and longest player on the defensive line. He recorded 3 sacks in 2022 but was playing injured most of the season.

My bet to take the crown is Chris Paul Jr.  With limited snaps in 2022 he recorded 4 sacks. He’s a dynamic player when rushing the passer and with a new heavy blitzing defense, he’ll be a menace to opposing quarterbacks.

Who will step up in the secondary?

After ranking the worst secondary in the FBS, there’s nowhere else to go but up for Arkansas’s defensive backs. At cornerback, Arkansas has a plethora of talent. After having to scrounge around to find depth last season, Arkansas uncovered a diamond in the rough in Quincy McAdoo. In just 5 games, he recorded 30 tackles, 20 solo (8^th on the team), 1 sack, and 2 interceptions (2^nd on the team).

*Quincy McAdoo was hospitalized due to a car accident on May 1^st. His role with the team in 2023 will be dependent on his recovery.

He and Dwight McGlothern will be great players to build the position around. Arkansas will also have new faces in Lorando Johnson from Baylor and former 5-star Jaheim Singletary who will push for starting positions.

Arkansas is looking for more help in the portal at safety, but Hudson Clark will be a huge part of the position. As a corner, he was criticized for his speed, especially in press coverage. But when he moved to safety, he thrived. Last season Clark recorded 67 tackles, 33 solo, 11 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, and an interception.

Can the losing streak in the Swamp end?

The SEC has not been a friend to Arkansas when scheduling their non-divisional SEC opponents. Famously, the SEC added Georgia and Florida to Arkansas’s schedule during the covid year. November fourth’s game in Gainesville marks the 4^th time in 10 years Arkansas has played Florida as their SEC East opponent and the 3^rd time the game has been played in the Swamp. Arkansas is 0-5 all-time in Gainesville.

Luckily, Florida isn’t the team it was just 3 years ago. Billy Napier and the Gators have struggled of late, and the Swamp isn’t nearly as intimidating as it once was. Arkansas is rebuilding too after losing nearly a third of its roster to the transfer portal, but Sam Pittman has done an excellent job of filling positions of need. The Hogs should handle Florida and end their losing streak.

How will the Offensive line shake out?

Arkansas lost both its offensive tackles and center from the 2022 squad. With Beaux Limmer moving to center, Arkansas will essentially have 4 positions with new faces. A few players have started to separate themselves as starters.

At right tackle, sophomore Patrick Kutas is the likely starter. Next to him will be Junior Joshua Braun. At Florida he was moved to tackle and struggled, so He should be at home at right guard. As previously stated, Beaux Limmer will be the starting center. The lone returner in his position will be Brady Latham at left guard. Left tackle is more fluid than the other positions but Devon Manuel seems to be the favorite.

Will the new defensive coordinators be as successful on the field as they are off?

The additions of Marcus Woodson and Travis Williams have been a game changer for Arkansas’s recruiting. At the time of this article, Arkansas has 9 commitments of which 7 are composite 4-stars according to 247Sports. It ranks the 14^th best class in the nation.

If the depth at safety and the defensive line can be sorted out, Arkansas’s defense could completely be turned around. Marcus Woodson brought Florida State’s secondary from one of the worst to one of the best in just one off-season. Pair a much-improved secondary with Williams’ Blitz-heavy scheme and Arkansas’s defense will be hard to beat.

Which newcomer will come up on top at tight end?

With the departure of Trey Knox, the Razorbacks lack a veteran at tight end with great pass-catching abilities. Nathan Bax is returning, but he’s more of an in-line/blocking tight end. A newcomer, whether through the portal or as a freshman, will have to pick up the slack.

Before Var’Keyes Gumms de-committed from Arkansas, He would have been my pick. It very well might be a transfer that takes over, but until then, Luke Hasz is going to be the man. At 6’3, 226 pounds, he’s not a typical in-line tight end but he’s a tough player with good hands.

Sam Pittman had this to say about him, “But he’s a really good route runner, he’s exceptional catching the football and when he has it in his hand he’s hard to tackle. It just seems like every day he has 6, 8, 10 catches in some type of team setting. He gets open and catches everything that’s close to him. I’ve been really, really pleased with him.”

Can Pittman improve on his best record: 9-4?

Last season was a disappointment, to say the least. Arkansas finished 6-6 in the regular season but a bowl game win over Kansas bumped their record to above .500. For many reasons, Arkansas couldn’t improve upon the standard set in 2021.

Sam Pittman has fixed most of the problems from 2022 and will be set to have a bounce back season. At bare minimum, Arkansas should win 7 games next season. However, I’m an optimist. My prediction is 9-3 with a chance to finish with double-digit wins for the first time since 2011 with a bowl game victory.

Who takes over at receiver?

For the second year in a row, Arkansas has lost the majority of its passing offense. Bryce Stephens is the leading returning receiver, recording just 109 yards and 9 receptions. To replace the holes, Arkansas has had to look to the transfer portal once again.

One such player is Isaac Teslaa. The 6’4, 214-pound transfer from Hillsdale College catches anything close to him. He doesn’t have blazing speed, but he’s tall with a big catch radius. Another receiver poised to break out is Isaiah Sategna. Unlike Teslaa, Sategna has world-class speed. He’ll be able to take the top off any defense Arkansas will face.

Can Arkansas bring home every rivalry trophy?

In 2021, Arkansas did something unprecedented. It won every trophy game on its schedule. It was a crowning achievement for Pittman, so much so that he made sure to take a team photo with all three trophies.

Unfortunately, it won’t happen this year. LSU has had a resurgence under Brian Kelly. Arkansas almost beat the Tigers last year with backup quarterbacks but, the game’s being played in Death Valley this year. With all the incoming talent from the transfer portal for LSU, it’ll be hard to bring home the Boot.

Texas A&M should be an easier game, but now that Bobby Petrino is their new OC, Travis Williams and the defense will be in for a fight. A&M has always had the talent; it just needed Jimbo Fisher to get out of the way.

Mizzou, however, should be a cakewalk. The Hogs will bring home the Battle Line Trophy and have a chance to upset A&M for a second.