Position Preview: Wide receivers are the most intriguing group to watch

There is no question that the wide receiver position is the most intriguing group on Arkansas’ roster as they enter the 2023 season. It’s uncommon for there to be excitement around a position group that lost their top four producers from the previous season, but adding promising young talent and highly-touted transfers have changed that.

Of the four guys that Arkansas lost last season, Matt Landers (47 receptions for 901 yards and eight touchdowns) and Jadon Haselwood (59 receptions for 702 yards and three touchdowns) made up the bulk of the workload. Landers saw his collegiate career end after the Liberty Bowl and declared for the NFL Draft. Haselwood opted out of the Liberty Bowl and declared for the NFL Draft in November 2022.

Ketron Jackson (16 receptions for 277 yards and three touchdowns) opted to transfer to Baylor despite the good possibility of moving up the depth chart this off-season. Senior Warren Thompson (12 receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns) decided to quit and enter the transfer portal towards the end of last season after not liking his role with the team.

All-in-all the Razorbacks are having to replace 134 receptions, 2,058 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. That breaks down to roughly 58% of receptions, 67% of the receiving yards and 62% of the touchdowns from last season’s receiving group.

RETURNING PLAYERS

Arkansas is returning five wideouts from last season’s team. The top returner of that group is redshirt sophomore Bryce Stephens, who tallied nine receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown last year. He was also the team’s punt returner, where he recorded a punt return touchdown against Missouri State. The only other two receivers to record any stats last season are Jaedon Wilson and Isaiah Sategna, as they combined for five receptions, 61 yards and no touchdowns.

The other two returning receivers are sophomore Sam Mbake and redshirt sophomore Landon Rogers. Mbake is a 6-3, 205-pound receiver who was part of Arkansas’ 2022 recruiting class. He’s a player that has received praise from the coaching staff on numerous occasions. Rogers is similar in size to Mbake, at 6-4, 197 pounds, and also has the size to be a reliable weapon in the Razorbacks offense.

Despite what Arkansas has returning, there isn’t a lot to be excited for among that group. The experience level is not on par with the rest of the offense and it’s obvious that was an area of concern for Sam Pittman this off-season.

NEW ADDITIONS

To help combat that experience and production lost, the Razorbacks looked towards the transfer portal and came away with an impressive trio of Isaac TeSlaa, Andrew Armstrong and Tyrone Broden. TeSlaa, Armstrong and Broden combined for 162 receptions, 2,851 yards and 33 touchdowns at their previous schools last season.

Isaac TeSlaa (6-4, 210 pounds) chose Arkansas over Iowa, Colorado and others after finishing the season with 68 receptions for 1,325 yards and 14 touchdowns at Division II Hillsdale College. Andrew Armstrong (6-4, 201 pounds) chose the Hogs over Missouri, Colorado and others after 62 receptions for 1,020 yards and 13 touchdowns last season for Texas A&M-Commerce. Tyrone Broden (6-7, 210 pounds) comes to Arkansas by way of Bowling Green where he made 32 receptions for 506 yards with seven touchdowns last season. He chose the Hogs over Oklahoma and Penn State.

This group of pass catchers arrive in Fayetteville with the stats and measurables that jump off the page and make you do a double-take. However, it’s important to note that those phenomenal numbers weren’t against SEC or even Power 5-level competition. While it’s unlikely they’ll be able to match that production next season, they can definitely have an immediate impact at this level.

Arkansas also signed one receiver from the high school ranks in their 2023 recruiting class. Davion Dozier (6-4, 195 pounds) is a four-star prospect from Moody, Ala., but he will not enroll until this summer.

SPRING FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE

While this Arkansas football team will look a lot different this fall than what we saw during Saturday’s Spring game, it gave us our first glimpse of this receiving group in Dan Enos’ offense. There were a lot of takeaways that give us some clarity on this group heading into the summer.

First, Isaiah Sategna was phenomenal. He hands down looked like the most improved player from last year’s team. The redshirt freshman finished with three receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns, including hauling in a 65-yard deep ball from KJ Jefferson on a third and long. He’s been one of the players that coaches spoke highly of all spring and Saturday was no different.

“I think Sategna obviously has shown how much he’s improved since the bowl game,” Sam Pittman said. “From where I was, I felt like one of his two touchdowns was a tough catch, and he made that. He has a lot of confidence right now.”

Sategna looked like someone who could be special and crack into the main rotation of receivers next season.

Another guy who looked almost as impressive as Sategna was Sam Mbake. Mbake finished with three receptions for 25 yards and looked much more comfortable using his size and athleticism than he did last season. He’s got SEC-caliber talent and could be a player that shines when given the opportunity.

One thing that Razorback fans will notice with Dan Enos’ offense is how much more they utilize passes over the middle than before. While it’s not quite to those 2010 Bobby Petrino-coached teams, it’s nice to see that the middle of the field is getting used once again.

PROJECTED DEPTH CHART

WR1: Isaac TeSlaa, Tyrone Broden, Landon Rogers

WR2: Andrew Armstrong, Sam Mbake, Chris Harris (walk-on)

Slot: Bryce Stephens, Isaiah Sategna, Marlon Crockett (walk-on)

The actual depth chart that Arkansas used for the spring game had Mbake working with the first team over Armstrong. However, those guys will likely be interchangeable once we get into the summer and fall. TeSlaa and Stephens have both been getting the majority of the work with the first team in spring practices, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Sategna was able to become the starting slot receiver at some point.

Regardless of their depth chart position, this is an impressive position group that has plenty of talented pieces. KJ Jefferson will have more weapons than ever before, meaning it could be a special year for Arkansas’ passing attack.