Better or worse? Previewing the Razorback Football offense in 2023

Arkansas returns plenty of offensive firepower, but they also have plenty of newcomers joining the roster. Will they be able to come together as a team, one identity, and regain the momentum the program finished with in 2021?

That’s the 5-million-dollar question for Sam Pittman in 2023. Obviously, the failures of last season weren’t all on him. Injuries really hampered what could’ve been a special 2022 season in Fayetteville. A nationally ranked top-10 transfer class coupled with a few standout freshman and a returning star at quarterback it looked like Arkansas was easily a contender in the SEC West.

Now, going into 2023 the same thing could be said about this team. The Razorback Football program has added potential key contributors through the portal once again. Quite a few true and redshirt freshman ought to be used extensively as well. Having a third year starting quarterback in KJ Jefferson with NFL potential doesn’t hurt either.

Here’s a breakdown of Arkansas Football being better or worse by position in 2023:

Quarterback: BETTER

This group should be solidified and no one added to it scholarship wise. The group at quarterback last season was downright atrocious behind Jefferson.

With the addition of transfer Jacolby Criswell and true freshman Malachi Singleton on paper seem to be a true upgrade from what they had last season. Razorback backups finished last season 27-56 passing (48-percent completion rate), 403 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Criswell, a Morrilton, (Ark.) native signed with North Carolina out of high school but could never beat out Sam Howell or Drake Maye to become the starter. He was effective as a backup though going 18-31 passing for 204 yards, 1 touchdowns and 1 interception in his career. At 6’2 230 pounds he is a capable runner as displayed during the spring. He’s run the ball 20 times for 133 yards and a touchdown as a Tar Heel.

Singleton was included in the Elite 11 finals as a senior last summer. The Georgia native has a very live arm and a dynamic runner when he turns up field. Luckily, he has time to develop as a passer in the Dan Enos system for a couple of years.

Running back: BETTER

The Razorbacks return their all-everything running back, Raheim “Rocket” Sanders for 2023.

Top 50 Running Backs Entering The 2023 Season pic.twitter.com/o9Eu6sQlb2

— Big Game Boomer (@BigGameBoomer) May 9, 2023

The Florida native is expected to have a highlight reel season in the fall and he he should after finishing with 1700 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns.

AJ Green returns as a change of pace, 1B plan for the Hogs after amassing 500-yards all-purpose yards and three touchdowns last year. A former four-star prospect in the 2021 class, Green could see his number called more often with Arkansas going to more of a pro-style offense.

Rashod Dubinion and Isaiah Augustave round out the backfield rotation. Dubinion served the Hogs as a hardnosed runner capable of converting down and distance situations. He also had solid hands receiving out of the backfield. The Georgia native touched the ball 83 times last season for 401 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2022.

Augustave was ranked 174th overall by 247sports in the 2023 class. As the sixth overall running back in his class, the Florida native posted finished his senior year with 110 carries for 1,061 yards (9.6 avg) and 11 touchdowns.

Receivers: TBD

If there’s a group that’s taken on a complete overhaul this offseason it’s the been the receivers. Arkansas lost their five of their most productive pass catchers from a season ago. Plus, they lost Landon Rogers to the transfer portal and eventually committed to UNLV.

The Hogs pulled in an impressive but unproven receiver haul through the transfer portal. Tyrone Broden, Isaac TeSlaa and Andrew Armstrong will likely be relied upon heavily with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores backing them up.

Isaiah Sategna, a former Texas A&M and Oregon commit, has speed to kill secondaries as a home run hitter. Sam Mbake and Bryce Stephens have both impressed during the spring.

There may be a transition period as these receivers get used to Jefferson but there’s plenty of promise with this room.

Tight End: BETTER

Last season it was Trey Knox and everyone else. Not a single player stepped up to help him either. The Tennessee native decided to transfer to South Carolina in December following his former position coach, Dowell Loggains.

Hudson Henry was never to become a key contributor for the Razorbacks but did find himself playing much more down the final stretch of 2022. The youngest Henry brother decided to leave the program following his fourth season.

Former walk-on, Nathan Bax returns and has proven to be a quality blocker in protection. Bax played extensively as a H-back but will likely see more of a role as Enos implements more 12 or 13 personnel sets on offense that will utilize the tight end more.

Offensive Line: Slightly worse

As long as the OL guru roams the sidelines for Arkansas, the Razorbacks will always have a formidable line. This season they’ll be slightly younger but not less talented. The Arkansas staff has recruited very well to this point and now we’ll see how they’ve developed their big guys to this point.

Arkansas lost three starting offensive linemen from last season in Ricky Stromberg, Dalton Wagner and Luke Jones. Now, the Razorbacks look to replace the multi-year starters with players that were highly touted coming out of high school. Devon Manuel ran with the ones throughout the spring and seems to have a tight hold at starting left tackle. To bookend at right tackle is Memphis, (Tenn.) native Patrick Kutas, a former four-star who’s now a redshirt freshman. Now, former transfers Ty’kieast Crawford and Josh Braun seem to be battling to start at right guard.

Multi-year starters Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer round out the starting offensive line at left guard and center, respectively. The only caution to look for is the six players to rotate haven’t played much ball together. Chemistry can be built throughout the offseason with training and teambuilding exercises. Plus, they have a fair shake in non-conference play with home games against Western Carolina, Kent State and BYU to begin the year.

Overall: BETTER

Outside of the offensive line this team shows plenty of promise to help Razorback Football continuet to climb out of what was the basement in the SEC West or conference in general. 2022 saw the injury bug hit the quarterback position with Jefferson missing a few games. What a disaster that group was when Jefferson missed a couple of games last season. The team simply couldn’t compete with a loss of that magnitude. Fast forward to this season and the group looks poised to take a gigantic leap toward being one of the deepest in the SEC.

Running back simply won’t be a question when it comes to depth or playmaking ability. They’re simply better due to age and a tad deeper due to the elite recruiting work position coach, Jimmy Smith has put in.

Wide receiver, tight end and offensive line are going to be question marks but they shouldn’t be for long. There’s too much talent for Arkansas to be way worse on the field than last season. OL and WR positions are much deeper, but can they be better? The tight ends are young but can they avoid the freshman wall?

There’s still plenty of time to combat the issues but it looks like Arkansas can be as good or better than they were a season ago.