Cole Cubelic Liked What He Saw in Spring Game; Praises Jefferson, Sanders

The spring game offered an opportunity to show fans what the Arkansas Razorbacks are bringing to the table this coming up season, and one SEC analyst liked what he saw. In his podcast “The Cube Show,” Cole Cubelic broke down each spring game in the SEC. When he finally arrived at the segment about the Hogs, he gave some glowing reviews.

No position received more praise than the quarterbacks. “I think that if you’re an Arkansas fan, you’re probably pretty excited about what you saw with the quarterback position,” said Cubelic.

He mentioned how deep Arkansas seemed to be with the additions of Jacolby Criswell and Malachi Singleton. In particular, he was impressed with Singleton’s ability to accurately pass on the run as a true freshman. Cubelic didn’t mention Cade Fortin but he had just as good a day as the others.

When he spoke about KJ Jefferson he was impressed with the progression he’s made under Enos. Cubelic noticed that KJ’s footwork and body control have improved. “KJ has really taken to Dan Enos’ emphasis on quarterback fundamentals.” He also pointed out that Jefferson is relying less on pure arm strength to throw the ball. KJ has been working on being violent with his hips and “driving the ball with his lower body”.

One aspect of Jefferson’s game that can’t be ignored is his running game. However, Cubelic thinks Enos is will back off a little this season. “I thought KJ looked even leaner than he did last year…that’ll make him a little more athletic. That’ll make him, obviously, somebody that’s more difficult to get to the ground,” Cubelic said. “I don’t think they’re gonna run him as much. I think they want to even [the defense] out a little bit.”

As an offense, Cubelic thinks that Arkansas will move  away from relying on Jefferson’s legs, motion, and quick throws directed at one person. He also thinks that Arkansas will have an overall slower pace than last year. “Quick game is not going to be as big a part of what they have to do. It’ll be there, they’re just not gonna build around it like they did as much last year.”

Quarterbacks weren’t the only position Cubelic was high on. “The receivers, I think, pass the eye test right out of the gate.” He talks about how Isaiah Sategna is going to be a great deep threat for the Hogs. Sategna impressed Cubelic with his speed, saying that Sategna can really “take the top off” of a defense.

The transfer receivers were also a point of emphasis for Cubelic. At 6’4, he said that both Isaac Teslaa and Andrew Armstrong looked the part. “[Arkansas has] hit a couple of home runs on transfer receivers the past few years and it looks like they may have that on deck right now.” He also mentioned Ty Washington and Luke Haaz as good pass catchers at the tight ends position.

He also gave a lot of praise to Rocket Sanders. Cubelic called Sanders elite and said, “Rocket Sanders is the real deal.

“You saw him stiff arm guys, you saw the LeVeon Bell patience…I think he gets to full speed after like a lateral shift faster than any back in college football right now.”

Cubelic directed his only criticism of the team toward the defensive line. “They need to be able to generate pressure without blitzing”. He noticed that most of the time the defense ended up in the backfield when they brought more than four players. He did, however, say that Trajan Jeffcoat was “going to be big time.”

Cubelic also talked about how big of an impact Antonio Grier was going to be for the defense. He said Grier is a “big-time locker room guy” and that he’s super active against both the rush and the pass.

As the position that needed the most work from last year, Cubelic said the defensive backs were super active. He liked what he saw especially from Lorando “Snaxx” Johnson saying that Snaxx was “all over the place.”

Overall, the former Auburn Tiger had high praises for the Razorbacks. Arkansas’s offensive weapons look primed to have a great 2023 season. If the defense can fix the few issues Cubelic brought up, the Hogs could make some noise after a disappointing 2022 season.