The College Football Gametime Podcast is counting down to college football by going around the SEC and ACC to give a 2021 season preview. Join us every Tuesday at 8:00 PM on the 92.9 Facebook Live!
Next up, the Arkansas Razorbacks:
Sam Pittman has the Arkansas Razorback fans confident leading into the 2021 season for the first time in a long time. He’s back for year two as the head coach and its for good reason that fans are excited. In his first season, the Razorbacks won three conference games for the first time since 2016, and nearly won them a few more. After years of struggling, the squad appears to finally be moving in the right direction.
Let’s break it down.
Offense
Kendal Briles is back to call plays for a Razorback offense that will be looking to build from last season while simultaneously replacing veteran quarterback Feliepe Franks to the NFL. The unit finished middle of the pack in terms of total yards and points (391.5 and 25.7 respectively).
Ultimately the success will start and stop with the progression of their offensive offensive line. Fortunately for Arkansas, the unit returns all five starters that continued to improve and built cohesion as last season progressed. Look, any team with Sam Pittman is going to have a strong identity built within its offensive line. Expect that to pay dividends for the Razorbacks in the 2021.
With its identity built inside out, success in the rushing attack should follow with Arkansas returning its primary ball carrier in Trelon Smith. He was solid in 2020, rushing for 710 yards and five touchdowns, but at his size (5-9, 190 lbs) he will need another back to shoulder some of the load.
KJ Jefferson should be replacing Feliepe Franks as the starter at quarterback and he will be expected to hit the ground running with early matchups against Texas, Texas A&M, and Georgia looming large. He should add a lot to the offense that looked to create offense with Franks’ legs last season. As a true dual-threat, he should bring a more dynamic threat to this offense this season. His success, and subsequent development, is paramount for the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2021.
The new quarterback should have plenty of help on the outside. This unit returns their leading receiver in Treylon Burks and he has the potential to be among the best in the SEC in 2021. In addition to Burks, they return the vast majority of the receiving production and their primary loss of second leading receiver Mike Woods is essentially a wash as they acquired Jaquayln Crawford as a transfer from Oklahoma. The pass-catchers should be enough to elevate the play of KJ Jefferson.
Art Briles should have what he needs to continue to improve the fortunes of the Razorback offense. KJ Jefferson’s dual-threat ability should alleviate some of the issues the unit had on third down (33.3% - 12th in the SEC), but expect there to be plenty of growing pains for the still young offense.
Defense
Much like the offense, this unit is built inside out. They did lose an important starter in Jonathan Marshall, but they have plenty of size to replace him. What this unit desperately needs to improve upon is its ability to get after the passer. They finished last season with a mere 14 sacks – last in the SEC. If they can improve that number, expect the entire unit to flourish as a result.
Bumper Pool is back at linebacker and as awesome as his name is, he’s just as good at playing the position. He and fellow linebacker Grant Morgan are absolute v acuum cleaners at the second level as they accounted for a whopping 212 tackles. With their ability to clean up in open space, Odom is able to flexible in the looks he gives opposing offenses.
The secondary is good, not great, but that likely had a lot to do with a pass-rush that couldn’t get to the passer effectively. One encouraging sign is their ability to track the ball, as they finished second in the SEC in interceptions. That was spearheaded by the dynamic duo of Jalen Catalon and Joe Foucha in the middle. That pair of safeties could among the conference’s best in 2021.
Barry Odom returns ten of his starters from last season and this defense could be one of the most improved in the SEC. The former Missouri head coach may not have had much success in that role, but he certainly is an elite defensive coordinator. Due in large part to COVID opt-outs and injuries, this unit struggled in 2020, but what it did do is provide valuable minutes for the young playmakers on this defense. With the wealth of returning talent, this unit should see some immediate improvement.
Season Outlook
With KJ Jefferson stepping in to replace the savvy veteran Franks, there will be certainly be some early growing pains. Sam Pittman and company will need him to grow up in a hurry though as the Razorbacks have some major stumbling blocks in the first part of this schedule. Starting early with matchups against Texas, Texas A&M, and Georgia, a lot will be expected out of this team very quickly.
This team will be looking to finish in the top half of the SEC West, but major game of this season is going to be in week 6 when they travel to Oxford to take on Ole Miss. If they drop that matchup, they will likely be 0-3 entering the back half of a challenging slate.
The goal should be a bowl game and that shouldn’t be completely outside of the realm of possibility for this this team. They likely have a plateau of around 5.5 wins in 2021, and that should be seen as a successful season for the Razorbacks. Ultimately, Sam Pittman appears to have this team moving in the right direction.