FAYETTEVILLE - Following Tuesday’ Arkansas football practice Coaching Sam Pittman was asked the format of Saturday’s open the public scrimmage in lieu of the annual Razorbacks’ annual Red-White spring game.
The April 23 Garth Brooks concert at Reynolds Razorback Stadium preempts what normally would be the Razorbacks’ date for the annual spring game.
So Pittman is using this Saturday for an open to the public 11 a.m. scrimmage at Reynold Razorback /Stadium with the final three practices next week completing their allotted 15 spring drills.
Pittman said the veterans will “thud” for much of the scrimmage without tackling to the ground trying to minimize injury but that younger players and reserves will scrimmage all out.
There also will be first-team tackle to the ground situations when some young reserves contending for starting positions are put in first-team situations.
An example he cited was subbing backup quarterback Malik Hornsby for established incumbent starter KJ Jefferson.
“We might take KJ out and put Malik in,” Pittman said. “We’re going to do a little bit of that in a scrimmage format with the two-threes. In other words, if we have maybe possibly (sophomore running back) AJ Green or somebody we need to tackle, see him live a little bit more. So, we’ll thud up the veterans. The young guys will scrimmage. Then after the three racks of one-two, two-one, three-three, we will do kickoff. And then, we’ll come back and do one versus one, two versus two, in a thud situation. Three versus three with some of those twos in there in a scrimmage situation. Then we’ll come back and do punt. And then we’re going to do some red area stuff, both high and low. We’ll have the two-minute get the ball back two-minute situation at the end.”
Pittman had the Hogs tackle to the ground in their April 3 scrimmage and that in the “thud” portions of their practices the veterans have worked hard and not just gone through the motions.
“We’ve thudded better this year than the previous years we’ve been here,” Pittman, in his third year head coaching the Hogs, said.
Landon Jackson, the touted 6-7, 275, defensive end transfer via LSU withheld from spring drills because of injuries, did some drills Tuesday.
“I’ve seen him run a straight line, but I wanted to see him move around,” Pittman said. “I thought I thought it looked pretty good you know especially for his first real movement since his injury. And I thought he looked good. He's long, big, a great kid. Works hard. So I was happy that he was able to get back out there. It's still, he's still a ways away, but to let him go do some change of direction position. I'm sure that he feels good about it.”
Pittman was asked about young linebackers Chris “Pooh” Paul, a redshirt freshman, and true freshman Jordan Crook, a December high school grad January enrolled at the UA.
Paul, behind first-team senior weakside incumbent Bumper Pool, and Drew Sanders, the transfer via the University of Alabama, practiced in a green no-contact jersey while going through what appears are the final stages of concussion protocol.
“I like him, Pittman said. “I think he's one of our top three linebackers. Obviously he was running with the ones before he was got the concussion. But I like his physicality. He's very bright, very smart. Can run. So I think he's gonna really help us a lot, and it was good to get him back out there. Obviously the first day that the kids come back from concussion protocol is non-contact, so that was his practice today in green, and then he'll be back on Thursday.”
What about Crook?
“He’s thick, and he can run,” Pittman said. “Another smart guy. He plays extremely hard and wants to be coached. He’s exactly what you want in a young guy. He’s one of the harder working young guys I’ve ever seen, so he’s going to be a good player.”
Pittman was asked about LaDarrius Bishop of Ashdown, often alternating with Hudson Clark as a first-team cornerback last year opposite turned pro 2021 All-SEC corner Montaric Brown.
Bishop has been mostly second team this spring with the emergence of cornerback Dwight McGlothern, transferred from LSU.
“He (Bishop) just been hurt a lot of spring ball,” Pittman said. “He hasn’t done anything wrong. The other guys have just played some pretty good ball and he’s got to work his way back up to that first team. He’s very talented. So I think he’ll work his way back up. You know he lost quite a bit of time.”
Pittman has touted true freshman running back Rushod Dubinion but another true freshman running back, James Jointer of Little Rock Parkview, made a nice 22-yard touchdown catch off a pass by Cade Fortin, the transfer quarterback via the University of South Florida and the University of North Carolina.
The Razorbacks are off Wednesday and have a Thursday practice leading into Saturday’s scrimmage.