FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman met with the media for the first time since the AutoZone Liberty Bowl to preview spring practice that begins on Monday.

The first thing Pittman addressed was who is injured and will miss some or all of the spring drills.

"We’ve had some injuries as far as might hold some guys out for the spring and might hold some out for the first week," Pittman said. "Okay, I’ll go off the top of my head then… David Oke will probably be out maybe the first week. He’s got a hamstring. Taijh Overton has got a collarbone, or excuse me, a shoulder that he’ll be out for the spring. Jordan Young will be out. He’s got a shoulder, too. He came in with it. I think there was one more… Oh, Cam Ball. Cam Ball had elbow surgery from last season. He needed it. It’s great timing to get it and he needs it for us and he needs it for his future. All those surgeries went well, but I believe that’s it."

Pittman, later in the press conference, also said defensive lineman Keiundre Johnson is also out. Oke is a transfer defensive tackle from Abilene Christian. Overton is a freshman defensive back. Young is a defensive back who transferred in from Cincinnati. Ball obviously is one of the key returning players for Arkansas at defensive tackle.

Pittman also announced that redshirt freshman offensive lineman Zuri Madison has now been cleared and went into more detail on Johnson.

"Yeah, he is," Pittman said of Madison. "He got cleared Monday. Full go. Now, he's been doing a lot of stuff, but in other words, he got cleared for spring practice. He was really athletic, and then unfortunately, he had the-Keiundre Johnson, right? Keiundre Johnson, guys, that's one I missed. He broke his little toe, so he'll be out for a little bit, too. But no, he got cleared, and he was so athletic in those stations and all that and I was so excited about him. And then he had the ACL, which is a long time to get back. But he did a good job with his body, and he's out there and back now. That's almost like a getting a guy out of the portal type situation. So, yeah, we're excited to get him back."

While several schools are not holding spring games any longer the Razorbacks will hold one on Saturday, April 19, at 1 p.m. in Razorback Stadium. Did Pittman consider not holding one?

"No, no, I never — I don’t know what the factors are," Pittman said. "If someone is going to poach your player, they ain’t waiting on the spring game to look at it. They already got him. I mean, the agents already worked for three, four weeks of calling this team, this team, well how much you going to give him, well that’s not enough because I’ve got this much from — that’s already been in the works, so I don’t know that the spring game is going to cost you a player or not. So, that didn’t. The other thing too, I think we owe the state of Arkansas the opportunity to come see their team play. So, nah, it never crossed my mind. The other thing is, I think you can get better. When people are in the seat, you find out a little more about your team. The spring game is a way to get people in the seats and see what we really have out there."

The Razorbacks have two freshmen quarterbacks including former Conway standout Grayson Wilson. The other is Madden Iamaleava who is the younger brother of Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava.

"Madden, he came about obviously late late," Pittman said. "As in, I had my him surgery on Tuesday and Tuesday night, and Wednesday is signing date. That’s late. But, Grayson obviously we knew a little bit more about him. Normally, you wouldn’t take two guys. Normally, you would not. But, you certainly would not pass up on Madden either. So, that’s how that happened. We like both of them. Grayson has done a really great job coming in here, exactly what we thought he would be. Hard worker, great kid, knowledgeable, and Madden’s done the same. Now, Madden, because of his high school graduation and all that, he was maybe two weeks behind getting in here, but we had worked it out with the school and all that. But, normally we would not take two in the same class, but we just couldn’t pass up on either one of those guys."

Former Benton running back Braylen Russell drew praise from Pittman for the shape he's in saying he weighs 238 pounds. Russell is competing for the running back job vacated by Ja'Quinden Jackson.

Arkansas will hold six practices before taking off for spring break.