Arkansas Razorbacks Football: Freshmen Could Be the Difference Maker for Hogs
By Cory Thone
The Arkansas Razorbacks bring back a lot of talent from last year’s team, but there are some big holes to fill in major positions. Could this incoming class of true freshmen be the answer for the Hogs?
Every year, the SEC has a handful of super talented freshmen break out and make a name for themselves early. Since Bret Bielema’s arrival in Fayetteville, the Arkansas Razorbacks have had several true freshmen garner not just conference, but national attention.
Alex Collins, Denver Kirkland, Hunter Henry, and Dre Greenlaw all had breakout freshmen years at Arkansas. Who will be the next big time freshman playmaker for the Hogs? There are several on the incoming roster than could make an immediate impact with Arkansas.
The most obvious answer is McTelvin “Sosa” Agim, the 5 star defensive end from Hope, Arkansas. Sosa is a prototype pass rusher, something the Razorbacks were missing in a BIG way in 2016. The Hogs were dead last in overall passing defense, and were tied for 11th in sacks. Without the late season explosion in sacks by Deatrich Wise, the Hogs would have been last in that category as well.
Wise is a power pass rusher, and has decent speed off the edge. But Agim is so fast, and will provide a true speedy pass rush for the Hogs, which they haven’t had since Trey Flowers was on the field. Arkansas needs someone to apply pressure off the edge in passing situations, and an Agim/Wise combo could be just what the doctor ordered.
Joining Sosa as a “no duh” answer to this question is Texas running back Devwah Whaley. The 4 star running back is, according to Bret Bielema, one of the most talented backs he’s ever recruited. That’s saying something when you look at the guys that Bielema has had in his backfield over the years.
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Whaley will need to shine quickly, though, as Arkansas is still recovering from injuries (RW3’s neck, Walker’s foot) or is terrible inexperienced in the position (Day and Duwop). Whaley has the size and speed to turn into a beast by the time he’s a sophomore or junior, much like Alex Collins did. The question is, can he turn into a featured back as a freshman? That’s a lot to ask for someone, especially in the SEC, where defenses are brutal.
Another freshmen, or should I say “group of freshmen”, to keep an eye on will be the linebackers that are coming in. Alexy Jean-Baptiste (3 star from Florida), Dejon Harris (3 star from Louisiana), Dee Walker (3 star from Georgia) and Giovanni LaFrance (3 star from Louisiana) will all have the opportunity to see immediate playing time out of necessity. Arkansas is not very deep at linebacker, and a class like this sets the Hogs up well in the future. But just like last year with Dre Greenlaw (who shined, by the way), Arkansas is going to need for some freshmen to play some big minutes on defense.
I’m not sure which of those four will be ready to play come fall. It could be all of them, or it could be none are ready, but I would almost guarantee that at least one of them ends up seeing the field fairly often. These are all three compact and quick linebackers. They will be able to cover in space better than some of Arkansas’ past linebackers have. The future is certainly bright on the defensive side of the ball for the Hogs.
Lastly, Arkansas’ own T.J. Hammonds could be a breakout player for the Hogs, at least in certain situations. Hammonds could end up returning kicks and punts for Arkansas, and possibly seeing some time at either running back or receiver. The Hogs are pretty deep at receiver right now, and if Whaley can play as good as advertised, then Hammonds may not be needed in the backfield.
But the talented freshmen could see a chance to make big plays as a return specialist this year. The Hogs haven’t had someone be consistently good at returning kickoffs since Dennis Johnson, and Joe Adams was the last true punt returner that Arkansas had. Hammonds could be that guy that swings the momentum in a big way for the Hogs.
What other freshmen do you think could be big playmakers for Arkansas this year? Let us know in the comments or on social media.