3 questions about this year's Arkansas football season
Can the defense overcome depleted linebacker depth?
If you look at only the points given up by last season's defense, you'd be tempted to say it was a bad performance, or at the very least "mid," as the kids like to say. But here, we're not going to be that lazy.
Arkansas held six teams under 28 points, including a future College Football Playoff team in Alabama. The offense and special teams played a massive role in that regard. The punters have been inconsistent since Pittman arrived, but in 2023, they weren't horrible. However, they made many untimely mistakes. The offense felt lethargic and unorganized, leading to, at best, a good starting position for Arkansas's opponent or, at worst, a turnover. The most glaring example was the BYU game. The Cougars' average starting position for the night was their own 49-yard line.
But this year, Arkansas had to rebuild the linebacker position completely. Five of the seven LBs to record snaps last season have either transferred or graduated. Brad Spence now leads the room with 16 tackles, a forced fumble, and a pick-six.
While Spence looks like he can be the real deal, the Hogs needed to find him some help this offseason. So far, they've brought in three LBs. The best of them — and the star of the transfer cycle — is Xavian Sorey Jr. He is a former five-star recruit out of high school, committing to Georgia. He played in 11 games last season, including a start against Alabama in the SEC Championship. His story arc looks similar to Drew Sanders, so there's hope he can bridge the gap in production made by all the departures.
Georgia’s Xavian Sorey Jr. just tossed a South Carolina lineman like he was a child. 🫢 pic.twitter.com/XJ3chQhvcI
— Jerad Walker (jeradwalker.bsky.social) (@jeradwalker) September 16, 2023
The other two transfers are from Group of Five level schools, but that shouldn't be a worry. Larry Worth (Jacksonville State) and Stephen Dix Jr. (Marshall) played well at their respective schools, especially the latter. Dix committed to Florida State out of high school and is the top-graded returning LB in the SEC, per Pro Football Focus.
The main worry is whether or not Arkansas has enough depth behind those four players. If underclassmen like Carson Dean and Alex Sanford can pick up some slack, the unit might function well enough to have a good defense again.