Pro Football Focus ranks Arkansas tightend, Luke Hasz as top-graded player in his position

Luke Hasz is arguably the most-anticipated returning player on the team. The former four-star made a name for himself quickly, gaining 194 combined yards against BYU and LSU in back-to-back weeks. Unfortunately, his collar bone injury against Texas A&M sidelined him for the rest of the season, but some think he can be the "next Brock Bower" in 2024.

It's not much of a stretch to make the comparison. Bowers and Hasz have nearly the same build and play the same role on their teams. But more importantly, Bowers and Hasz's talent levels aren't as far apart as some might think.

Pro Football Focus released the grades for the top-returning players at tight end. Luke Hasz came in at No. 1 by a mile. With a grade of 89.5, Hasz was 14 points higher than Oklahoma TE Bauer Sharpe's grade of 75.5. Bower's career grade at Georgia was 84.4, which is very high. Hasz is still four points above that in his first year in college.

Granted, Hasz played just one-third of a season against mainly non-conference opponents. However, his best performances were against a Power Four opponent, BYU, and an SEC foe, LSU. His first few snaps against the Aggies lock great before his injury, too.

Regardless, Hasz will be a focal point of this offense. Coach Bobby Petrino is known for his use of TEs in his offense. There's no way Petrino doesn't have plays dialed up for the former high school All-American. Hasz just needs to stay healthy.