Rhodes, Collins' race to edge rush spotlight heats up

No position remains as mysterious for the 2025 Arkansas Razorbacks than the defensive line. The recent injury to senior defensive tackle David Oke has the interior defensive line going through significant changes with the season opener just over a week away. 

Still no position is expected to be as crucial or as much of an X-factor to the team’s ultimate success as the defensive ends. Head coach Sam Pittman, defensive coordinator Travis Williams and defensive line coach Deke Adams are counting on two homegrown Razorbacks to rise to the challenge and provide vital solutions on the edge of the defense. 

Collins, Rhodes chase starting snaps

Whether Little Rock’s Quincy Rhodes and Charlie Collins can find the answers to the test will go a long way toward this year’s team earning a passing or failing grade. Both players bring prototype size and measurables to complete their assignments. Rhodes is a former-four star 6-6 275-pound junior with the size, speed and strength to do everything the position requires. 

Meanwhile Collins — a Pine Bluff native who graduated from Little Rock Mills — was an even higher-rated prospect as the No. 66 overall and No. 8 defensive end out of high school. The 6-5 255 sophomore edge rusher played in all 13 games last season while Rhodes played in 12 and started in the Liberty Bowl. 

The Rhodes Less Traveled

On the downside however, what both players lack coming into this season is proven production — something they are being counted on this season. That goes double for Rhodes who is replacing All-Southeastern Conference defensive end Landon Jackson who was drafted in the third round of the most recent NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. 

“Even though Landon is gone, we're not expecting him to fill Landon’s shoes,” said strong safety Larry Worth. “We want him to fill Quincy’s shoes. He’s the next man up. He's got to do what he got to do, you know what I mean? But the talent is there, the physical is there, the mental is there. That's what fall camp’s for, for him to make mistakes so when game time [does] come, he’s ready.”

In a mostly reserve role a year ago, Rhodes finished with a modest 15 tackles, a pair of tackles-for-loss, a sack, five quarterback pressures and a deflected pass. It will be telling if he can surpass Jackson’s six sack totals in each of the last two years in his first year as a full-time starter. 

Returning All-SEC senior guard Fernando Carmona believes Rhodes is up to the task. 

“I actually had the pleasure to work out with him this whole summer. And I like his mentality of what he can do. I think he's starting to realize and see the bigger picture,” Carmona said. “And he's worked extremely hard this summer, and I think you guys are gonna see this big leap from him come this year. And like he said. You know, it's gonna be Quincy Rhodes. We're gonna talk about Landon, and it's gonna be like, 'Quincy was also that guy.' So I'm excited to see what he does.”

Charlie Hustle

Who can provide enough pass rushing speed and gravitas against the run to play opposite Rhodes remains one of the most pressing questions for Travis Williams’ defense. With no one stepping up opposite Jackson last season, the Razorback pass defense went from fourth best in the then 14-team SEC during William’s debut to dead last among 16 teams a season ago. 

A pair of redshirt transfer seniors in Justus Boone (6-4, 280 from Florida) and Phillip Lee (6-4, 240 from Troy) have emerged as leading candidates during summer camp. Lee has the heft and strength to back up Rhodes as well, while Lee — a hybrid edge rusher who has the versatility of an outside linebacker — has taken the lead over other former four-star recruits like Ken Talley (6-3, 255 junior) and Kavion Henderson (6-2, 255 freshman). 

Williams says finding someone he can count on at the “buck” position is vital to the development of the defensive line this season. 

“Buck is your outside linebacker that can play some defensive end,” Williams said. “We can go from our 4-down to our 3-down. A guy that can rush the passer, a guy that can drop in space. So, it’s a guy that has to have a different type of skillset than just a true defensive end. So Coach Adams has done a great job going out and identifying those guys, so we have a room of three or four guys that can do that.”

When asked who currently has the inside track for the job, Williams said he’s still searching for the answer, but Collins’ name was the first to come to mind.

“That’s a great question,” he said. “We have… Man, you’ve got Charlie, you’ve got Boone, you have Phillip Lee. That’s three off the top of my head that can do it. I’m trying to see who else… There’s another guy, but we have three for sure that we can put at the buck position that can play buck and defensive end.”

Williams added that Collins’ commitment to continual improvement should serve him well going forward. 

“(Charlie) is getting better and better. He's a guy you can coach hard,” Williams said. “Charlie is a guy you can coach hard. He'll come back to work the next day and try to correct whatever you’re trying to fix. Plays hard, trying to do exactly what Coach Adams asks him to do. Man, I'm very pleased with Charlie.”

The Rush to Start

When it comes to who has an edge strictly in the pass rushing category, Williams says players are stepping up across the board, but Collins is firmly in the mix. 

“There are a lot of guys that have done some really good stuff,” Williams said. “Like we just asked about Phillip Lee, I think he’s a guy that’s kind of jumped off the film a little bit. You can see that juice. Even in the interior, Cam Ball and Ian Geffrard are doing some (good things). Danny Saili is doing some really good things, and you have Boone on the other edge. Charlie. Like, I could go on and on and on. There are guys that are giving us that pass rush ability to get to the quarterback.”

The question is where will it come from and can it come from inside Arkansas?