2. Arkansas has massive question marks on defense
The defense may very well be better than it was last season. After all, the 2024-25 squad gave up the 110th-most yards through the air in the FBS.
Arkansas may change the trajectory with the length and size it brought in. Someone like Julian Neal, who transferred to Fayetteville after spending the spring with Stanford, comes to mind. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, he's one example of how big Arkansas' secondary can be. Only two scholarship players are under six feet tall, and six weigh over 200 pounds.
The biggest of them all is Larry Worth III, who seems to be the one the coaches like the most. At 6-foot-4, 226 pounds, he's essentially a safety in a linebacker's body that can also play the Hog (nickel) position.
"He could do multiple things for us," said defensive coordinator Travis Williams during Monday's press conference. "[He's] very athletic, very smart. So, he's a guy that we can line up a lot of different places."
"[Taylen Green]'s just way more confident. The game has slowed down for him."
— Pig Trail Nation (@PigTrailNation) August 1, 2025
High praise for Arkansas' QB1 from teammates Fernando Carmona Jr., and Larry Worth III following day one of fall camp. #WPS
Hear from the guys and Coach Pittman below ⤵️https://t.co/PGogeyIYBJ pic.twitter.com/UCpCeOR1Y6
At the same time, it's worrisome to have one of the biggest secondaries in the conference when they have to keep up with SEC WRs. Arkansas football's strength and conditioning coach, Ben Sowders, worked with the position to ensure they didn't lose their speed as they bulked up. That speed may show up on the stopwatch, but proving it on the field is an entirely different matter.
To help the secondary, Arkansas must have a decent pass rush from the defensive linemen, specifically, the defensive ends.
As far as depth is concerned, they're pretty deep, just unproven. Quicey Rhodes has as much opportunity as Landon Jackson did at Arkansas. At 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, he's almost a carbon copy. But even with Jackson last season, the Razorbacks finished No. 64 in sacks.
At the same time, Arkansas had a top-35 defense against the rush in 2024. However, much of that defensive line has left Fayetteville. Eric Gregory, Keivie Rose, and Jackson are gone, to name a few.
Cam Ball's presence is much help to the DL, but he's about all that returns. Arkansas thinks they might have someone in Ian Geffrard, who is unequivocally the largest human being on the team at 6-foot-5, 387 pounds. At that weight, stamina problems are bound to be an issue. The Hogs also seem to like Danny Saili, a transfer from BYU.
Even with those three on the interior, the Razorbacks will need at least two more solid players to feel comfortable. Luckily, they still have a few weeks to pull that off. If they can't, the top-35 ranking may not last.
Still, it matters not whether Arkansas can stop offenses if it can't score with its own.
Next: Red Zone Struggles