FAYETTEVILLE — The hype around tight end Chris Gragg is growing again at Arkansas’ spring practices.
Gragg heard it last spring, when he made a splashy debut at the position after signing out of Warren High School as a receiver. He heard it again when he opened fall camp with a couple of big practice showings before dislocating his ankle and missing the 2009 season.
“I want to make some noise,” Gragg said of his plan for spring drills. “I want to play both tight end and receiver.
“I still go to some receiver meetings, and I go to some tight end meetings. I try to learn it all.”
It’s clear Coach Bobby Petrino, offensive coordinator Garrick McGee and Gragg’s teammates love the versatility he can bring to the Razorbacks offense.
“He’s just going to be a phenomenal player, this year and years to come,” senior tight end D.J. Williams said. “I’m just glad he’s a Hog.”
Gragg’s potential shines brighter than it would for most players with one collegiate catch.
His size, 6-3, 236 pounds, gives him the opportunity tooutmuscle defensive backs as a slot receiver and his speed allows him to outrun linebackers as a true tight end.
“It is great to see him out there,” Petrino said. “He’s big and fast and can run and catch. We’ve got to make sure we do a good job of putting him in situations where he can be successful early, which mainly will be working the H-back stuff and some slot receiver, because he can really get down the middle of the field and create a target and really catch the ball.”
Gragg had one catch as a true freshman in 2008, but it was a September game-saver. His 25-yard reception on fourth-and-1 late in the game set up Arkansas’ game-winning touchdown in a 28-27 victory over Louisiana-Monroe.
Williams, a senior, speaks with some authority on personnel issues at tight end, and he’s sold on his understudy.
“In the meeting rooms, he’s a great guy, a great character kid,” Williams said. “Just his character alone is going to take him a long way.”
Gragg’s patience has been tested as he pushes once again to become an impact player for the Razorbacks, along with Warren classmates Greg Childs and Jarius Wright. He could do nothing but watch last season as Childs and Wright combined to catch 89 passes for 1,535 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“I was told I was going to have a big year last year and I had to sit out,” Gragg said. “I’m just going to be a sophomore on the field this year. ... I’m still going to try to make my spot in this offense and create some big plays this season.”
Sports, Pages 17 on 04/01/2010