Razorbacks football report

Backups battling on O-line

Arkansas players Dan Skipper (70) Frank Ragnow (72) Mitch Smothers (65) and Sebastian Tretola (73) line up to run a play during the Arkansas Razorbacks' practice Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Fayetteville.
Arkansas players Dan Skipper (70) Frank Ragnow (72) Mitch Smothers (65) and Sebastian Tretola (73) line up to run a play during the Arkansas Razorbacks' practice Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' starting offensive line has remained entrenched through the first three practices of fall camp.

No surprise there.

That's why the five projected starters -- center Mitch Smothers, guards Sebastian Tretola and Frank Ragnow and tackles Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper -- are on the cover of Arkansas' media guide.

Competition on the offensive line is for second-team spots.

"It's the most competition for backup spots probably any place I've been," said Razorbacks' offensive line coach Sam Pittman, who is in his 26th season as a college assistant. "We have battles going on to be on that two-deep, which is awesome.

"Guys are battling to stay in that top 10. That's a little different than what we've had before."

True freshman Zach Rogers is playing well as the backup center, Pittman said, while fifth-year senior Marcus Danenhauer and true freshmen Josh Allen and Jalen Merrick are competing for two second-team guard spots and redshirt freshmen Brian Wallace and Johnny Gibson and true freshman Colton Jackson are competing for the two second-team tackle spots.

Gibson, a walk-on from Dumas, was on the scout-team offense last season. In camp he's working as the No. 2 left tackle.

"He's a big-time surprise for me," Pittman said. "He's big and he's athletic, and he's getting a little bit more of a nasty streak to him. He's got to continue to do that, but he's a smart kid, and he's talented. He's got good feet."

Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said "it's no joke" Gibson is on the two-deep.

"He is a legit player, a big body that moves people," Bielema said.

Jackson, from Conway, didn't go through spring practice as did the other true freshmen, but he's impressed the coaches in camp so far.

"Just coming in from Conway, he's kind of blowing us away," Bielema said. "We knew he was going to be a good player, we knew he was athletic, but he's jumped in there and shown us some good things early on."

Danehauer also is getting work at tackle, as he did in Saturday's practice with the first team when Skipper took a break after becoming overheated and Wallace was out with an ankle injury.

"We haven't figured everything out yet," Pittman said of the two-deep. "But we've got plenty of time to do that."

Scholarship for Richardson

Kevin Richardson, a redshirt sophomore defensive back from Jacksonville, was awarded a scholarship by Coach Bret Bielema Sunday after a vote of the coaching staff.

"I'm extremely blessed," Richardson said. "I'm glad to get this weight off my parents' shoulders.

"This is something I've been working for since I got here."

Richardson had eight tackles last season when he played cornerback and nickel back. In fall camp he's also working at free safety.

"K-Rich is an incredible kid," Bielema said. "We're excited to have him on scholarship."

Newlywed

Senior defensive end Mitchell Loewen got married on May 17 in Maui, Hawaii, where he and his wife Jena grew up.

"So far, so good," Loewen said. "I haven't slept once on the couch yet."

Loewen said he and Jena knew each other for several years before they began dating after both were in college, Loewen in Arkansas and Jena in California. They got re-acquainted when they were home during a break in classes.

"We started talking and I asked her out and we started dating long-distance," Loewen said.

Loewen tore an interior cruciate ligament in his knee during off-season workouts in February of 2014 and underwent surgery.

"Jena moved out here to help me get through that," he said. "I knew then I had a winner."

Denmark here

A TV crew from Denmark was in Fayetteville Sunday documenting the progress of freshman nose guard Hjalte Froholdt.

"It feels good," said Froholdt, who is from Svendborg, Denmark. "They've been to a couple of NFL team camps, interviewing people. I'm real happy they could make a trip down here so I could show them around."

The Razorbacks are getting a kick out of the attention Froholdt is receiving back home.

"When I told the team he was going to have a TV crew here, they all just started busting out on him right away," Coach Bret Bielema said. "He's really, I think, created a little culture here within our team where everybody appreciates him. I know the academic people bend over backwards to help him. The same thing in the training room.

"We're in constant communication by email to his mom and dad because they're a long way away."

Froholdt, who enrolled at Arkansas in January and went through spring practice, is working at second-team nose guard behind senior DeMarcus Hodge.

"He's a very gifted player," Bielema said. "He could probably play both interior d-line positions, probably could get by at end.

"I think he'd be a freak show on offense to be quite honest if we wanted to put him there, which I'm not going to. But I think he could really play a lot of different positions."

Enjoy the process

Bret Bielema said he sometimes uses the word "process" when talking to the Razorbacks.

"But I know there is another guy in our league that uses it all the time," Bielema said, referring to Alabama Coach Nick Saban. "So I try and stay away from that reference too much.

"I tell our kids, 'At the end of the rainbow is supposed to be a pot of gold. Nobody has ever found it yet, but you try and find it too quick. Enjoy the rainbow, man. Enjoy this process of getting where we need to be. Enjoy working.' "

Slimming down

Alex Collins rushed for 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns last season when he weighed 224 pounds, but the junior tailback decided he could be better at a lighter weight.

A diet cutting out junk food and late-night snacks, Collins said, has helped him get down to 210 pounds for fall camp.

"It wasn't like I had zero percent body fat," Collins said. "I did have some fat, and even though I had a good season, I wanted lose to a little weight and tone up, put some muscle on and get stronger.

"I feel like I'm a lot more explosive, a lot faster. I just like the way it feels."

Outside in

The Razorbacks, who didn't practice Sunday when media day was held, worked outside Saturday for about two hours with the temperature hovering around 98 degrees, then went in the Walker Pavilion for the last 30 minutes to get out of the sun.

Bret Bielema jokingly said he was counting down the periods until the team could go inside.

"It feels like you're coming into a refrigerator compared to what's going on outside," he said.

Number changes

Two freshmen have already switched numbers, with receiver La'Michael Pettway swapping his No. 88 in for 16, and defensive end T.J. Smith moving from 92 to 54.

Smith made one of the day's best hits, a nontackle collision with freshman tailback Rawleigh Williams III in the backfield during newcomer work that marked the final play of the workout and drew plenty of loud hoots from teammates.

No captains yet

Bret Bielema said he expects to name team captains later in fall camp. Quarterback Brandon Allen is the only returning player who was a captain last season.

Sports on 08/10/2015

Upcoming Events