Arkansas position glance: Special teams

Consistency gives Hedlund a leg up

Arkansas kicker Cole Hedlund (9) and holder Matt Emrich (56) watch a field goal attempt on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arkansas kicker Cole Hedlund (9) and holder Matt Emrich (56) watch a field goal attempt on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- After Cole Hedlund made 56 career field goals and 157 consecutive extra-point attempts at Argyle (Texas) High School, the Parade and USA Today All-American looked set to be Arkansas' place-kicker last season with the graduation of Zach Hocker.

He redshirted instead.

SPECIAL TEAMS

COACHES: Jemal Singleton special teams coordinator, Rory Segrest specialists

KEY LOSS P Sam Irwin-Hill, DSP Alan D’Appollonio

RETURNING STARTER PK Adam McFain, KOR Keon Hatcher, KOR Alex Collins, PR Jared Cornelius, H Matt Emrich

WHO’S BACK PK Cole Hedlund, P Toby Baker, PK Lane Saling, DSP Drew Gorton, PR/KOR Jojo Robinson, PR D.J. Dean, KOR Eric Hawkins

WHO’S NEW KOR Dominique Reed, P Blake Johnson, PK Mitch Carter

ANALYSIS Hedlund is expected to handle field goals and kickoffs in the opener against Texas-El Paso after showing the most consistency in practice. McFain, who hit 7 of 10 field goal attempts last season, has been slowed by a groin injury, but could challenge for the job when he is fully recovered. Baker won the punting job with his distance and hang time. Emrich is going into his third season as the holder. Gorton, a senior who has waited his turn behind D’Appollonio, has been consistently good as the deep snapper. Cornelius averaged 10.1 yards on 9 punt returns last year. Collins, the No. 1 tailback, and Hatcher, the top receiver, could form a potent kickoff duo. Collins averaged 28.2 yards on 4 returns last year and Hatcher averaged 23.2 yards on 6 returns.

"I don't think Cole was expecting to have the competition he had last year when he got here," said Arkansas assistant Rory Segrest, who coaches the specialists and defensive line. "It's pretty tough.

"He's really stepped his game up. He put in a lot of good work in the offseason and got himself where he needs to be for this year."

Hedlund has worked himself into the top kicker's spot as the No. 18 Razorbacks continue practicing for the Sept. 5 season opener against Texas-El Paso. He has been competing with sophomores Adam McFain and Lane Saling.

Segrest said Hedlund has made "well above" 80 percent of his field-goal attempts in practice.

"Cole's obviously been our most consistent guy," Segrest said. "He's hitting the ball really well. If we had a game today, he'd be our guy, but Lane's hitting it well. Adam's hit some good balls as well."

McFain made 7 of 10 field-goal attempts last season when he took over as place-kicker for the final six games after John Henson, who won the job in fall camp, went 2 of 4.

A groin injury has limited McFain in practice, although he has done some kicking.

"I wouldn't say he's 100 percent yet, but I think he's getting there," Segrest said. "He's still trying to work back into it. It takes repetition to be able to have that consistency factor. I think he'll continue to get better as he gets healthy, and we'll go from there."

Arkansas junior punter Toby Baker said Hedlund is more confident this season.

"He's turned something on you didn't see last camp," Baker said. "He's been much better than he was."

Hedlund said redshirting wasn't easy but that it benefited him in terms of making the transition from high school to college and working with strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert.

"I think working on flexibility was big," Hedlund said. "Flexibility is the most important thing for a kicker, but I also worked on power."

Segrest said it shouldn't be a surprise Hedlund needed to redshirt.

"You come into a new situation and you've got a new snapper, a new holder, the whole operation of things is a little bit different, so there are some adjustments regardless of how good you did in high school," Segrest said. "It took him some time to get accustomed to everything, but he's good to go now."

Hedlund credited his success to junior holder Matt Emrich and senior deep snapper Drew Gorton.

"They make my life a lot easier," he said.

Emrich, who also can snap and kick, is going into his third season at the No. 1 holder.

"Matt's been outstanding," Segrest said.

Gorton is taking over for Alan D'Appollonio, who handled deep snaps the previous four seasons.

"There's no letdown from Alan to Drew," Baker said. "He's so consistent. Every time the ball's right where you want it. You don't have to worry about that. You can just worry about what you need to do."

Baker, a junior, is the No. 1 punter after backing up Sam Irwin-Hill the previous two seasons. He beat out freshman Blake Johnson by improving his consistency with distance and hang time.

"Toby's hitting the ball with a lot of power and he's hanging it up there for us," Segrest said. "We directional punt, and he's getting the ball where we need it.

"It was his self-motivation, getting out there in the offseason and saying, 'Hey, I want this job and I'm going to do what it takes to get it.'"

Baker said he has worked continuously on making sure how he drops the ball and that his steps are the same on every punt.

"Walking down a straight line and working on my drop for 30 to 45 minutes at a time," Baker said of his routine. "As boring as that might sound, it's helped me a ton."

In Baker's only punt last season, he hit a 36-yard line drive down the middle of the field that Alabama-Birmingham's JJ Nelson returned 35 yards to the Arkansas 10, setting up a field goal in the Razorbacks' 48-17 victory.

"It was pretty bad," Baker said. "There's only up from there."

Baker said he believes he's ready to be a consistent SEC punter.

"I've learned patience about all the little things that matter," he said. "Working on my drops and my steps by myself is more important than going out there and trying to hit a perfect ball every time.

"You have to do the little things first to be able to do that."

Sports on 08/28/2015

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