BELLA VISTA — Bret Bielema didn’t have any earth-shaking announcements when he met with the media before playing in the Northwest Arkansas Razorback Club golf outing on Friday.
The Hogs will report Wednesday and begin fall camp Thursday.
Bielema begins his fourth season at Arkansas. He said the big news is that the program is on the upswing. He said it’s pretty easy to see the difference between the SEC record of 0-8 in his first season and the 5-3 the Hogs posted last season.
“There is a big difference,” he said. “And, that’s in the SEC West. A 5-3 in the SEC West is huge, not like you did it anywhere else. That’s a substantial jump. I just want to make sure our guys know how it happened.”
The Hogs are picked in the bottom half of the seven-team SEC West, fifth in several polls. Bielema said he wasn’t concerned.
“My first year at Wisconsin, we finished in the top five, with a victory over Arkansas in the bowl,” he said. “We started that year ranked 88th. The preseason polls don’t mean anything except in the barber shops or the chat rooms. It’s all what happens at the end that matters.”
There were a handful of coaches at the outing. Kurt Anderson, the new offensive line coach, greeted the media after a trip to his truck to change shirts after sweating through his Razorback red one.
Anderson said his guys on a rebuilt line have done the sweating this summer, in a fine fashion. He thinks they’ll be much improved over the unit that was given new technique in the spring.
He dodged questions about who will line-up where when practice begins. Eventually, he gave the first team status of all but the right guard position. He said that’s the mystery spot and it may not be determined for a few days. It’s clear that Texas transfer Jake Raulerson figures into the battle there.
“Jake has some natural attributes at center, but he’s gained some weight and could play guard,” Anderson said. “He was in the high 290s when he got here and he’s at 308 now and he’s carrying it well.”
Anderson confirmed that Dan Skipper would stay at right tackle after some thinking in the offseason he could move to guard. Frank Ragnow is at center, Hjalte Froholdt manning the left guard spot and Colton Jackson at left tackle.
He raved about the work ethic of Froholdt. Anderson continues to say the Denmark product is a natural at left guard. Moving from the defensive line to the offensive line can be tough, but Anderson said it’s something he did as a player and thinks he’s been able to show him the tricks of the conversion.
Jackson continues to impress Anderson. A redshirt freshman from Conway, Jackson took the left tackle top spot early in spring and will be there next week. Jackson didn’t see the field much at Conway until his senior season. He just hasn’t played much football, but he’s an impressive specimen.
Tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. said he thinks there has been summer progress within his group, especially some of the youngsters. Jeremy Sprinkle is the man there, now that Hunter Henry is in the NFL. It’s a matter of who can join him to give the Hogs a two-prong attack like last year.
“We are looking for that guy who can do everything,” he said. “I think they made progress since the spring, but I want to see if there is one guy who can be an every down tight end. Austin Cantrell is 270 and he’s the guy who can block an SEC defensive end. But he’s not quite as good in pass routes. C.J. O’Grady is more the guy in pass routes, can make an acrobatic catch in traffic. Will Gragg is more a guy who does a little bit of everything.
“Jack Kraus is ready to go after knee surgery. He may not be able to practice twice on the days we do two-a-days, but it would be just for precaution. He’s worked so hard. He’s a guy who knows all of it.”
Another player firmly in the tight end picture is 220-pound Anthony Antwine.
“He doesn’t have the bulk but he’s the one who knows our offense the best of that second group of guys after Jeremy,” Lunney said. “He’s shown that he’ll stick his nose in there. He’s also very good in the pass routes. He’s going to be one that we know can play.”
Lunney confirmed that Jamario Bell is still at tight end and could be a factor if he proves that he’s got a complete grasp of the offense.
“I like my room,” Lunney said. “We’ve got a lot of gifted guys like Jamario. When someone sees our group of tight ends, they are going to be jealous. We just have to continue to develop all of these guys. I like my group.
“I know that Jeremy Sprinkle is going to have a great year. He’s ready and loves the game. I just need some more to join him. We just need to get to where we have two guys like last year that can do everything in every situation.”
Clay Henry is publisher at Hawgs Illustrated magazine, an NWA Democrat-Gazette publication. Email him at chenry@nwadg.com