FAYETTEVILLE -- Jared Cornelius scans the meeting room and practice fields, assessing the wide receivers at Arkansas.
The senior from Shreveport sees loads of talent. Lots of new faces, but plenty of talent.
Wide receivers position glance
Returning starters Jared Cornelius (four starts in 2016)
Key losses Drew Morgan (9), Keon Hatcher (8), Dominique Reed (2), Cody Hollister
Who’s back Deon Stewart, La’Michael Pettway, and redshirt freshmen Kofi Boateng and Jordan Jones
Walk-ons Luke Rossi, Cameron Colbert, River Warnock, Tobias Enlow, Tyson Morris, Troy Allison
Who’s new Juco transfers Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance, T.J. Hammonds (switch from RB)
Analysis
The largely unproven receivers put in extra time this summer with quarterback Austin Allen to begin developing a rapport. Cornelius, who has 1,120 receiving yards and 12 career touchdowns, is the obvious go-to guy, but the Razorbacks will need a handful of players to become threats. Cornelius last season became the third player in Arkansas history to post three consecutive 100-yard games. The overall blocking from the receiving unit needs to improve on its 2016 performance to aid the running game. Stewart and Pettway are gaining first-team experience this spring, while junior college transfers Martin and Nance — who are expected to make instant impacts — and the speedy Jordan Jones are also in heavy rotation along with Rossi in the slot.
Gone are the 109 combined catches of Keon Hatcher and Drew Morgan from last season. Also departed are the 26 receptions by Dominique Reed and Cody Hollister.
Cornelius caught 32 passes for 515 yards and 4 touchdowns as a junior in 2016, including a streak of three consecutive 100-yard games against Texas A&M, Alcorn State and Alabama. The major college production of the other returning University of Arkansas, Fayetteville wideouts -- sophomores Deon Stewart and La'Michael Pettway -- is 3 catches for 44 yards with 1 touchdown.
"This is really different," said Cornelius, who flirted with declaring for the NFL Draft over the winter before deciding to return. "Last year we had a whole bunch of guys who had a lot of experience, great guys with talent who knew what they were doing.
"We kind of swept that room clean and have a whole bunch of fresh guys that haven't really played much. Redshirt guys and juco guys. What I have to be is a guy they can look up to, a guy that knows the offense like a quarterback."
Cornelius, a music lover with a keen sense of humor, can have a laugh while discussing the new-look receiving group.
"Finally I can get some balls," he said, grinning.
Stewart, a 5-11, 170-pound speedster, said he learned from the departed class of wideouts, and now it's clearly Cornelius' time to lead.
"Now it's all on Jared's shoulders," Stewart said. "I am trying to help him a little bit by helping out the young guys, so he doesn't have as much pressure on him."
Cornelius, Stewart and Pettway are taking the majority of snaps with the first-team offense along with junior slot receiver Luke Rossi, while redshirt freshman Jordan Jones and junior college teammates Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance also mix in starter's reps. Martin was rated by some recruiting services as the top junior college receiver prospect in the 2017 signing class.
Sophomore T.J. Hammonds, who caught a lot of passes in Saturday's open practice, is cross-training as a slot receiver who can also back up at tailback. Kofi Boateng is working his way back after knee surgery during his redshirt freshman year.
Coach Bret Bielema, knowing the group has to get up to speed quickly, already has begun exerting pressure. After Saturday's workout, he mentioned the receivers looked "draggy" early in practice, an observation receivers coach Michael Smith hammered home heading into Monday's practice.
Smith has experience leading unproven receivers, leading the 2015 group to a big season while catching passes from senior quarterback Brandon Allen.
This year's unit has another senior, Austin Allen, with whom to form connections.
"It's a little early, but he's throwing the ball to Deon, and when he's had opportunities with the two junior college kids he's throwing the ball to those guys," Smith said. "I think Jonathan Nance is going to be a really good fit for us, as well as Brandon. You know Brandon has gotten a lot of the hype coming in, but I really like what both of those guys bring to the table."
Smith said he's pleased to see Cornelius on the team's leadership council, embracing the mentor's role.
Smith said the new dynamic in his position room is exciting.
"Last year you have a bunch of guys, I don't want to say I wasn't coaching them, but they had earned that opportunity with the way they had played in the past," he said. "You don't want to screw it up as a coach.
"So to be in the room right now with a bunch of new guys, it's good for me and it's good for the group. So I know J-Red [Cornelius] sitting in on those meetings enjoys it because he gets to coach."
Smith said last Thursday that Stewart's strong practice performances late last year and through the early part of spring have earned him reps with the starters. He also said Pettway has been more on point than ever this spring.
"I'm expecting him to continue to develop because he has such a tremendous upside," Smith said. "He's a really good wide receiver. His consistency was the thing I questioned in the past, but for the first two days I've been really, really happy."
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos is operating with a pack of veterans at quarterback, running back, tight end and the offensive line. Because he'd like to work on more advanced concepts with that many veterans, the receivers are under pressure to catch up fast.
That's one of the reasons Bielema pushed their buttons over the weekend.
"I think the two new guys, Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance, it was their first day in pads," Bielema said. "It's coming at them 100 mph, and I know they played good junior college football, but it's a little bit different when you get to this level.
"That, in conjunction with all the X's and O's and 'hoganese' that they've had to learn, I've been happy with them. ... You just watch them run routes naturally, they're probably two of the better route runners on the team. Brandon, obviously, is a big drink of water and can catch it."
Cornelius -- who has 1,120 career receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, including 3 via the run -- is encouraging the youngsters and junior college guys.
"Brandon Martin is ready to go," Cornelius said. "Jonathan Nance is ready to go. Those guys, they know football. That's one thing we brought up about Jonathan and B-Martin. Of course it's going to take them a while to learn the offense and what we call everything. But as far as finding holes, finding zones and getting open, they know how to do that already."
Sports on 04/06/2017