FAYETTEVILLE -- There was a great debate as to whether the University of Arkansas and its SEC colleagues would ever reach this milestone of opening training camps.
Yet, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and arguments over the wisdom of proceeding with college athletics this fall, that's where they find themselves today.
The Razorbacks will conduct their first legitimate full-speed practice for Coach Sam Pittman, 253 days after he was tabbed by Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek for his first major-college head coaching gig.
Since their return to activity on June 8, the Razorbacks have gone through hours and hours of video instruction, scheme studying, weight work, conditioning and walk-throughs, but no full speed activities with footballs.
Now the time has come.
The new coaching staff needs position battles and depth questions sorted out rather quickly, as the Razorbacks have 40 days to get in 25 practices before the season opener Sept. 26. The SEC announced Sunday that it will reveal the new SEC-only schedule today.
"I want to see how we can run to the football," Pittman said. "I want to see how tough of a program we are. I want to see how disciplined we are.
"We're going to put them through tough practices, and I want to see how we react. I feel like I know how we're going to react. That we're going to dig down and come roaring back the next play. But we have to test our football team in practice to see what we have. We can't wait until Saturday to find out."
The Razorbacks will build up to full pads, which can be worn in their fifth practice, early next week.
Defensive coordinator Barry Odom must find out who is deserving of snaps on a largely untested front, and which alignments will best suit his unit.
"We haven't seen our guys in pads, so there's a lot of question marks there on what we'll look like, how we'll react," Odom said. "It's hard to sit here and say it, but we're going to give up a touchdown some time next week, would be my guess. How are we going to react to that?
"What's our mental focus to be able to put that play behind us and play the next snap? What's that look like? We've done a lot of talking, and they've put in a lot of work, but let's go put it into action and see how we respond. Let's see how well we can play together and communicate."
Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said he's probably got in about 75% of his offense, but it's all been on video displays and white boards and theories and slow-speed walk-throughs.
"We're going to dial back just a little bit the first week, but ... we feel good about what we have in, like I said almost 75% and we'll be able to keep moving forward from that," he said. "And as we continue to go and assess the personnel and figure out what guys do well, that'll determine how much more we decide to do."
Briles was asked what questions he wanted to see answered in the first weeks of camp.
"There's a lot," he said. "We haven't put a ball down there yet. There are so many things that come with that.
"Ball protection is going to be No. 1. That's going to be the biggest thing we have to make sure we're preaching as coaches, and our players are going to have to police it themselves. But that's going to be the biggest thing."
Ball protection starts with solid pass protection and a quarterback who is in sync with the schemes and the personnel.
Graduate transfer Feleipe Franks is expected to take the first snaps at quarterback with the starting unit, with a good bit of sorting to do behind him.
"Everybody's got to have a feel for the guy who's going to be touching the ball every single play," Briles said. "I'm not going to sit here and say I'm going to be the person who makes that decision. I want us all to feel good about it.
"I feel like I'm going to have probably a pretty strong opinion, but hopefully Feleipe will be what we think he is. There's still going to be competition, but I would say it's going to be his job to lose."
Pittman and Odom both have praised the attitude and effort of the defensive front, which lost starters McTelvin Agim, T.J. Smith and Gabe Richardson from last season.
"That group specifically, you look at some of the weight gains we've had, some of the strength gains we've had in the weight room, I can't give enough credit to Jamil Walker and his staff in the weight room really transforming some of those guys," Odom said. "I didn't know about up front how we would hold up because of physically where we were at that time, but they've made a lot of ground up. We've still got a long ways to go, but I would echo the same thing that coach [Pittman] said. It's a group that has surprised me, in a good way."
Odom has maintained the Razorbacks will be versatile enough to run both even- and odd-man fronts as they determine which schemes fit their personnel best and match up most effectively with the current set of SEC offenses.
"I think if you look back, more than anything in my history, especially specifically when I was a coordinator, I've been very multiple every place that I've been in every year, and that won't change this year," Odom said.