FAYETTEVILLE -- The Arkansas Razorbacks will have veteran upperclassmen dotting the depth chart at several key position groups when football training camp opens in August.
Yet the University of Arkansas will definitely need some younger talent to begin contributing if the program is to restore the upward trajectory Coach Sam Pittman and the Hogs began creating in 2021 and 2022.
Some of those young players, most notably receiver Isaiah Sategna, began earning credentials and building respect among their teammates during the 15 practices of spring, which concluded with last week's Red-White spring showcase.
Others began scratching the surface of their talents with flashes of strong technique and performance.
Some of the inexperienced players are a little older and will have established veterans ahead of them on the depth chart, such as quarterback Jacolby Criswell.
The former Morrilton High School standout, a redshirt junior who began his career at North Carolina, came on strong in offensive coordinator Dan Enos' new schemes and ended spring in what looked like a deadlock for the backup spot with senior Cade Fortin, who also began his college career with the Tar Heels.
Of course, quarterback is the most prominent of the Hogs' positions of strength, with rising senior KJ Jefferson firmly entrenched and in position to establish himself as one of the nation's best.
When Jefferson has been healthy and on point, the Razorbacks have been a load, even for the best teams in the nation's toughest division, the SEC West. Two of Arkansas' losses last season came in games Jefferson didn't play and another couple featured the 6-3, 246-pounder at less than 100%.
Jefferson has 26 career starts and the Hogs are 16-8 in those games when he was the established starter and 0-2 when he filled in for games in 2020 and 2021.
The Razorbacks also have a solid veteran presence on the offensive interior with Brady Latham, Beaux Limmer and Joshua Braun, and at defensive end and cornerback, where the rotations could be as deep as Arkansas has seen in years.
Arkansas will be finding out more about how its underclassmen might fit into the depth charts when camp begins. In the meantime, here's a look at the top six underclassmen who have not yet been key contributors who could make big impacts during the 2023 season.
Notably not included on this list are players such as tailback Rashod Dubinion, linebacker Chris Paul, defensive tackle Cam Ball and cornerback Quincey McAdoo.
Dubinion rushed for 293 yards and 5 touchdowns, including a 112-yard performance in the 55-53 win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl, and was a regular part of the rotation most of the season.
Paul racked up 62 tackles, the fifth-highest total on the team, despite starting only two games. McAdoo came on strong very quickly after his move to cornerback midway through last season and finished with 30 tackles, 4 pass breakups and 2 interceptions, strong numbers for roughly half a season.
1. Isaiah Sategna, receiver
Sategna might have caught the most passes among all receivers in the spring. It was obvious Enos is structuring some plays to utilize Sategna's speed and agility, and the quarterbacks clearly began to look for the 5-11, 178-pound redshirt freshman from Fayetteville on out routes, tunnel screens and deeper throws. Sategna and Bryce Stephens should make a formidable pair as the primary slot receivers.
2 and 3. Patrick Kutas and Devon Manuel, offensive tackles
Kutas is a true sophomore and Manuel a redshirt sophomore, and it appears as if position coach Cody Kennedy and Pittman are prepared to roll with those two in the starting lineup.
Kutas was still on the inside when the offensive edges were ravaged by the Hogs' veteran defensive ends in the first closed scrimmage. He moved to right tackle after that and stayed there.
Manuel is adjusting to losing a good bit of weight to reach 6-9, 310 pounds. He's got the frame and footwork to handle the left tackle spot, and the coaches working with him there are gurus. This should work out.
4. Jordan Crook, linebacker
The sophomore got to learn from wily veterans Bumper Pool and Drew Sanders during his first year as a collegian, when he notched 12 tackles and a quarterback hurry. Now, he'll get to grow up with Paul, the redshirt sophomore and defensive leader.
While veteran transfer Antonio Grier might command more playing time, Crook should be in position to contribute much like Paul did last year. Crook had one of the most beautiful form tackles of spring, a crunching helmet-to-chest impact that separated Kalil Girault from a potential catch on March 16.
5. Luke Hasz, tight end
The early enrollee from Bixby, Okla., earned praise from Pittman at multiple points in the spring and it's easy to see why. Hasz has great hands and that instinctive knack to get open.
Pittman said Hasz had multiple catches in team periods just about every day during spring. The 6-3, 226-pounder was limited to one catch for 8 yards in the Red-White scrimmage, but he made it count. The touchdown reception from Jefferson in the right flat came on the first play of a low red zone sequence.
Hasz might not be ready for three-down work as an in-line tight end, but he is already a matchup advantage in the slot and can grow into a more versatile role. His presence with the more blocking-heavy veteran Nathan Bax and redshirt freshman Ty Washington gives the growing tight end room a big lift.
That's a quality top five of likely contributors from the ranks of underclassmen, but there's a large number on top of that who could be in line for more work this fall.
That group includes but is not limited to defensive lineman Nico Davillier, receivers Sam Mbake and Jaedon Wilson, linebackers Carson Dean and Brad Spence, and defensive backs Jaylon Braxton and Jaylen Lewis.
Davillier got out to a huge start in the spring and at 6-4, 273 pounds, the sophomore is considered a contender for the "Buck" edge position and also a combo role as an outside-inside lineman.
Wilson made a huge jump in the winter and was prepared to be a leader in the wideout room in the spring before suffering a broken leg in a car accident. His healthy return would put him and Mbake, a sophomore, in the top position among returners to make the rotation in the wideout spots along with transfers Andrew Armstrong, Isaac TeSlaa and Tyrone Broden.
Dean (6-4, 232) and Spence (6-2, 240), who was injured for part of spring, both got time working with the top two defenses. Both have the kind of physicality new defensive coordinator Travis Williams covets at linebacker.
Lewis got some run as the top nickel back and had a couple of interceptions in team periods and 7-on-7 work during media viewing windows. The 189-pound redshirt freshman will certainly be in position to help if a veteran like Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson or someone else wins the starting job.
Braxton earned plenty of work with the second unit in a deep cornerback corps and the 6-0, 184-pounder already has the look of a rising star.
Receiver Isaiah Sategna is among the top Arkansas underclassmen who have not yet been key contributors who could make big impacts during the 2023 season. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Tight end Luke Hasz is among the top Arkansas underclassmen who have not yet been key contributors who could make big impacts during the 2023 season. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Sophomore linebacker Jordan Crook is expected to become a bigger contributor to Arkansas’ defense in 2023. Crook had 12 tackles and a quarterback hurry last season for the Razorbacks. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)