Tag: Brady Latham

These five Hogs are headed to the NFL combine

The last time Arkansas did not have a player taken in the NFL Draft? It was 1995.

The last time an Arkansas football player was not taken in the NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans were still the Houston Oilers in 1995.

The streak should continue in 2024, especially as five (former?) Arkansas players were invited to the 2024 NFL Draft combine this week. Offensive linemen Beaux Limmer and Brady Latham, kicker Cam Little, defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat and cornerback Dwight McGlothern will all take part in front of dozens of pro teams ahead of the April draft.

Little is the highest rated of the bunch, though that doesn’t mean he stands the best chance at being drafted. Kickers are not in high demand in the draft typically. Little, however, should be taken as he is rated the top kicker in the whole draft, per ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

Limmer, who can play center and guard, is also rated in the top 10 at his position (in this case, center). Latham, who can also play both positions, may very well be taken nearby.

McGlothern and Jeffcoat were both transfers from elsewhere in the SEC. Jeffcoat played one season with Arkansas after arriving from Missouri, while McGlothern played two seasons in Fayetteville upon leaving LSU.

The combine will be held from Feb. 26 to March 4 and the draft itself is April 25-27.

Sam Pittman knows something is wrong, so he’s changing things up

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Only reverse it. Arkansas’ offensive line is broken, so Sam Pittman is trying to fix it.

The Arkansas offensive line has taken most of the heat for the Razorbacks’ struggles on that side of the ball. Most damning have been their inability to keep quarterback KJ Jefferson from being sacked.

Coach Sam Pittman, a former offensive line coach himself, knows this. And after five weeks of making small changes, he’s making a bigger one – at least one bigger one – heading into Saturday’s game at Ole Miss.

“I think we’re going to look at some different scenarios up front,” Pittman said. “There’s a difference in panic and a difference in really, really reviewing what we’re trying to do and who’s trying to do it. We may shake up the offensive line a little bit.”

Specifically, tackle Patrick Kutas is moving to center, center Beaux Limmer moving to guard, guard Brady Latham moving to tackle and running back Dominique Johnson moving to tight end. None of those are guaranteed moves, Pittman said, but when referenced, the coach acknowledged.

“I don’t know that we can continue to do the same things and say ‘well, we’re just going to get better at them,'” Pittman said. “I think we’ve got to shuffle some things up to maybe ignite a spark into us.”

Arkansas’ 18 sacks allowed rank the Razorbacks in a tie for 121st worst in the 133-team FBS. The number would be shocking, except Arkansas has two All-SEC returners in Limmer and Latham, so shuffling is what Pittman believes is one of the best courses of action.

“I think we do have good players. We just have to play better and coach better,” he said.

Arkansas expected to get most experienced player, best lineman back Saturday

With a start Saturday, Brady Latham will be a rare four-year starter on Arkansas’ offensive line.

Come Saturday, Arkansas offensive lineman Brady Latham will be a four-year starter.

Not exactly a small feat.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said earlier in the week that Latham, a fifth-year senior from Oklahoma, should return for the Razorbacks’ game against Kent State on Saturday. Latham missed the opener against Western Carolina, though Pittman did not disclose the injury, saying only doctors hadn’t cleared him.

“Brady’s back, he’s practiced all week and we need him,” Pittman said.

Arkansas struggled – relatively – without him. The Hogs, who ran for an average of 236 yards a game last year, had just 105 yards rushing against an FCS defense in the opener. Florida transfer Josh Braun filled in while Latham was gone.

“That’s nothing against Braun, who played well over there, and all that,” Pittman said. But (Latham) is a veteran, experienced guy. We need him back in there.”

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Arkansas could be short as many as three starters Saturday against Western Carolina

The Razorbacks should be fine considering the opponent, but injuries are real this early.

Brady Latham will probably play. Devon Manuel may not. Antonio Grier almost certainly won’t.

Arkansas isn’t in tip-top shape for Saturday’s season opener against Western Carolina. But at the same time, none of the lingering injuries the Razorbacks have suffered this fall are expected to keep anyone out for too long and by the meat of the season, those three players, at least, should be good to go.

Latham is a four-year starter at left guard and one of the rocks of the offensive line with center Beaux Limmer. Latham was listed as the starter on the team’s official depth chart released Monday, but has missed a bulk of the last week-plus of practice.

Manuel, the projected starting left tackle, is in the same boat. He may be more questionable as coach Sam Pittman listed him alongside Andrew Chamblee at the position, separated with an “OR.”

Even if it is just Western Carolina, an offensive line missing the entire left side of its line isn’t great. Still, it’s better to keep starters out against an FCS team than risk further injury in a game that’s winnable without them.

Grier is not expected to play at all in the opener. A linebacker transfer from South Florida, he had basically locked up a starting spot with Chris Paul in Arkansas’ two-linebacker base. But Jordan Crook, a sophomore, was an easy choice for third-in-line and wasn’t listed next to anyone as a starter for Saturday.

Regardless, Arkansas will be a heavy favorite against the Catamounts when the teams kick off at noon from Little Rock.

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Arkansas Preseason Depth Chart – Offensive Line

As the Hogs begin game prep for the opener against Western Carolina, here’s where the offensive line depth chart stands.

Throughout fall camp, Sam Pittman didn’t shy away from talking about Arkansas’ offensive line struggles.

Following the departures of Ricky Stromberg and Dalton Wagner to the NFL, the Hogs had to do some shuffling on up front. Arkansas’ projected two-deep, includes three seniors, one junior and three sophomores. Of the players in the two-deep, only five have experience playing against SEC competition.

The majority of that experience lies on the interior of the offensive line, where senior guard [autotag]Brady Latham[/autotag], senior center [autotag]Beaux Limmer[/autotag] and junior transfer guard [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] are projected to lead. At the tackle spot is where offensive line coach [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag] could have issues.

Arkansas will be relying on sophomores [autotag]Patrick Kutas[/autotag] and [autotag]Devon Manuel[/autotag], who have yet to get meaningful snaps against SEC opponents. That’s where a lot of the offensive line’s highly-publicized pass protection struggles stemmed from during fall camp.

Now, things aren’t always as bad as they seem and [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag]’s got a lot of talent for his third season in Fayetteville. But the pressure is on. Arkansas has KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders to lead a high-octane offensive attack, but that won’t mean anything if they don’t have help up front.

Let’s take a deeper look at the offensive line’s depth chart ahead of week one.

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Pittman, Hogs name the six Arkansas team captains for 2023

One newcomer to the team joined some Arkansas vets as the Razorbacks captains this upcoming season.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has named his six team captains for the 2023 season.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson and running back Rocket Sanders were unsurprising selections. Offensive lineman Brady Latham and kicker Cam Little were the next most experienced choices. And defensive linemen Landon Jackson and Trajan Jeffcoat were the other two.

Jeffcoat is in his first year with Arkansas after an All-SEC career at Missouri. He had 20 tackles for the Tigers last year, but was a first-team All-SEC choice in 2020 when he registered six sacks.

Latham, Jefferson and Sanders were all preseason All-SEC choices from both the media and coaches earlier this summer. Little is on-pace to become Arkansas’ leading scorer, having been the team’s primary placekicker both of his previous seasons after arriving from high-school football in Oklahoma.

Arkansas opens its season Sept. 2 against Western Carolina in Little Rock.

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Pittman says Hogs banged, bruised, but mostly in good shape heading into opener

Arkansas has been missing two starting offensive lineman, a key linebacker and key cornerback, but they should be ready by game day.

With just over a week before Arkansas opens its season against Western Carolina, coach Sam Pittman is focused on getting his players healthy.

Arkansas practiced Friday and will again Saturday before starting game-week preparations for the Catamounts begin in earnest Monday. Heading into that prep work, the Hogs are a bit short-handed.

The good news is Pittman doesn’t think those injuries, outside of one, should limit participation in the opener.

“I don’t think that we’ll have anybody miss a game except for obviously (Sam) Mbake,” Pittman said. “We do have some guys with some ankle injuries. Some things of that nature that we’ve got to get healed up between now and when we play next Saturday.”

All-SEC guard Brady Latham, projected starting left tackle Devon Manuel and potential starters Antonio Grier at linebacker and Kee’yon Stewart at cornerback have missed practices lately. If they were all to miss, Arkansas might be in rough shape were it any other opponent but the FCS Catamounts.

Andrew Chamblee has spent the better part of the last couple weeks working at left tackle with Manuel out and Amaury Wiggins has taken reps as Latham’s replacement next to him on the first team.

The way Pittman sounded, though, was that both Manuel and Latham should be good to go by September 2.

“Really proud of where we’ve been,” Pittman said. “I wish we weren’t as banged up as we are right now, but I believe that by Monday, at least half, maybe more of the guys that we’re holding from the good-on-good section will be back.”

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Coaches select six Hogs as preseason All-SEC

Senior running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and senior cornerback Dwight “Nudie” McGlothern were both selected first-teamers by the SEC coaches

Six Arkansas Razorbacks were voted to the 2023 Preseason Coaches All-SEC teams, the league announced Tuesday.

Arkansas landed two first-team selections, in junior running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and senior cornerback Dwight “Nudie” McGlothern. Sanders was previously named Preseason First Team All-SEC by the media last month, while McGlothern earned second-team honors.

The coaches’ second team included senior quarterback KJ Jefferson and two of his senior offensive linemen, Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer.

Jefferson and Latham were also second-team selections by the media.

Junior kicker Cam Little, a Freshman All-SEC performer in 2021, rounded out the coaches’ selections with third-team honors.

This was highest number of Razorbacks on the list since the 2011 team that finished the season 11-2, who placed seven players on the first two units.

Here’s a look at the complete Preseason All-SEC football teams. Georgia led the way with 14 selections and LSU had 11.

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB – Jayden Daniels, LSU

RB – Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss

RB – Raheim Sanders, Arkansas

WR – Malik Nabers, LSU

WR – Antwane Wells*, South Carolina

WR – Ladd McConkey*, Georgia

TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia

OL – JC Latham, Alabama

OL – Tate Ratledge, Georgia

OL – Will Campbell, LSU

OL – Amarius Mims, Georgia

C – Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia

AP – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

Defense

DL – Mekhi Wingo, LSU

DL – Mykel Williams, Georgia

DL – Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia

DL – Maason Smith, LSU

LB – Dallas Turner, Alabama

LB – Harold Perkins, LSU

LB – Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia

DB – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

DB – Malaki Starks, Georgia

DB – Javon Bullard, Georgia

DB – Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas

Special Teams

PK – Will Reichard, Alabama

P – Kai Kroeger, South Carolina

RS – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

KOS – Mitch Jeter, South Carolina

LS – Wesley Schelling, Vanderbilt

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB – KJ Jefferson, Arkansas

RB – Jase McClellan, Alabama

RB – Kendall Milton, Georgia

WR – Bru McCoy, Tennessee

WR – Evan Stewart*, Texas A&M

WR – Will Sheppard*, Vanderbilt

WR – Jermaine Burton*, Alabama

TE – Mason Taylor, LSU

OL – Javon Foster, Missouri

OL – Brady Latham, Arkansas

OL – Tyler Booker, Alabama

OL – Xavier Truss*, Georgia

OL – Emery Jones*, LSU

C – Beaux Limmer, Arkansas

AP – Tulu Griffin, Mississippi State

Defense

DL – McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M

DL – Jaheim Oatis, Alabama

DL – Deone Walker, Kentucky

DL – Justin Eboigbe, Alabama

LB – Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State

LB – Smael Mondon, Georgia

LB – JJ Weaver, Kentucky

DB – Kamari Lassiter, Georgia

DB – Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri

DB – Malachi Moore, Alabama

DB – Demani Richardson, Texas A&M

Special Teams

PK – Harrison Mevis, Missouri

P – Nik Constantinou, Texas A&M

RS – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

KOS – Nathan Dibert, LSU

LS – Kneeland Hibbett, Alabama

THIRD TEAM

Offense

QB – Will Rogers, Mississippi State

RB – Trevor Etienne, Florida

RB – Jarquez Hunter, Auburn

WR – Luther Burden III, Missouri

WR – Ainias Smith*, Texas A&M

WR – Ja’Corey Brooks*, Alabama

TE – Luke Deal*, Auburn

TE – Caden Prieskorn*, Ole Miss

TE – Michael Trigg*, Ole Miss

TE – Trey Knox*, South Carolina

OL – Layden Robinson, Texas A&M

OL – Eli Cox, Kentucky

OL – Jeremy James, Ole Miss

OL – Kam Stutts*, Auburn

OL – Javontez Spraggins*, Tennessee

OL – Micah Pettus*, Ole Miss

C – Cooper Mays, Tennessee

AP – Dakereon Joyner, South Carolina

Defense

DL – Princely Umanmiellen, Florida

DL – Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina

DL – Jared Ivey, Ole Miss

DL – Tim Smith*, Alabama

DL – Darius Robinson*, Missouri

LB – Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri

LB – Jett Johnson, Mississippi State

LB – Chris Braswell, Alabama

DB – Marcellas Dial, South Carolina

DB – Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn

DB – Jason Marshall, Florida

DB – Greg Brooks, LSU

Special Teams

PK – Cam Little, Arkansas

P – Oscar Chapman*, Auburn

P – Matthew Hayball*, Vanderbilt

RS – Tulu Griffin, Mississippi State

LS – Slade Roy, LSU

*denotes tie in votes, ties are not broken.

With Latham and Limmer, Arkansas has one of best interior lines in FBS

Find a better senior duo on an offensive line in America. You can’t.

Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer are typical offensive linemen in that they don’t exactly go out seeking the limelight.

But Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer aren’t exactly typical offensive linemen, either.

The two Arkansas redshirt seniors are two of the last of the Chad Morris Class of 2019. They’ve turned out to be two of the better players in that group and have blossomed under offensive-line-coach-turned-head-coach Sam Pittman. Latham was named a second All-SEC pick at the league’s media days and Limmer was a third-team All-American pick by Phil Steele and Athlon after moving to center.

That’s a high praise for a player who has technically only played that position once in college. Turns out the once was quite a big deal.

“For him to go a year ago into the Liberty Bowl with no reps at center and not have a bad snap – and Lord knows he played a lot of snaps in that game – tells you a lot about his maturity and just his athletic ability,” Pittman said.

To that point, Limmer and Latham were the Razorbacks’ left and right guards, positions they had held for basically three seasons. And while Ricky Stromberg, the man Limmer replaced in the middle for the game against Kansas when Stromberg turned pro, may have had more national recognition, the three of them in the middle worked more as a unit.

Arkansas was seventh in FBS last year in yards rushing per game. And with everyone behind them back, too, expect similar totals in 2023, especially with Limmer and Latham ready to roll in their final seasons.

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Depth chart for Arkansas’ offensive line a work in progress

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman feels good about his team up front, but only two players are locked into starting gigs right now.

Beaux Limmer is locked in. Brady Latham is locked in.

After that, coach Sam Pittman and offensive line coach Cody Kennedy have a decent idea of who will start for the Arkansas football team up front. But it’s far from set in stone.

Limmer was named to the Rimington Award watchlist on Friday as potentially the nation’s best center. Latham was named a preseason All-SEC second-teamer at SEC Media Days in July. Even if Kennedy, Pittman and Co. are unsure about the rest, those two players provide a good starting point, anyway.

The closest to joining them as all-but-guaranteed starter is guard Josh Braun. Braun transferred from Florida in the spring where he was a starter for the Gators. That work he put in with Arkansas in the spring upon arrival has given an advantage as the Razorbacks have opened fall practice ahead of the regular season.

“I think coming out of spring ball, Josh has earned the right to be with the 1s,” Pittman said Friday after Arkansas’ first practice. “We like him at guard. The depth chart is all over the place right now. It will change tomorrow.”

Regardless, Pittman said he feels comfortable with the depth and talent Arkansas has on the offensive line. And, really, it’s tough to say otherwise from the outside looking in.

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