Tag: Isaiah Nichols

Hogs Depth Chart: Adding pressure to the Quarterback Focus for DL

First Year defensive line coach, Deke Adams, will look to take a deep defensive line group to sack land.

The Hogs finished second to last in the SEC in sacks, ahead of only Vanderbilt with 25. It’s an interesting contrast to the offensive line that may have been the best in the SEC a year ago.

The last time the Razorbacks finished in the top half of the conference in sacks since 2011 when they finished 5th in the conference with 29 sacks.

This year’s unit loses three starters from a year ago, DT John Ridgeway, hybrid DT/DE Markell Utsey, and defensive end Tre Williams.

Redshirt sophomore Taurean Carter was expected to be a starter at defensive tackle but suffered a knee injury during spring camp. Carter played in all 13 games this year and eight in his first year.

The Razorbacks are expected to run a four-man group on the defensive line, which means two DTs and two DEs. So the amount of players needed for depth is there, but who will step up?

Turnovers a focus for Arkansas defense this fall

Arkansas’ defense was tied for 117th out of 120 teams in FBS last year in fumbles recovered.

A big reason Arkansas went 9-4 last year, the team’s best record in a decade, was its ability to hold on to the ball.

Now the Razorbacks defense is focusing on making their turnover margin even higher.

In 2021, Arkansas’ offense gave the ball away just 11 times. The Hogs, on the other side of the ball, had more interceptions alone than that with 13. But when it comes to fumbles, Arkansas was a bit lacking. The Razorbacks recovered just three fumbles last year, tied for 117th in the country.

During Saturday’s second practice of fall camp, WholeHogSports reported defensive line coach Deke Adams was stressing strips to his unit.

“We’re not settling for sacks. We want the ball out. Do the little things,” Adams said, per reporter Scottie Bordelon.

Adams has a number of bodies on his front line with experience, but defensive line is a group where head coach Sam Pittman said the Hogs are seeking more stability and consistency.

Saturday’s first unit consisted of Isaiah Nichols and Eric Gregory on the inside and Zach Williams and Jashaud Stewart at end.

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Complete list of Arkansas football’s preseason All-SEC players across publications

Ten different Arkansas players have been honored with preseason All-SEC selections. Can you name them all without looking?

Summertime in the South, the silly season.

It’s the time of the year, just before SEC Media Days in July, when predictors and prognosticators across the college football landscape are dropping predicted orders of finish and preseason all-conference players.

Three of the most significant of those all-SEC selections are with Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, the two most respected college-football-preview magazine publishers in the game. The other comes from AL.com, where the league’s 14 sports information directors make their selections.

Here, we’ve gathered all three that include Arkansas players in one list. It should help in the coming two months when we all get excited for the season to kickoff in September.

Razorbacks add Terry Hampton, a defensive lineman and Arkansas native in portal

Terry Hampton wanted to be an Arkansas football player when he was in high school in El Dorado.

[autotag]Terry Hampton[/autotag] wanted to be an Arkansas football player when he was in high school, playing for El Dorado. It’s taken a few years and circuitous path, but the dream is about to come true.

Hampton committed to the Razorbacks on Sunday after entering the transfer portal from Arkansas State. He had offers from a number of power-conference schools, including Texas Tech, Illinois and Oregon State.

Hampton, who is 6-foot-0 and 290 pounds, played nose tackle for the Red Wolves. He was a starter in his final two seasons, but missed half of last year after a season-ending injury. His junior season, Hampton had 35 tackles, including six for-loss.

Arkansas’ defensive line now features [autotag]Cameron Ball[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Nichols[/autotag], [autotag]Taurean Carter[/autotag], Marcus Miller and Hampton among those vying for a bulk of the playing time on the inside. Hampton has one year of eligibility remaining.

Arkansas begins the season September 3 against Cincinnati.

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Arkansas D-line on the rise: these players will make a difference in 2022

Arkansas defensive line lost a lot from 2021, but these players should step into the fold nicely.

Sacks haven’t been a significant statistic for Arkansas football in a long time.

The Razorbacks have shown they can win without having a dynamic pass rush as a unit, even if they have had individual players who can rack up the numbers. McTelvin Agim, Armon Watts and Jeremiah Ledbetter were all those kind of players even during the down years of Arkansas football.

Heading into the 2022 season, though, there is reason to think the entire front seven (or six, as the Hogs more often play) can beat some of the team totals of recent years. Arkansas hasn’t finished higher than eighth in the SEC in sacks since 2013.

“The difference I see in our line is the explosion off the ball and that we are moving the line of scrimmage backward a lot of the time in our pass rush games,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “We’re attacking the tackles more on the edge and making them move their feet. I think Deke has done a really good job and the kids have gotten close to his teaching and things he’s done.”

The Deke that Pittman mentioned is first-year defensive line coach Deke Adams, whose new approach suggests that Arkansas’ new-look front could turn heads.

The Hogs lost three starters up front in defensive tackle John Ridgeway, tackle/end Markell Utsey and end Tre Williams. These are the players Arkansas will rely on to replace them in the fall.DE