Tag: Jaheim Thomas

Linebacker Jaheim Thomas enters transfer portal

Cincinnati transfer linebacker Jaheim Thomas is only going to spend a year in Fayetteville, as he elected to hit the transfer portal on Saturday.

An already thin linebacker room continues to take hits this winter.

Jaheim Thomas, who transferred to Arkansas from Cincinnati last spring, elected to get in the portal on Saturday.

Thomas, 6-4, 240, was the Razorbacks’ leading tackler in 2023 and started 10 games while playing in all 12.

He joins Jordan Crook, Christopher Paul Jr. and Mani Powell as linebackers who have entered the portal since it opened on December 4.

Xavian Sorey Jr. of Georgia is a linebacker who will be counted on immediately to contribute with all of these losses.

Arkansas also gained another linebacker transfer in Brooks Yurachek from Wake Forest, the son of athletic director Hunter.

The Razorbacks will be searching for more in the portal most likely as it winds down.

Arkansas at Florida: Players To Watch on Saturday

Arkansas will try to snap its six-game losing streak Saturday in the Swamp.

Reeling from a six-game losing streak, Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) will have a new play-caller to replace the ousted Dan Enos, as wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton was elevated to offensive coordinator following the Hogs’ 7-3 Homecoming loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 21.

It will be the former Ohio State quarterback’s first shot at coordinating at the Division I level, but the team seems to have embraced the change over the recent bye week. After Guiton spent four seasons under former Arkansas OC Kendall Briles, it is likely that the offense will revert, and look similar to what it has the previous three seasons.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson will probably have more freedom to improvise at a faster tempo, and should get a boost by the probable return of All-SEC running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders to the backfield.

Florida (5-3, 3-2 SEC) has split its last four games and is coming off of a 43-20 loss to No. 1 Georgia, but has ridden the arm of junior quarterback Graham Mertz all season long.

Here are 11 players to watch in Saturday’s showdown in Gainesville:

Mississippi State at Arkansas: Players to Watch on Saturday

Arkansas and Mississippi State will each be battling for their first SEC win of the season on Saturday.

Something must give Saturday inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, as two of the four remaining teams yet to win an SEC game, will go head-to-head.

It will be the first time in five weeks that the Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4 SEC) will be playing on their home turf, as they look to snap a five-game losing streak.

Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC) will also come limping in, losing three of their last four, but are fresh off of a 41-28 win over Western Michigan.

The game will feature two quarterbacks who had high expectations entering the season, but who have both struggled to have success in SEC games. Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson was voted second-team All-SEC in the coaches preseason poll, while Mississippi State’s Will Rogers was the third-team selection.

The game will also showcase the conference’s top three tacklers, in Razorback linebacker Jaheim Thomas, the conference leader, and Bulldogs’ linebackers Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson.

Here are 12 Players to Watch in Saturday’s showdown:

KJ Jefferson proves he’s still Arkansas’ best, named Player of the Game vs Alabama

Arkansas would actually be one of those bad teams its most angry fans think if it weren’t for KJ Jefferson.

KJ Jefferson’s 2023 season has not gone to plan. The preseason second-team All-SEC pick was even a dark horse pick for All-American honors by season’s end. Arkansas’ struggles through its first seven games have all but eliminated those.

But more important to Jefferson and his teammates is what the Razorbacks do on the field, as opposed to the plaudits earned off it. And even in Saturday’s loss against Alabama, proof was positive that Jefferson, a three-starter and fifth-year senior, is the best man to lead the Hogs on the field, earning our top selection as Arkansas’ Player of the Game.

Joining him were kicker Cam Little, running back AJ Green, linebacker Jaheim Thomas and defense end Landon Jackson.

Check out more on each of their performances below as the selections from editor E. Wayne and contributors Steve Andrews, Connor Goodson and Derek Oxford come in.

Arkansas at No. 11 Alabama: Players To Watch on Saturday

Arkansas is a 19.5-point underdog this weekend, as the Razorbacks try to stop a four-game losing streak,

Boy, when you are trying to snap a four-game losing streak, a trip to Tuscaloosa to face No. 11 Alabama is not what the doctor ordered.

But that is the task at hand for the Arkansas football team this week. In three of the last four losses, the Razorbacks have either been tied or led at some point in the fourth quarter. Now, it’s a matter of figuring out how to finish games, with less mistakes and less penalties.

Arkansas will again try to establish a balanced offensive attack against the Crimson Tide, with senior quarterback KJ Jefferson at the controls, and junior running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders trying to get on track for the first time this season.

Due to a knee injury, Sanders has only carried the ball 34 times this season, for 91 yards, or just 2.7 yards per carry. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry last season.

Alabama will counter with another stellar defense, led by freshman defensive back Caleb Downs. Nick Saban also hopes to see sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe continue to progress for the Tide offense.

Here are 12 Players to Watch in Saturday’s game:

Arkansas at No. 13 LSU: Players to watch on Saturday

Arkansas will try to bounce back from a heart-breaking loss to BYU, while LSU tries to keep rolling for its third straight victory.

Arkansas (2-1) will go into Saturday’s SEC conference opener against LSU in Death Valley as enormous underdogs, having just gotten beat at home by BYU.

But quarterback KJ Jefferson and crew will try to rebound on the road and get the train headed back in the right direction.

No. 13 LSU (2-1) has rebounded impressively with two breezy wins, after a season-opening loss to No. 3 Florida State. The Tigers walloped host Mississippi State 41-14 last Saturday, in their conference opener.

The game will also feature players on both teams, who used to play at the other school. Junior Landon Jackson and Dwight McGlothern jumped ship from LSU to Arkansas prior to last season. Senior Greg Brooks Jr. left the Razorbacks to join the Tigers last season, but Head Coach Brian Kelley has announced that Brooks will not be available for the Arkansas game.

Here are 12 players to watch in Saturday’s showdown:

 

Arkansas preseason depth chart – Linebackers

Linebacker should be a strength for Arkansas this year. The Hogs have to get healthy there first, though.

The Arkansas linebacker spot should be a good spot for the Razorbacks in 2023.

But heading into the team’s opener on Saturday against FCS Western Carolina, the unit looks perhaps least like it was expected among all the positional groups. One projected starter is all but out and the other is iffy, though coach Sam Pittman has been somewhat vague on the latter’s status.

When Chris Paul Jr., Antonio Grier, Jordan Crook and Jaheim Thomas are all healthy, Arkansas can roll a combination of near-stars, established talent and future all-league players among its first four.

Grier and Paul could be iffy for the opener, but that may be a blessing in disguise. Thomas and Crook have experience and will get plenty of reps, but the players behind them have almost no idea what it’s like to play college football. A game against the Catamounts will help make that a thing of the past.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how the Arkansas linebackers stack up, or rather, how we expect them to stack up by the end of the season.

Two transfer targets pay visit to Auburn over the weekend

Auburn welcomed two transfer players from their wishlist to campus in hopes to sway them to join the roster.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is working to fill key needs during the second transfer portal window and is on the right track by welcoming two players from his wishlist to campus.

Over the weekend, Cincinnati’s [autotag]Jaheim Thomas[/autotag] and Tulsa’s [autotag]Jaden Muskrat[/autotag] each paid a visit to the Plains.

Muskrat was one of the first players to receive an Auburn offer once the second transfer portal window opened. According to Jason Caldwell of Auburn Undercover, Muskrat was on campus Saturday and was even spotted at Auburn’s baseball game against Mississippi State at Plainsman Park. Over the last three seasons, Muskrat has played on new offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag]’s offensive line. Last season, he played right tackle for the Golden Hurricane, opposite transfer [autotag]Dillon Wade[/autotag]. According to Pro Football Focus, Muskrat allowed just three sacks in 848 snaps in 2022.

On Sunday, Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover reported that Cincinnati linebacker Jaheim Thomas was also on campus Sunday for an official visit. Thomas made 70 stops for the Bearcats last season and recorded nine quarterback hurries according to Pro Football Focus. Thomas is seen as a potential candidate for Auburn’s new Jack linebacker position.

Auburn will continue to search for new additions to its roster over the next week, as the transfer portal window is set to close on Sunday.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

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Cincinnati linebacker enters transfer portal

Linebacker Jaheim Thomas entered the transfer portal Sunday after three seasons at Cincinnati.

Linebacker Jaheim Thomas entered the transfer portal Sunday after three seasons at Cincinnati. The former four-star class of 2020 recruit was offered by the Badgers before choosing the Bearcats.

Thomas increased his production in each of his three seasons with Cincinnati, using his 6-foot-4, 245 pound frame to record 70 tackles in 2022. Making things more intriguing is the fact that his head coach Luke Fickell and his defensive coordinator Mike Tressel have now taken over in Madison.

Combining the facts that Wisconsin was interested in 2020 and the coaching situation, the Badgers seem like they’d have an inside track to getting Thomas’s commitment if interested.

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