Tag: Jahiem Singletary

Players To Watch: Arkansas vs. Western Carolina

In what looks like a mismatch on paper, look for these key players on both teams to make an impact.

NOTE: As always here on Razorbacks Wire, we aren’t simply going to pick the best players to watch on Saturday when Arkansas hosts Western Carolina. That’s too easy. Instead, this is where we try to look inside trends and storylines and give you the best idea of who could make some surprise noise in the game.

As we know throughout the history of Razorback football, even less imposing mid-major schools can never be taken too lightly, especially early in the season. But this matchup on paper looks very one-sided and should be smooth sailing for the revamped, improved Razorbacks.

Western Carolina rolls into War Memorial Stadium on Saturday as heavy underdogs, following a subpar 6-5 season in 2022, under third-year head coach Kerwin Bell, the 1984 SEC Player of the Year at Florida. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gives Arkansas a 99 percent chance to breeze through their opener.

Also, take into account, that many of Arkansas’ key starters may not play long in this game, which will take away their overall impact.

Razorbacks’ new faces at cornerback impressive so far

New Arkansas secondary coach Deron Wilson has been impressed with the new cornerbacks in early fall camp.

Through the first four days of fall camp, Arkansas secondary coach Daron Wilson has been impressed with some of the new faces at cornerback – transfers and freshmen – that he has briefly been able see in action.

Most notably was Georgia transfer Jaheim Singletary, a highly touted redshirt-freshman, who many expect to eventually be a mainstay for the Razorback defense. At 6-foot-2, 187 pounds, Singletary is one of the tallest Hogs at the position, with impressive speed and quickness.

“He has been really impressive so far,” Wilson said. “He’s getting the defense down, flying around, communicating, and fitting in with the rest of the guys.”

A 4-star recruit out of Jacksonville (FL) Riverside High School a year ago, Singletary was rated as the No. 8 cornerback prospect nationally, the No. 8 prospect in Florida and the No. 66 prospect nationally, according to 247 Sports.

“He’s been impressive, but to get on the field, we tell him to keep doing what he’s doing, and keep getting better,” Wilson added. “Because if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. And over these first four days he has been getting better every day.”

Singletary played in three games for Georgia last season, but retained his freshman status, with four years of eligibility remaining.

Wilson also praised the early performances of TCU transfer senior Kee’yon Stewart and true freshman TJ Metcalf, a 4-star recruit out of Birmingham (AL) Pinson Valley High School.

“They are still getting acclimated, but have been impressive, so far,” Wilson said. “If you walked on the field, you wouldn’t even know TJ is a freshman.

“Jaylon Braxton has been having a really good camp, also, talking from a new guys or freshman perspective,” Wilson said.

The 4-star recruit out of Frisco (TX) Lone Star High School, who flipped his commitment from Michigan State over the summer, was ranked the No. 10 cornerback in the country and the No. 109 ranked prospect overall. He’s the 24th highest rated Arkansas prospect since online rankings began.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Braxton has already been compared to former Arkansas and NFL standout Ahmad “Batman” Carroll, who still resonates with Razorback fans for his dynamic cover skills and ferocious hitting.

The season will kick off on Sept. 2, as the Hogs host Western Carolina in Little Rock.