Tag: latavious brini

Jaguars 2023 roster review: S Latavious Brini

Latavious Brini earned a spot on the Jaguars roster the hard way, impressing coaches in a minicamp tryout.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is still off on the horizon. Join us in the NFL’s dead zone with a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

There’s a few different paths that can lead to a rookie earning a spot on an NFL roster. There are those who are lucky enough to hear their name called during the NFL draft and there are those who have to battle their way on to a team as an undrafted free agent. Then there are those who have to battle just to get a contract.

Former Arkansas defensive back Latavious Brini wasn’t drafted and didn’t receive an undrafted contract either. Instead he was one of several players who participated in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ rookie minicamp with the goal of impressing coaches. He pulled it off and earned a spot.

Whether or not the 6’2, 215-pound safety can earn his place on the 53-man roster or the Jaguars practice squad remains to be seen, but just by earning an NFL contract, Brini is already beating the odds.

Contract (2023): $750,000 base salary, $750,000 cap hit.

Acquired: Jaguars signed Brini to a three-year contract on May 15, 2023.

PFF grades: 

  • 67.9 (2022 – Arkansas)
  • 80.7 (2021 – Georgia)
  • 68.7 (2020 – Georgia)
  • 73.2 (2019 – Georgia)
  • 63.8 (2018 – Georgia)

Statistics:

  • One interception, one forced fumble, four tackles for loss, 57 tackles (2022)
  • 2.5 tackles for loss, 38 tackles (2021)
  • Three tackles for loss, 11 tackles (2020)
  • One interception (2019)
  • One tackle (2018)

Highlight:

Quote: “Every day you wake up is a challenge. So, I say I embrace the challenge. … Every team is tough. Every team has their tricks and everything.” – Brini

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Leonard Taylor (No. 49)
Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50) Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55)
Yasir Abdullah (No. 56) Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64)
Chandler Brewer (No. 67) Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73)
Cam Robinson (No. 74) Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79)
Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80) Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87)
Oliver Martin (No. 88) Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Nick Thurman (No. 97) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus
Jacob Harris

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Jaguars sign S Latavious Brini, waive rookie DL Jayson Ademilola

Former Arkansas and Georgia safety Latavious Brini earned a roster spot after a tryout at the Jaguars’ rookie minicamp.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced the additions of safety Latavious Brini and wide receiver Jacob Harris on Monday. To make room on the roster, the Jaguars cut ties with rookie defensive lineman Jayson Ademilola, who signed with the team shortly after the 2023 NFL draft.

Both Brini and Harris participated in the Jaguars’ rookie minicamp over the weekend on a tryout basis. News broke earlier in the day Monday that Harris, who previously spent two years with the Los Angeles Rams, was signing with the Jaguars.

Brini spent the 2022 season with Arkansas after transferring from Georgia. The 6’2, 215-pound defensive back recorded four tackles for loss, one interception, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble in his only season with the Razorbacks.

Ademilola, a former Notre Dame defensive tackle, was one of 10 undrafted players signed by the Jaguars earlier this month.

Following the moves, the Jaguars are at the 90-player roster limit and have a 91st player with Ayo Oyelola earning an exemption as part NFL’s International Pathway Program.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[stnvideo key=”zPKFIpDTas-2743358-7617″ type=”float”]

Rocket Sanders, KJ Jefferson highlight Arkansas’ Players of the Game vs Auburn

KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders have racked up Player of the Game awards week after week for Arkansas.

To the surprise of no one who has regularly watched Arkansas football games this year, Rocket Sanders and KJ Jefferson were overwhelming choices for Razorbacks’ Player of the Game honors on Saturday.

The Hogs beat Auburn, 41-27, on the road to move to 5-3 and 2-3 in the SEC. It’s Arkansas’ second straight win after the team opened 3-0 then dropped three straight games.

Sanders, the sophomore running back, had 171 yards on 16 carries. His 76-yard burst in the third quarter set up an Arkansas touchdown that led to a 31-13 lead. He entered as the SEC’s leading rusher and with his day become the first player to break the 1,000-yard mark in the team’s seventh game since Madre Hill in the mid-1990s.

Jefferson ran for Arkansas’ first two touchdowns of the game, the second of which was a true highlight. He was also 16 of 24 passing for 234 yards and a touchdown pass to Jadon Haselwood.

Check out the complete voting for Arkansas’ Players of the Game below from contributors Taylor Jones and Kendall Hilton and editor E. Wayne.

Jefferson’s record and Landers’ big day earn them Player of the Game honors vs BYU

KJ Jefferson and Matt Landers had big days to earn Arkansas’ Player of the Game honors against BYU.

What a day to be an offensive player for the Arkansas football team.

The Razorbacks went for 637 yards of total offense in a 52-35 win over BYU on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak. KJ Jefferson set a career high with five passing touchdowns and Rocket Sanders ran for a career-high 168 yards with two touchdowns to earn Player of the Game honors.

The win lifted the Hogs above .500 heading into their bye week. When they return October 29, Auburn and its coach-on-the-hot-seat Bryan Harsin will host down on the Plains.

Jefferson had his best game of the season Saturday, but left on Arkansas’ final drive after landing on the crown of his helmet two yards short of the goal line. He appeared fine after the game, though no status was immediately available.

Sanders only made his yards-per-game total – which led the SEC and was ninth in FBS entering – higher, going about 50 over his average.

See more details on Arkansas’ two best players and the other choices for Player of the Game below.

“Who is Jordan Domineck?” Arkansas fans know the unheralded transfer now

Jordan Domineck wasn’t prepared for Arkansas’ intensity when he first arrived. He sure is now.

Drew Sanders. Dwight McGlothern. Latavious Brini. Landon Jackson Jr. Alabama. LSU. Georgia.

Arkansas picked up its fair share of impact players from the transfer portal in the offseason. All four of the aforementioned played in the SEC, at powerhouse schools (LSU wasn’t a powerhouse last year, but you get it). One name slid a bit under the radar, though.

Not anymore.

Jordan Domineck is a big reason the Razorbacks lead the country in sacks. The Georgia Tech transfer has four, second on the team behind Sanders. And he’s doing it from a reserve spot.

Coach Sam Pittman recruited him for a reason, after all. And the coach knew pretty quick, before he had even met him, he was getting a good one.

“His parents to be perfectly honest with you. His mannerisms over the phone,” Pittman said. “You’re phone recruiting. We never had met him before. Talking to his mom and dad, they’re classy people, wonderful people. He’s a guy that just wanted to compete in this league.”

Domineck was shell-shocked, initially, Pittman said, when he arrived in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks run their program quite a bit differently than Georgia Tech. It took a while for Domineck to adjust.

But he was a guy who had more than 70 tackles and 7 1/2 sacks his last two years with the Yellow Jackets. Once he adjusted, things would be fine.

“There wasn’t a problem at Georgia Tech,” Pittman said. “It was about ‘Look, I’ve got an opportunity to go to the SEC. I’d like to see if I’m good enough to play in the SEC.’”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=none image=https://razorbackswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The answer through three games is a resounding ‘yes.’

Official Depth Chart: The Missouri State game

Here is how the Razorbacks will line up when they face Missouri State on Saturday night.

As the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks continue their preparations for this Saturday’s game against Missouri State, there are a few changes to the depth chart.

It was officially announced prior to last week’s win over South Carolina that safety [autotag]Jalen Catalon[/autotag] would miss the remainder of the 2022 season after it was revealed that he would need surgery to repair a shoulder injury.

Stepping up in his place will be Georgia transfer [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag]. In last week’s 44-30 win over South Carolina, Brini made four stops while recording a quarterback hurry and forcing a fumble.

Also in the defensive backfield, [autotag]Myles Slusher[/autotag] returns to the depth chart after sitting out week two’s game after needing extra time to nurse an injury that he suffered during the season-opener against Cincinnati.

Outside of those two injuries, the depth chart looks to be business as usual. The only other position group to watch for during Saturday’s game will be at running back. The SEC’s leading rusher, [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag], as well as [autotag]A.J. Green[/autotag], are expected to factor into the game plan, but there has been speculation that [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag] could return to the rotation as well.

Here is a look at how Arkansas will line up on Saturday night against Missouri State.

The 12 players to watch in Bobby Petrino’s return to Arkansas

The best six players to watch out for during Bobby Petrino’s homecoming to Arkansas.

Another home game with some extra sauce for the Razorbacks.

The Hogs will face their first FCS opponent of the season, usually a tune-up game for the next week’s showdown.

Not this time.

The Razorbacks will host the fifth-ranked FCS team, Missouri State, head coach by a familiar face.

Bobby Petrino.

Most of the people who were part of Arkansas when Petrino was caught in a motorcycle crash with his mistress, but the players on both sides will have little motivation for Saturday’s matchup.

Missouri State wants to take down the big SEC school for lifetime bragging rights, but what better way to honor your coach than to win a game against the school that fired him?

For the Hogs, they must defend the home field and not fall victim to the infamous “trap game.”

According to the FPI, the Razorbacks have a 99.2% chance of winning this game, so let’s take a look at some players to watch.

No Catalon, no Slusher? No problem for Arkansas

Missing Myles Slusher and Jalen Catalon hurt, but not as bad as the yardage may have made it look for Arkansas.

Was it perfect? No. Was it good? Actually, yes.

Arkansas beat South Carolina, 44-30, on Saturday. That’s the good. Spencer Rattler threw for 371 yards against Arkansas. And while that looks bad, it isn’t. The Razorbacks were without preseason first-team All-SEC safety Jalen Catalon and starting nickel Myles Slusher.

Plus, consider that more than 170 of those yards came in the fourth quarter when the Gamecocks were already cooked and South Carolina was all but forced to pass. For good measure, throw in that Rattler had just one touchdown and threw an interception, too, and it was a winning day for the Arkansas secondary.

On the field.

Off it was a different story as Arkansas coach Sam Pittman announced Catalon would miss the rest of the year because of a shoulder injury he suffered last week against Cincinnati.

“He won’t be back this year,” Pittman said. “I feel for him. We’ve had conversations about it. I’m going let him be away from the building a little bit. He’s down. You would be, too.”

Simeon Blair, who had five tackles from the safety spot, was voted to replace Catalon as a team captain. Latavious Brini, a transfer from Georgia, is expected to get a bulk of the reps. Slusher is expected back next week against Missouri State.

In the meantime, the Razorbacks’ secondary can feel solid about what they did Saturday, all things considered.

[vertical-gallery id=12162]

Jalen Catalon and Myles Slusher questionable for South Carolina

Arkansas is being coy about the status of Jalen Catalon and Myles Slusher for Saturday’s game against South Carolina.

Jalen Catalon is perhaps the best safety in the nation. Myles Slusher’s first half against Cincinnati suggested an All-SEC caliber season.

Then the two went down within minutes of each other in Saturday’s win over Cincinnati. Slusher was lost in the second quarter after appearing to make a tackle head-first. Catalon appeared to injure his upper body, perhaps a shoulder, an injury he suffered last year that forced him to miss the entire second half of the season.

Coach Sam Pittman didn’t update the condition of either defensive back during his press conference Monday. When the depth chart was released, they were still listed as starters.

“We don’t have an update on Catalon or Slusher. We don’t know what we’re dealing with there,” Pittman said.

Creating a ruse is en vogue in college football. It’s hard to imagine the injuries are unclear, though it is easy to imagine either player’s status being unclear for Saturday. But it behooves Pittman, and other coaches, to stay mum. The only people it satisfies are fans.

If the two can’t go, expect Jayden Johnson to get dozens of extra reps. He can play both the nickel and safety. Latavious Brini is the likely replacement off the bat for Catalon in the back, though.

[listicle id=11917]

Transfers shine in Arkansas debut

Many of Arkansas’ additions via the transfer portal debuted in a big way in the 31-24 win over Cincinnati.

Arkansas Football had many returning assets to their roster entering the 2022 season. But were able to reel in valuable pieces from the transfer portal to fill needs.

Those transfers got their first chance to shine in an Arkansas uniform on Saturday, and did not disappoint.

Players such as [autotag]Matt Landers[/autotag], [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag], [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag], and [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag] all played key roles for the Razorbacks in their 31-24 victory over No. 22 Cincinnati on Saturday. Head coach Sam Pittman says that he is pleased with the way that they all performed, and gave his coaching staff credit for getting them prepared to play.

“Matt Landers I thought showed them he’s a hard guy to cover. The game didn’t necessarily go where we continue with him,” Pittman said following Saturday’s win. “Haselwood as a transfer doing some nice things made a really nice catch on the touchdown. Those guys on offense I thought they did a good job. Brini came in and played at least half the game when Catalon got hurt.”

Each transfer contributed to the win in their own way, but the player that made the most noise in the group was Dwight McGlothern. The transfer from LSU halted an 11-play Cincinnati drive in the 1st quarter by intercepting a pass by Bearcat quarterback Ben Bryant. The interception set up a three-play drive by Arkansas that ended with a K.J. Jefferson touchdown rush to put Arkansas ahead, 7-0.

“Huge play because I think on that drive, I think it was third and it might have been eight-plus on every one of them and they converted them,” Pittman said. (McGlothern) picked it off and got us headed in the right direction. That was big because they were converting third downs on us. Got a lot of work to do but that was a big play.”

Other highlights involving transfer included Landers and Haselwood combining to make six catches for 85 yards, and Sanders recorded a sack.

[mm-video type=video id=01gb9758zxj1y36xvwzk playlist_id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gb9758zxj1y36xvwzk/01gb9758zxj1y36xvwzk-4f1e8f51116f0f02b6d56f125f68e112.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=11831]