Tag: latavious brini

Seven Razorbacks earn spot on Senior Bowl watchlist

The eyes of Senior Bowl scouts will be upon these seven Razorbacks this upcoming season.

The latest watchlist for the Reese’s Senior Bowl has been released, and Arkansas is well represented.

Seven players were named to the watchlist: Safeties [autotag]Simeon Blair[/autotag] and [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag], EDGE [autotag]Zach Williams[/autotag], LB [autotag]Bumper Pool[/autotag], TE [autotag]Trey Knox[/autotag], and linemen [autotag]Ricky Stromberg[/autotag] and [autotag]Dalton Wagner[/autotag].

According to the Senior Bowl’s website, the Senior Bowl scouting team has been working since last February to identify the “best of the best” draft prospects at every level of college football for the 2023 NFL Draft.  All 484 position players (non-specialists) who made the list were evaluated by our staff and tape-based grades were logged on hundreds of other senior prospects.  Every player on this list is eligible to participate in an all-star game as either a 2018 high school graduate or true four-year player (with five or more games played in three previous seasons).  This list does not include many true or redshirt juniors who could become eligible as December 2022 (or earlier) graduates.

Arkansas had two representatives on last season’s roster, OL John Ridgeway and long snapper Jordan Silver. Ridgeway would go on to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

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Name a deeper team at safety than Arkansas…good luck

The Razorbacks are absolutely loaded at the safety spot and that’s dangerous for opponents.

Jalen Catalon. Simeon Blair. Jayden Johnson. Latvious Brini.

Get used to those names.

Arkansas’ top four safeties may truly be the deepest group in the SEC. That, in turn, makes them one of the deepest units in the country.

Consider it. Jalen Catalon is two seasons removed from Freshman All-American honors and was a preseason All-SEC first-teamer this year. Brini was a starter for last year’s national champion Georgia. Blair and Johnson both earned starts for the 9-4 Hogs last year. As a foursome, they can cover and tackle just about anything that’s coming their way.

Blair’s rise has been especially magical. He arrived to the team as a walk on from Pine Bluff five years ago. Defensive coordinator Barry Odom has witnessed the last three years of his growth.

“If I can talk him into it, he is going to be an unbelievable coach when football is over for him. He’s got a great understanding of the game,” Odom said. “He’s a terrific leader. He’s got the passion and the competitive spirit of the way you’re supposed to play the game. I trust him.”

Johnson could be the team’s breakout player in the back. At 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, he has the prototypical build for the position. Even as a freshman last year, he was 13th on the team in tackles, largely playing a reserve role.

“He can play a lot of spots,” Odom said. “He can play any of the safety spots, he can play the nickel position, so that’s going to help him and help us as a defense, for sure.”

Catalon is the known quantity and Brini brings the winning pedigree. All together, they may be the best group on the whole roster.

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Arkansas’ football’s fall practices are officially started

Arkansas is pretty set on offense, but position battles in the secondary bear watching.

Football season is here.

Arkansas was back on the field Friday for its first football practice of the 2023 season. Things were about the same as they were in the spring, but some minor changes could make a world of difference when the season begins.

A handful of Razorbacks players who spent last year or the spring injured are healthy. None of them are expected to be starters, exactly, but their availability helps depth, especially as about half of them could see time on the second team.

Defensive end Landon Jackson, a transfer from LSU, looked recovered from an ACL injury and was the second-unit end. Jaqualyn Crawford broke his leg in the spring, but was going full speed Friday. And Dorian Gerald, back for a seventh season of college football, was looking to make his way up the depth chart after the NCAA granted him another year.

Position battles in the secondary will highlight camp. Arkansas brought in starters from LSU and Georgia in Dwight McGlothern and Latavious Brini in the offeseason, but both were on the second unit Friday. LaDarrius Bishop, who started at one of the cornerback spots last year, was also on the second unit.

Arkansas opens its season September 3 at home against Cincinnati.

Taking an early look at the top 15 CB prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft class

After the Eagles passed on adding defensive backs to the roster last weekend, we’re taking an early look at the top 15 CB prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft class

The 2022 NFL draft came and went with the Eagles passing on a cornerback and safety in all seven rounds, choosing to address the position via undrafted free agency.

Cornerback was deemed an urgent position of need with no established starter at the position opposite Pro Bowl corner Darius Slay.

It’s the third time in four years that Philadelphia has bypassed selecting a cornerback in the draft. It’s the fifth time in six years they haven’t selected a safety.

The Eagles really like the young cornerback already on the roster and add former Clemson All American cornerback Mario Goodrich via undrafted free agency as well.

If 2022 doesn’t produce a starter opposite Slay, the 2023 NFL draft offers an opportunity to find a successor and starter at both spots.

Here are the top 15 cover guys to watch heading into the next college football season.

How is Arkansas Football replacing their biggest losses from last season?

Arkansas football has high expectations for 2022, but what area will they need to address the most heading into the season?

Arkansas Football is one of the teams that everyone is looking forward to watching in 2022. There is plenty of excitement surrounding the return of KJ Jefferson at the quarterback position, as well as the stable of running backs and the potential of the transfer wide receivers such as [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag].

But, that seems to be where the focus is, on offense. How does Arkansas look defensively heading into the new season? That seems to be a burning question.

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN wrote a piece called “How college football’s way-too-early top 25 teams are replacing their biggest losses“, with Arkansas’ defense being the biggest question.

Arkansas, which ranks No. 20 in the way-too-early top 25 from ESPN, will be looking to replace eight key defenders including [autotag]Grant Morgan[/autotag], [autotag]Hayden Henry[/autotag], and [autotag]Tre Williams,[/autotag] as well as Joe Foucha and Greg Brooks Jr. who left Arkansas for LSU via the transfer portal.

Despite the losses, Arkansas reloaded by bringing in talent from the transfer portal, and that is where they can begin filling holes says VanHaaren.

On the defensive line, the Arkansas coaches signed LSU defensive end transfer [autotag]Landon Jackson[/autotag], who was the No. 78 prospect in the 2021 class. Georgia Tech transfer [autotag]Jordan Domineck[/autotag] will also help Jackson in the pass rush. In the secondary, the staff landed LSU corner transfer [autotag]Dwight McGlothern[/autotag] and Georgia safety [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag].

The Razorbacks also have to replace three members of the backfield, but have players to step up, such as Simeon Blair, Jalen Catalon, and Keuan Parker, who all have playing experience.

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Arkansas Football: “No longer a backup option”

“Arkansas football used to be a backup option for a lot of coaches and a lot of players. Arkansas is not a backup option. They are a destination.” – Josh Pate of 247sports

“Arkansas football used to be a backup option for a lot of coaches and a lot of players. Arkansas is not a backup option. They are a destination.” 

Strong words from Josh Pate, host of the “Late Kick” podcast from 247sports when discussing the current culture change surrounding Arkansas football.

Playing in the shadows of Alabama and LSU in the SEC West for so many years has left Arkansas football at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting and landing big-name coaches. Before the arrival of head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag], most coaches and recruits saw Arkansas as “an afterthought” behind the likes of Alabama, LSU, and even Texas and Oklahoma regionally.

But, when Pittman became visibly emotional during his introductory press conference on December 9, 2019, when discussing what being the leading man at Arkansas meant to him, that’s when the culture began to change.

The culture has changed drastically at Arkansas since that date. The Razorbacks are coming off a season where they won nine games for the first time since 2011, and won their first bowl game since the 2015 season. Pittman, along with the caliber of coordinators in [autotag]Kendal Briles[/autotag] and [autotag]Barry Odom[/autotag], are what is taking Arkansas football to new heights says Pate.

“When I tell you that people with options are choosing Arkansas… Barry Odom, the defensive coordinator, is exhibit A. For that matter, Kendal Briles, offensive coordinator, is exhibit 1A,” says Pate. “Those are guys with options. These are not retreads, they are not afterthoughts. Those guys could have left this past cycle for what, in term, could be greener pastures. That’s what’s changing in college football right now, in particular, Fayetteville, Arkansas.” 

The staff at Arkansas is building on recent success, with several key players being added through the transfer portal in [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] from Oklahoma, [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag] from Alabana, and [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag] from Georgia. Arkansas also has a top-five recruiting class according to 247sports as well for the 2023 cycle. Arkansas wants to stay relevant for many years.

“Just like the coaches, players that are given options are choosing Arkansas. They have a top-five signing class right now for 2023, because players with options are choosing Arkansas,” says Pate. “What’s changing right now.. you hear it out of their mouths, you see it in their actions, is that college football is slowly starting to realize what they realized a little while ago in Fayetteville. They are not a backup option anymore.”

Catch the full quote from Pate by clicking below.

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247sports predicts Arkansas-Iowa matchup in Music City Bowl

How would you feel about this matchup at the end of the season?

Who doesn’t love a good bowl projection?

Despite being over 250 days away from bowl season, Brad Crawford of 247sports has released his predictions for bowl matchups following the conclusion of the 2022 regular season. Where does he believe Arkansas football will end their season? In Nashville, Tenn. against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl.

With the amount, and caliber, of transfers such as [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag], [autotag]Drew Sanders,[/autotag] and [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag], mixed in with the return of quarterback [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag] and the progression of the program under head coach [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag], Razorback fans may feel that ending the season in the Music City Bowl would be a letdown. However, it would mean that Arkansas would be bowl eligible for the second straight season, the first time that Arkansas has been bowl eligible in consecutive seasons since 2016 when they competed in the Liberty Bowl to close the 2015 season, and concluded the 2016 season in the Belk Bowl.

If the prediction were to come true, it would be the 2nd time in program history that Arkansas has faced Iowa. In their only meeting, the Hawkeyes defeated Arkansas 26-0 in Iowa City, Iowa on October 3, 1925. It would also be just the 12th time that Arkansas has faced a team from the Big Ten Conference, where they hold a 3-8 record against competition from said conference.

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Arkansas Football named one of College Football’s “Most Exciting Teams” ahead of 2022 season

It seems that the national media is picking up what Arkansas fans already know… the Hogs are fun again.

We now take a break from the myriad of mock drafts to bring you something that most Arkansas fans already know… Arkansas Razorbacks football is fun again.

Although Razorback fans saw that firsthand after witnessing the first nine-plus win season since 2011, it is always exciting to see that the national media also sees the buzz surrounding Arkansas football.

Brad Crawford of 247sports recently put out a piece titled “College football’s most boring, entertaining teams ahead of 2022 season”, and Arkansas has made the list as the No. 3 most exciting team for the upcoming season.

Arkansas joins fellow SEC squads Alabama and Georgia, as well as Ohio State and Arizona State on the list. What will make Arkansas football so entertaining in 2022? Crawford explains:

The Razorbacks play an exciting brand of football under Sam Pittman and led the SEC in rushing last season. KJ Jefferson came into his own during his first full season as the Razorbacks’ starting quarterback with 2,676 yards and 21 scores through the air. Nine-win Arkansas was extremely entertaining since a quarter of its games were decided by a touchdown or less, including a 52-51 nail-biting loss to Ole Miss in October and a narrow setback at Alabama later.

The Razorbacks have also succeeded in landing talent from the Transfer Portal. Joining Haselwood are [autotag]Drew Sanders[/autotag] from Alabama, [autotag]Latavious Brini[/autotag] from Georgia, [autotag]Jordan Dominek[/autotag] from Georgia Tech, and [autotag]Landon Jackson[/autotag] from LSU.

Tracking Georgia Bulldogs in the 2022 NCAA transfer portal

The Georgia Bulldogs football program has already seen five players leave the school for other programs within the SEC this offseason.

The Georgia Bulldogs football program has already seen five players leave the school for other programs within the SEC this offseason. Georgia won the 2021 national championship, but that does not mean that every player is satisfied with their role.

Georgia has lost a lot of talent to the transfer portal at defensive back and wide receiver. The Bulldogs lost defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae to Miami and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton to LSU, which contributes to the high amount of transfers at those two position groups.

To date, Georgia has lost seven players to other programs and one player (quarterback JT Daniels) remains in the transfer portal.

Former Georgia defensive back announces commitment to Arkansas

Former Georgia defensive back could slot in next to Jalen Catalon in the Arkansas secondary.

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Once again, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has proven that he knows how to navigate the transfer portal.

Latavious Brini, a starting defensive back and a key piece of Georgia’s national championship team, announced his commitment to the Hogs via Twitter on Sunday.

While Pittman has had success in reeling in talent from the transfer portal, the latest addition to his program will have a familiar taste. Pittman served as offensive line and associate head coach at Georgia during Brini’s first three years in Athens.

Brini had his best season in a Georgia uniform in 2021. The Hialeah, Florida, native appeared in 13 games for the Bulldogs, starting 11 games primarily at in the STAR position. In his senior season, Brini recorded 38 tackles, including a season-high five tackles against Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee. One of his starts came against the Razorbacks on October 2, when he recorded one solo tackle and a pass breakup.

Brini announced his decision to transfer away from Georgia just two days following the Bulldogs win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, and spent a total of ten days in the transfer portal before committing to Arkansas.

Brini will have one season of eligibility remaining. He is the second potential starter, and former SEC foe, Arkansas has landed in a week after getting Dwight McGlothern from LSU last week.