Tag: Luke Hasz

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:

 

Watch: KJ Jefferson’s patience pays off as Arkansas ties BYU before half

Arkansas had just 25 yards of total offense on its previous five series before Luke Hasz’s first career touchdown reception.

The hot start Arkansas had against Brigham Young on Saturday was just that. A start. The Razorbacks was a disaster offensively after their first series.

Until just before halftime.

KJ Jefferson led Arkansas on a 10-play, 70-yard drive that chewed up almost six minutes and was capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end Luke Hasz.

The touchdown was the first of Hasz’s career and was one that allowed Arkansas tie the game with BYU, 21-21, with 1:43 left before halftime.

Arkansas had taken a quick 14-0 lead after AJ Green ran 55 yards for a touchdown on the first drive and Isaiah Sategna returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown after BYU’s first possession.

The Cougars responded with a trick-play touchdown pass and a 45-yard touchdown run before taking the lead on their own 10-play, 70-yard drive early in the second quarter.

Arkansas had picked up only 25 yards on five drives in-between its two offensive touchdown series.

Arkansas Football: Preseason Depth Chart – Tight Ends

The Arkansas tight end room is short on experience, but has an abundance of potential. Here’s what the depth chart looks like ahead of week one.

Tight ends remain one of the biggest question marks for the Arkansas offense heading into their week one matchup with Western Carolina.

Over the summer, we looked at Arkansas’ tight ends groups and projected the depth chart ahead of fall camp. Now, with fall camp in the rearview mirror, the situation at the tight end is a little more clear for [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] and new tight ends coach [autotag]Morgan Turner[/autotag].

As mentioned before, Turner brings an impressive resume with a proven track record of developing NFL-level tight ends, but will have quite the task in his first season at Arkansas.

The Razorback tight end room is short on experience this season, and Turner will need to rely on a handful of young guys in his first season with the Hogs. However, after fall camp, it’s easy to see that this young group has a lot of upside and potential.

Here’s what Arkansas’ tight end depth chart is looking like as we head the season.

Luke Hasz named SEC ‘Freshman to Watch’ for Hogs

Tight end Luke Hasz, a 6-foot-3, 242-pound freshman from Bixby, Okla., should have an immediate impact.

Rarely are true freshmen expected to have an immediate impact on an SEC football program, but incoming Arkansas tight end Luke Hasz is one of those rare exceptions.

Hasz was named an SEC “Freshman to Watch” on Tuesday, adding to the preseason accolades for the 6-foot-3, 242-pound Bixby, Okla., native.

Hasz was recently tabbed as one of the top 100 true freshmen who could impact the 2023 college season, by 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.

New offensive coordinator Dan Enos is known for using a lot of two-tight end sets in his schemes, although Hasz is actually built for more as an H-back. Known for his staunch blocking abilities, as well as his skills at catching the ball, he could be utilized in versatile roles.

Hasz was a consensus 4-star recruit a year ago, and the No. 87 overall player in the ESPN 300 rankings for the Class of 2023. He was the No. 1 prospect in the Sooner State and the No. 2 tight end in the nation.

He originally committed to home-state Oklahoma, but flipped his decision to the Hogs in January 2022.

His brother, Dylan, is also a true freshman for the Razorbacks. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound safety will likely see time on special teams this season, but could elevate with his performance.

Arkansas football: Offseason Depth Chart – Tight Ends

Arkansas’ tight ends are the least experienced group on the roster but have plenty of potential. Here’s how the depth chart looks for 2023.

[autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag]’s least experienced position group entering next season is, by far, tight end.

The tight end room was completely re-tooled in the offseason following Dowell Loggains’ exit to take the offensive coordinator position at South Carolina. Pittman swung for the fences by tabbing former Stanford tight end coach, [autotag]Morgan Turner[/autotag], to replace Loggains.

Turner brings an impressive resume with a proven track record of developing NFL-level tight ends, but will have quite the task in his first season at Arkansas.

The Razorbacks lost veteran tight end Trey Knox, who decided to follow Loggains to South Carolina following an impressive 2022 campaign. Without Knox, the Arkansas tight end room is short on experience. Turner will need to rely on a handful of talented, but severely inexperienced, guys in his first season with the Hogs.

Here’s what Arkansas’ tight end depth chart is looking like as we head into next season.

Var’Keyes Gumms de-commits from Arkansas football

Talented transfer tight end Var’Keyes Gumms has de-committed from Arkansas after choosing the Razorbacks nine days ago.

Sam Pittman and Arkansas football have lost their first transfer commitment of this off-season.

Talented North Texas transfer [autotag]Var’Keyes Gumms[/autotag] has officially de-committed from the Razorbacks, according to Chris Hummer of 247Sports.com. Gumms had previously chosen the Razorbacks over a plethora of interested schools on April 23.

Gumms was rated as a four-star transfer after an extremely successful first season at North Texas. He hauled in 34 catches for 458 yards and five touchdowns on his way to first team All-Conference-USA and second team Conference-USA All-Freshman honors.

With Gumms’ de-commitment Arkansas is back to having seven available scholarships to use for next year’s roster. Unless the Razorbacks add another tight end to the roster, it will be up to true freshmen [autotag]Luke Hasz[/autotag] and [autotag]Shamar Easter[/autotag] or redshirt freshman [autotag]Ty Washington[/autotag] to carry the load.

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Arkansas’ top-ranked recruit looks like Arkansas’ best freshman so far

Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks have playing time available for freshmen next year. Luke Hasz is making his case.

Is it a good sign or a bad sign when your team’s highest-rated recruit has looked like the best player in the class in their first practices?

Oh, probably neither. But it certainly shouldn’t be a surprise.

That’s the case with Arkansas football during spring drills in March. Tight end Luke Hasz, the four-star crown of the Hogs’ Class of 2023, has been developing nicely, coach Sam Pittman said, during his first semester on campus.

“Really good football player,” Pittman said. “A guy that’s catching the ball extremely well, can run, can get open. That’s probably the guy of the young guys that has stood out the most.”

Hasz isn’t likely to jump straight into the role as Arkansas’ starting tight end in the fall. First of all, he’d have to overcome Ty Washington, one of the Hogs’ top recruits last year and a player Pittman has glowed about since arrving. Second, Hasz needs a bit of thickness, too.

“We’ve just got to get a little bit of weight on him,” Pittman said. “And we’ll continue to work him technique-wise, but if we were playing today, he’d be off the ball and that kind of tight end. We’re hoping he can develop over the summer and become that every-down tight end.”

In other words, it sounds like Hasz could easily step out into the slot in a two-tight end set tomorrow if the Razorbacks had a game. And for a freshman, that’s a heck of a good sign.

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Updated Oklahoma Sooners 2023 commitment tracker

Which players have committed to the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2023 recruiting cycle?

The 2023 class is about a month away from early signing day and less than three months away from national signing day.

Since Brent Venables’ arrival in Norman, the Sooners have been one of the top recruiting schools in the country over the last two cycles. After finishing eighth in 247Sports team recruiting rankings for 2022, the Sooners sit at No. 7 and have a great chance to move into the top five by national signing day.

With the recent additions of Ashton Sanders and Taylor Wein, Oklahoma has 22 players committed to the 2023 class. Recent projections favor the Sooners to add more talent if the Rivals Futurecasts come to fruition. Oklahoma received a pair of projections from Rivals analysts to land five-star safety and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen after he spent time in Norman for Bedlam.

Brent Venables, his coaching staff, and the recruiting support staff have done an excellent job over the last year building out their 2023 recruiting class and they don’t appear close to being done.

The final tally will come on national signing day, but the Oklahoma Sooners look well-positioned to have one of the country’s best group of signees.

Let’s take a look at the updated commitment tracker.

Top prospects in the Sooner State and where they’re headed in 2023

Where are the top Oklahoma prospects in the 2023 class headed?

The state of Oklahoma has some top-notch talent in the class of 2023. The Oklahoma Sooners have a commitment from 2022 Oklahoma Player of the Year Erik McCarty and are trending in a positive direction for the No. 2 player in the state, [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag].

They made serious plays for others in the top five of 247Sports top prospects in the state, but for one reason or another, those players decided to try their hand with another Power Five program.

Bai Jobe, the No. 1 player in the state, committed to Michigan State after spending his middle and high school years living in Norman. Oklahoma’s No. 3 player, Luke Hasz, decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners after Lincoln Riley left for USC and hooked up with Sam Pittman and Arkansas to play his college ball. Dylan Hasz, his brother and the No. 17 player in the state in the 247Sports composite rankings is also going to Arkansas.

Athlete Micah Tease, a Tulsa native, also opted to head east with Hasz to play for the Razorbacks. Cole Adams, one of the top wide receivers in the state, opted to play for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Oklahoma State currently has the most commitments from in-state prospects with DL Jaedon Foreman and OL JaKobe Sanders pledge to play for Mike Gundy and the Cowboys. However, if and when the Sooners get a commitment from Jacobe Johnson, Oklahoma will have the edge with the higher rated in-state prospects.

The only two uncommited prospects in the top 18 in the state of Oklahoma, wide receiver Morgan Pearson and running back Rickey Hunt, don’t have offers from the Sooners. Pearson has an offer from Oklahoma State and both have offers from Iowa State.

Though we’re still months away from the early signing period or national signing day, here’s a look at where the top prospects in Oklahoma are headed, according to 247Sports.

Committed: Micah Tease chooses Arkansas

Arkansas Football capped an amazing day in recruiting by landing four-star athlete Micah Tease.

What an eventful, yet perfect Independence Day for Arkansas Football’s 2023 recruiting class.

The afternoon began with the commitment of [autotag]Paris Patterson[/autotag], a three-star interior lineman from East St. Louis, Ill., and ended with four-star athlete from Tulsa, Okla., [autotag]Micah Tease[/autotag], pledging to the Razorbacks.

Tease announced his commitment to Arkansas at his high school on Tuesday evening, choosing the Razorbacks over Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and USC.

Gabe Brooks of 247sports says that Tease has the tools to be a great addition to either the receiving corps, or in the defensive backfield.

(Tease) plays fast with impressive functional athleticism. Shows easy speed with smooth acceleration and a big-play top end. Run-by burst at receiver and make-up speed in coverage. Good ball skills regardless of alignment, but especially if projected to the secondary. Displays impressive concentration and ball-tracking skill with speed, hand-eye coordination, and dexterity to make vertical plays on either side of the ball.

Tease is the No. 4 rated recruit from the state of Oklahoma by 247sports composite rankings, and the No. 11 overall athlete for the 2023 cycle. The commitments of Patterson and Tease are the third and fourth commits for Arkansas since the calendar turned to July, joining three-star safety [autotag]TJ Metcalf [/autotag]and athlete [autotag]Dylan Hasz[/autotag], twin brother of four-star tight end commit [autotag]Luke Hasz[/autotag].

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