Tag: Patrick Kutas

Arkansas Preseason Depth Chart – Offensive Line

As the Hogs begin game prep for the opener against Western Carolina, here’s where the offensive line depth chart stands.

Throughout fall camp, Sam Pittman didn’t shy away from talking about Arkansas’ offensive line struggles.

Following the departures of Ricky Stromberg and Dalton Wagner to the NFL, the Hogs had to do some shuffling on up front. Arkansas’ projected two-deep, includes three seniors, one junior and three sophomores. Of the players in the two-deep, only five have experience playing against SEC competition.

The majority of that experience lies on the interior of the offensive line, where senior guard [autotag]Brady Latham[/autotag], senior center [autotag]Beaux Limmer[/autotag] and junior transfer guard [autotag]Josh Braun[/autotag] are projected to lead. At the tackle spot is where offensive line coach [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag] could have issues.

Arkansas will be relying on sophomores [autotag]Patrick Kutas[/autotag] and [autotag]Devon Manuel[/autotag], who have yet to get meaningful snaps against SEC opponents. That’s where a lot of the offensive line’s highly-publicized pass protection struggles stemmed from during fall camp.

Now, things aren’t always as bad as they seem and [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag]’s got a lot of talent for his third season in Fayetteville. But the pressure is on. Arkansas has KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders to lead a high-octane offensive attack, but that won’t mean anything if they don’t have help up front.

Let’s take a deeper look at the offensive line’s depth chart ahead of week one.

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Patrick Kutas has taken the Arkansas job opening and run with it

It’s been almost five years since someone other than Dalton Wagner rolled as Arkansas’ starting right tackle.

Patrick Kutas isn’t guaranteed Dalton Wagner’s old job. But a week into fall football camp at Arkansas, it appears the gig is his for the taking.

The Razorbacks will be breaking in a new starting right tackle for the first time in four seasons and basically five years. Wagner held the job from 2019 to 2022. He apprenticed there as a freshman in 2018.

Kutas is on the same trajectory.

The sophomore from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis played in all 13 games last year for the Razorbacks, though most of his action came on special teams. Kutas made enough of an impression then that he was given every chance in the spring to try for Wagner’s old job after Wagner went to the NFL.

Throughout fall camp, Kutas has stood out not just as the most likely candidate for the starting gig, but maybe even one of the best offensive linemen on the roster. Kutas has rolled with the first-team more often than not so far. Pittman saw it coming in the spring, even.

“Kutas has done really well out there,” Pittman said during spring camp. “I mean, real well. That’s what we recruited him as, a tackle, and of course we hadn’t needed him at that position. I think we’re going to be okay out there.”

Arkansas has three weeks before it opens its season against Western Carolina at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. That’s plenty of time for things to change, especially with Ty’Kieast Crawford, E’Marion Harris and Andrew Chamblee also in the running for starting position.

If you’re betting kind of person, though, don’t bet against Kutas.

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Biggest question for Arkansas offensive line is being answered during fall camp

After having a very experienced offensive line last season, the Hogs are relying on youth this year – particularly at the tackle positions.

Entering fall camp, one of the biggest concerns for [autotag]Sam Pittman[/autotag] and his Arkansas Razorbacks this season was at the tackle spot.

The Hogs will rely on [autotag]Devon Manuel[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Kutas[/autotag], two young and unproven guys, to protect senior quarterback KJ Jefferson this year. While both players are extremely talented, Pittman voiced concerns about their inexperience at SEC Media Days in July.

“They are not guys proven on a Saturday afternoon yet.” Pittman said at the podium last month. “Are they talented? Yes. And you know, I’ve been O-line coach forever. I got one of the best offensive line coaches out there in Cody Kennedy, but these guys are really good players. I know they can play. They just haven’t yet, because we’ve had the luxury of having older guys on the team.”

Devon Manuel stands 6-9, 210 pound as a redshirt sophomore. Pittman saw the  potential early on in his recruitment and has continued to see it develop over the last two seasons. Now, Manuel is finding a groove and appears to be in line as the starting left tackle – an important position keeping Jefferson’s blind side protected.

“Any time you have success, this tells you, ‘I’m pretty good.’ His hands, his technique, and now his mind is telling him ‘I’m pretty good.’ You have to know why you build confidence,” said Pittman. “He’s building his confidence because his technique and his hands have become really good. You know, he has to be consistent as well. Always been a great athlete, but right now he believes he’s a good player, and he is.”

At right tackle, sophomore Patrick Kutas has been one of the most impressive offensive linemen from spring, and now into the first week of fall camp. The 6-6, 313-pound Memphis native has the highest potential out of arguably any offensive lineman on the roster right now. Pittman is extremely high on him, but needs to see more consistency from the soon-to-be 19-year old.

“He just has to be consistent. I mean, when you look at his reps, he’s as good as anybody on that field at certain times,” Pittman said. “A great player is a consistent player, so he has to be a little more consistent. And that’s going to come with reps, because that guy’s going to turn 19 soon.”

It seems that the tackle position is in good hands. While there may be a few learning moments this season, Arkansas will get to ease into the grind of an SEC schedule with three non-conference games to start.

The Razorbacks open the season in three weeks when they face Western Carolina at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Hear more of what Sam Pittman had to say about the first week of fall camp below:

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Arkansas Football: Offseason Depth Chart – Offensive Line

Arkansas needed to re-tool their offensive line this offseason, so here’s a glance at what the depth chart looks like ahead of next season.

We know that Arkansas will have a ton of weapons on offense next season, especially with the return of both KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders. However, that won’t mean much if the Razorbacks can’t get some solid play from another veteran-led offensive line.

In Arkansas’ projected two-deep, they’ll have three seniors, one junior and three sophomores, with five of them having SEC experience.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Cody Kennedy[/autotag] is entering his third full-time season in Fayetteville. Last year’s offensive line was a little more experienced than this year’s bunch following the departures of Ricky Stromberg (drafted to Washington in third round of NFL Draft) and Dalton Wagner (signed free agent deal with Las Vegas).

With Stromberg gone, Kennedy needed to do some re-shuffling up front to find an experienced center and help some new pieces fit seamlessly.

Here’s a glance at the two-deep for Arkansas’ offensive line entering next season.

Tennessee in-state recruiting: 2022 offensive lineman Patrick Kutas

Tennessee Vols’ football recruiting news.

Tennessee initially offered 2022 offensive lineman Patrick Kutas on Jan. 20.

Kutas is from Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

Josh Heupel was introduced as the Vols’ head coach on Jan. 27. During Heupel’s introductory press conference, he placed an emphasis on recruiting in-state prospects.

“The most important thing that we do is lock down our boarders,” Heupel said at his introductory press conference. “We have to keep kids inside this state here. That’s for multiple reasons.

“They’re going to come play championship-caliber football, they’re going to be developed, they’re going to have the opportunity to move on to the NFL. They’re going to get a great degree and they’re going to be empowered to live inside this state once they’re done with that degree — but we have to do that inside our own borders.”

On Monday, Kutas received a Tennessee graphic with Heupel’s signature on it. The 6-foot-5, 284-pound offensive lineman shared it on Twitter.

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