Tag: Raheim Sanders

Pittman announces the trio he’s taking to Media Days next week

KJ, Rocket and defensive end Landon Jackson will be accompanying Sam Pittman to Media Days next week in Nashville.

Our editor speculated on who Sam Pittman would be taking with him to Nashville next week for SEC Media Days.

We found out on Monday, as Pittman unveiled that it would be [autotag]KJ Jefferson[/autotag], [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Landon Jackson[/autotag].

Arkansas will be featured on Wednesday with Alabama, Florida and Kentucky.

Monday will be led off by LSU, Missouri and Texas A&M, while Tuesday’s teams are Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

The final day, Thursday, July 20, will see Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee.

All of the festivities will be broadcast on both ESPN and SEC Network. Commissioner Greg Sankey will lead off on Monday with commentary before the first set of teams are introduced to the media.

Arkansas football: Offseason Depth Chart – Running backs

Arkansas doesn’t have many bodies at running back, but the ones they do have are outright studs.

Out of all the positions on the field, Sam Pittman and his coaching staff shouldn’t have to worry about the running back spot.

On the depth chart, the running back position has a great mixture of experience and youth. Leading the way is arguably the best running back in the country, Raheim “Rocket” Sanders. Sanders was named one of the top running backs in college football by College Sports Wire heading into the 2023 season after finishing the SEC second in rushing.

Behind Sanders is more experience. AJ Green, Rashod Dubinion, and Dominique Johnson are returning as spell-backs.

The former offensive coordinator didn’t consistently show how often he would use the depth in the backfield, but all that could change in Dan Enos’s new offense.

Rocket Sanders among top running backs in college football according to College Sports Wire

College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn ranked the best running backs in college football for next season. Check out where he has Arkansas’ Rocket Sanders.

Arkansas football experienced a lot of change over the off-season, but the running back position is largely the same.

Raheim “Rocket” Sanders will once again lead the Razorback backfield, with [autotag]A.J. Green[/autotag], [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag] and [autotag]Dominique Johnson[/autotag] returning to help the SEC’s second-leading rusher from 2022. The only newcomer to the group is incoming freshman [autotag]Isaiah Augustave[/autotag] – a four-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class.

With so much depth and experience returning to the Arkansas backfield in 2023, the Razorbacks are expected to pick up right where they left off last season. New offensive coordinator [autotag]Dan Enos[/autotag] has made some noticeable tweaks to the offense from what it looked like under [autotag]Kendal Briles[/autotag], but the philosophy of being a dominant rushing team has not changed.

Adding in the fact that [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] is also back for another season, and it’s hard not to expect another big year for Sanders and the Arkansas backfield. Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire is also a big believer in Sanders entering next season. Conn shared his top running backs in college football for 2023 and had [autotag]Rocket Sanders[/autotag] ranked at No. 3 behind Blake Corum (Michigan) and Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss). Conn says that 2023 could be Sanders’ best yet since arriving in Fayetteville.

The man they call “Rocket” was a force for the Hogs offense over the last two seasons, and despite the opportunity to go pro he returns for another season. Over the past two campaigns, Sanders has tallied 2,401 yards of offense and 18 touchdowns. This could be his best season yet with K.J. Jefferson also returning to Fayetteville.

As previously mentioned, Sanders finished last season as the SEC’s second leading rusher, behind Quinshon Judkins. He ran 222 times for 1,443 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, while also hauling in 28 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns on the year. Sanders was the only consistent presence on an Arkansas offense which struggled for most of the season.

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Ranking the top running backs in college football for 2023

Who made our list for the top 25 running backs ahead of the 2023 season?

We are officially under the 100-day mark for the start of college football when the games kick off in Week 0.

Over the years we have seen top performances from running backs and this season should be no different with the level of talent coming out of the backfield. Michigan’s Blake Corum and Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins should lead the way in 2023. However, don’t sleep on the rest of the field as they chase for the prestigious Doak Walker Award.

Aside from the top of the list, there are three teams with multiple running backs among the top 25. We didn’t forget about the talent at the Group of Five level either with several names making our list.

Ranking SEC running backs ahead of the 2023 season

We breakdown our SEC running back power rankings ahead of the 2023 season.

When it comes to running backs, the SEC has a history of producing the best of the best over the years. It isn’t just in recent memory either. From Billy Cannon to Herschel Walker to Bo Jackson to Emmitt Smith and plenty more, there is a rich history of top talents at the position.

It remains to be seen if this year’s class has anywhere near that talent level but that isn’t to say there isn’t talent. Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins and Arkansas’ Raheim Sanders are the two big names that stand out for the upcoming 2023 cycle but who stands tallest?

We power rank the projected starters for the upcoming season.

Too early SEC football offensive stat leader projections

Spring camp is over, so it’s time to project the next statistical leaders in the SEC.

The dust has cleared from the spring football season, and the big transfers are settling into their new campuses.

And while the season doesn’t start for another three months, it’s never too early to make some predictions. 

The Razorbacks have a couple of leaders on offense who led the SEC in a statistical category. Last season, the Razorbacks’ backfield with KJ Jefferson and Raheim Sanders was quickly one of the best in the conference. Neither led the SEC, but the production made stood at the top.

The SEC went through many changes, with many leaders from last year now going through mini-camp in the NFL. The SEC statistical leader boards will look much different between the transfers, coaching changes, and returning starters.

Rocket Sanders, KJ Jefferson and more headline Arkansas’ Players of the Game vs. Ole Miss

There were plenty of worthy choices for Players of the Game following Arkansas’ 42-27 upset of Ole Miss. Here’s who the Razorbacks Wire staff selected this week.

Arkansas played their best game of the season on both sides of the ball in their upset win over No. 14 Ole Miss on Saturday.

Traditional upset victories usually come down to the wire and require a last-minute field goal or touchdown to seal the deal. However, none of that was necessary Saturday night as Arkansas flat-out whipped the Rebels, up 42-6 at one point in the 3rd quarter.

The winning effort on offense was once again led by the dynamic backfield duo of KJ Jefferson and Raheim “Rocket” Sanders. The two combined for 447 of Arkansas’ 507 total yards of offense and were responsible for three touchdowns each.

On the other side of the ball, it was a complete team effort from the Arkansas defense. Ole Miss’ high-powered offense was able to move the ball, but once they were in the red zone the Hog defense held time and time again.

After such a complete team performance on both sides of the ball, the Razorbacks Wire staff had plenty of players to choose from for their Players of the Game, but ultimately decided on five worthy Hogs.

Here’s more on our selections and details on why they were selected.

Three reasons why Arkansas will beat Liberty

Arkansas can become bowl eligible with a win over Liberty on Saturday, here’s how they can do it.

The Arkansas Razorbacks are riding a two-game winning streak entering Saturday’s first-ever meeting with the No. 23 Liberty Flames.

This game wasn’t circled on many Hogs fans’ calendars entering the season, but now Arkansas can become bowl eligible with a win, making it that much more important. If Arkansas is able to win this weekend, it will make them bowl eligible for the third straight season under Sam Pittman.

The Flames are 7-1 on the season and enter Saturday’s contest on a five-game winning streak of their own. Despite playing a lackluster schedule, Liberty has a high-powered offense that could give the Arkansas defense some fits.

Here are three things that, if done well, can lead to Arkansas’ sixth win of the season on Saturday.

Sanders meets goal in Arkansas’ win over Auburn

“Rocket” Sanders had another phenomenal day on the ground on Saturday. In the process, he crossed a goal off of his checklist.

Arkansas Football had “revenge” on its mind entering its contest with SEC West foe, Auburn.

The Razorbacks had lost six straight games to Auburn and felt that they had the talent to snap the streak. Arkansas did just that by taking down the lowly Tigers, 41-27 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Not only did the Razorbacks take care of business, one of its own was able to cross a personal goal off of his list.

[autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] was held out of the endzone on Saturday but was able to rush for 171 yards in the win. The performance was enough to lift Sanders, the SEC’s leading rusher, over the 1,000-yard mark on the season with four games remaining on the schedule.

“Rocket” is happy to reach his goal, but says that he did not do it all on his own.

“Definitely that was the goal for me. Shout out to our offensive line, the receivers, with the blocking outside, and our quarterback as well,” Sanders said following the game. “It felt good. Definitely shout out to God, I have more goals to go and achieve.”

Although he was held out of the end zone, he did set up a score. In the 3rd quarter, Sanders put Arkansas in the red zone on a 76-yard rush on the drive’s first play that started at their own six-yard line. The rush set up freshman running back [autotag]Rashod Dubinion[/autotag] to score just six plays later. The touchdown put Arkansas up 31-13, and was seen as the “nail in the coffin.”

Sanders says that the Razorbacks prepared for the play all week in practice.

“What’s so crazy is that play happened a lot against our defense, when we practiced it and going against them,” Sanders said. “I just feel like this game, I was very patient, waiting on the catch from KJ (Jefferson), catching the ball and just reading the hole right. Before, Coach asked me about running it in the outside zone. I was like ‘yes, I feel like that inside goal is going to hit.’ With me hitting it, reading it, and striking it up, it was pretty good.”

After posting 171 yards on the ground, Sanders is now up to 1,041 yards on the season.

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How does the ESPN Football Power Index forecast Arkansas’ final five games?

Arkansas enters the bye week with momentum after beating BYU on the road. Does the ESPN FPI see them keeping it?

The Arkansas Razorbacks returned to the win column last Saturday by defeating BYU in impressive fashion, 52-35 at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.

Quarterback [autotag]K.J. Jefferson[/autotag] returned from injury to throw for 353 yards and five touchdowns, while [autotag]Raheim Sanders[/autotag] rushed for a season-high 175 yards and two scores. Defensively, [autotag]Hudson Clark[/autotag] made 11 stops and picked off Cougar quarterback Jaren Hall.

The win gave Arkansas heavy momentum heading into the bye week. So, how will they use that to their advantage as they prepare to play five final games?

The Razorbacks have a chance to win every remaining game on their schedule by the eye test, but the Football Power Index from ESPN says otherwise.

The formula that measures team strength, and is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season, is sticking true to their preseason projections. The FPI projects Arkansas to win just two more games this season, which would give Arkansas a final record of 6-6.

The Razorbacks will play just two more games on the road, once at Auburn and again at Missouri, with their three toughest remaining games being played at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Here is how the ESPN FPI predicts Arkansas’ season to shake out.