FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football returned to the fields outside the Walker Pavilion for its seventh spring practice Tuesday, April 7.
The Razorbacks are officially halfway through their spring preparations, building up to the annual Red-White game on Saturday, April 25. That will be the first time Ryan Silverfield leads the Hogs in front of a public audience inside Razorback Stadium.
This was the third practice the Southwest Times Record has been able to attend. Here’s what we saw during a 75-minute viewing period open to the local media.
Quarterbacks help Arkansas football offense bounce back
The offense did not score a touchdown in the scrimmage on Saturday, April 4, but the unit looked relatively crisp at Tuesday’s practice.
The first- and second-string offenses went 4 for 4 in scoring touchdowns during 11-on-11 drills The first team session was a tempo drill, and KJ Jackson was 3 for 3 in leading the starters into the end zone. He had a play-action roll out to Ty Lockwood, a bubble screen to Chris Marshall and a swing pass to Braylen Russell that went for a touchdown. Jackson also ran a quarterback draw for a solid gain.
AJ Hill also led his unit to a touchdown, with the big throws being a pass to Courtney Cruthfield across the middle and a bubble to Donovan Faupel for a touchdown.
The second 11-on-11 drill started with each offense facing first-and-goal from the 10. Jackson fired a touchdown pass to Marshall on a slant route during the first play.
Hill, again working with the second-team offense, shuffled in the pocket before finding fullback Maddox Lassiter for a 9-yard gain. Cam Settles punch in a rushing score on the next play.
This was a strong day for the quarterbacks, with Jackson looking especially poised. The offense had success stretching the field horizontally with swings and bubble screens.
Antonio Jordan continues to make his case
The wide receiver from Warren High School provided the best play thus far in spring camp with a one-handed catch for a touchdown. Cade Trotter threw a fade to Jordan on second-and-goal from the 11-yard line, with Jordan outjumping the defender in coverage.
Jordan has had a strong spring camp, albeit working with the third-string offense. He makes difficult catches and is showing better consistency. It feels like a matter of time before he works up the depth chart, and Jordan is already leaving an impression on the coaches.
“(Jordan) is a guy that can easily play on Sundays because he has that much talent, that much skill set, that much ability,” wide receivers coach Larry Smith said. “But it’s going to be for him is understanding how to take care of his body, how to live in the training room, which he’s doing a much better job of that.”
JACK position’s versatility
No position on the field will have a wider range of responsibilities than the JACK in Rob Roberts’ defense.
The linebacker-defensive lineman hybrid worked on run defense, diagnosing a read-option, rushing the passer and dropping back in coverage during a 30-minute window on Tuesday.
Charlie Collins is working with the first-team defense, but transfers Jamonta Waller (Auburn) and Steven Soles Jr. (Kentucky) will have meaningful roles. Soles looks bigger than his 6-foot-2 frame on the Arkansas website and has good bend. He should make an impact as a pass rusher.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: 3 takeaways from Arkansas football’s seventh spring practice
