RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesFAYETTEVILLE — Two position groups feel relatively settled in the early stages of fall camp for Arkansas football .
Thanks to the shade, it was a much cooler day on the practice fields outside the Walker Pavilion as the Razorbacks conducted their third practice of the preseason on Friday, Aug. 7. For the third consecutive day, there were no changes to the first-team secondary and offensive line.
Coaches and spokespeople with Arkansas are adamant that the order of appearance at these practices are not an indication of the depth chart, but there has been heavy rotation at the other positions.
The offensive line isn't a surprise. It is the same five-men group from the spring, and Arkansas wants them to solidify their role as the first-team unit protecting whichever quarterback wins the starting job. They are left tackle Kavion Broussard, left guard Malachi Breland, center Caden Kitler, right guard Kobe Branham and right tackle Bryant Williams.
In the secondary, the two first-team cornerbacks have been Jahiem Johnson and Shelton Lewis. They are joined by nickel back Khmori House. Lewis' spot felt the most insecure entering camp, but he's had strong practices and intercepted AJ Hill on Thursday.
The two first-team safeties are Miguel Mitchell and Christian Harrison. Mitchell is one of the few returnees who played a lot of snaps on last year's defense, along with Quincy Rhodes and Bradley Shaw.
How did the quarterbacks perform?
The rotation continued with KJ Jackson operating first in the pecking order on Friday. He went 2 for 2 in the limited 11-on-11 work that was open to the media. Both completions went to Donovan Faupel as Arkansas shuffled its wide receiver rotation. Jackson also had a long run on a play when no receivers could get open.
Hill went 2 for 3, completing two short passes. He hit Jasper Parker in the flat and completed a tunnel screen to Jamari Hawkins. Hill's incompletion came on a deep ball to CJ Brown that was overthrown.
However, Hill did have the longest completion of the practice when he connected with Courtney Crutchfield for a 45-yard touchdown in an RPO drill. The defense anticipated a short pass, and Hill capitalized by hitting Crutchfield over the top.
Other notes from Day 3
Backup linebacker Jeremy Evans made two tackles in 11-on-11 drills. He showed off good anticipation on an RPO and then was able to get outside on a screen. His depth at the position could be valuable.
The coaching staff has stressed taking care of the football all offseason. On Thursday, the team ran two separate ball-security periods. A fumble resulted in up-downs for the guilty party. Braylen Russell had a fumble in the second period.
La'khi Roland had a great read that resulted in a big hit on Jelani Watkins during the RPO drill. Roland is one of the key challengers to Lewis at cornerback.
Wide receiver blocking got head coach Ryan Silverfield fired up. He celebrated with Hawkins and Chris Marshall.
Brad Shaw's leadership was on display during linebacker drills as he corrected an assistant coach on how one particular drill should be run. He looks more twitchy than previous years in practice.
The defensive line was good against the run in 11-on-11 work. There wasn't a single designed run that went longer than five yards, and Xadavien Sims had a tackle for loss with the second-team defense.
Sophomore Josiah Clemons is one to watch for the future. He is the backup left tackle, but his size stands out among the rest of the giants along the offensive line. He is 6-foot-7 and 341 pounds.
Athletic director Hunter Yurachek was in attendance for the first time during fall camp.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Secondary pecking order revealed at Arkansas football's third fall camp practice
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