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Coming Soon

July 17, 2008 by Walking on Sunshine 

Several preseason publications like Lindy’s and Phil Steele have the Hogs picked last in the Western Division.  When you lose four of the most productive offensive players in school history, that’s not totally unexpected.

So how can a team rebound after losing that kind of talent?  Enter stage left…the Class of 2008.

With Razorback players officially reporting August 3rd, the buzz around Fayetteville is all about the incoming skill players in this freshman group.  And after seeing the offensive and defensive systems put in by Bobby Petrino this spring, there are three positions that will need help immediately.

Wide Receiver — It’s hard to recruit wide receivers when kids can tell you don’t really know how (or want) to throw the ball effectively.  Let’s be honest…what the former regime left us is a stable of quality possession receivers and virtually no playmakers.  There is no ‘Percy Harvin‘ in the barn.

You can tell Coach Petrino is hoping for help in this area, especially from Joe Adams (6-0, 175, 4.4, CAC) and Jarius Wright (5-11, 180, 4.4, Warren).  These guys have the speed and quickness to play right away.

Some compare Adams to former Razorback Gary Anderson.  Looking at his highlight video, I can’t argue with that comparison.

Joe Adams Highlights

Linebacker — The most glaring question mark on defense is the lack of size and experience at the linebacker position.  After some transferred and others found themselves in trouble, the lines are painfully short here.

Speed is not a problem, as returning players Elston Forte, Freddy Burton and Jerry Franklin can hit hard and run like the wind. Bringing some much needed size, though, will be Tenarius Wright (6-3, 231, 4.6, Memphis Whitehaven).

Injured almost half of his senior year, Wright was a steal and signed with the Hogs over Miami, North Carolina and Memphis.  With the reduced numbers at linebacker, Wright could help out immediately.

Running Back — In the spring, starting tailback Michael Smith showed that he’s ready.  With elusive speed and quickness, Smith will be a very important part of the offense.  But at 5-7, 173, can he ‘tote the rock’ 25 times a game and hold up?  Not a chance.

De’Anthony Curtis (5-10, 211, 4.4, Camden Fairview) will be option ‘1A’ before season’s end.  The sixth-ranked high school running back in the nation (Rivals.com) has the size and speed to share the load with Smith.

Several teams in the SEC employ a running back tag team due to the physical nature of the conference.  And judging by these highlights, Curtis looks ready to move up the Hogs depth chart quickly.

De’Anthony Curtis Highlights

It’s hard for freshmen to come in and contribute right away…but the elite ones can do it.  Expect these former Friday night stars to step up and play a prominent role on Saturdays for the Razorbacks this season.

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Comments

5 Responses to “Coming Soon”

  1. GonzoHog on July 17th, 2008 10:11 am

    These two kids definately have some talent the Hogs will need to explore. Curtis look’s exactly like I had invisioned him. His 2nd play of the highlight showed his breakaway speed is very impressive for a 5′ 10″ guy. He looked like a shorter version of Eric Dickerson, with the way he run’s erect. Almost perfect sprinter form, as he break’s away from defenders. Adams could give us that big play guy on special teams we haven’t had in forever. Honestly, it’s probably been since Gary Anderson, back in ‘82, that we had a real weapon on punt returns. Ever since then, it seem’s we have always went for the guys that could catch, but couldn’t break the big play. A player like that can win you a couple of close ball games. I never exspect too much from true freshmen, but I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.

  2. BlindHog on July 18th, 2008 10:18 am

    Everybody picks us last based on a ridiculous schedule and the fewest returning players in the SEC. A good pick, not a good situation.

    In our favor; we are strong in the trenches where you must be strong in the SEC, we do have freshmen playmakers coming (and we all know what Darren and Felix were capable of as freshmen,) Casey has never had to play QB before, he may do better than expected, and we have good coaching that the SEC has not seen before.

    None of that looks like enough to overcome our negatives without a few breaks. But, that’s why they play the games. We will certainly be flying under the radar. That was always Houston’s recipe for success. Maybe Bobby can trade on that for a couple of years until he gets the horses.

  3. stathog on July 18th, 2008 6:03 pm

    Both Adams and Curtis look good. Adams doesn’t really remind me of Gary Anderson, though. Anderson wasn’t as much a north-south guy as Adams appears. Anderson was famous for the first guy never tackling him. Not so sure it didn’t happen once, but it was rare for sure. Our last real threat at punt return was Marvin Jackson. Jackson returned 55 punts for the Razorbacks, 2 for TD with a long of 74 yards. I tend to rank punt returners by their long return (and TDs of course), instead of their average. Not that his average was bad, 10.9. But Hillis’ average was 10.7, and while a good guy and all, not nearly as dangerous as Jackson. Hillis’ long return was 24 yards with no TDs. Second best in recent history would have to be Decori Birmingham, 10.5 with a long of 55 and 0 TDs. I wish I had Gary Anderson’s stats to compare. Oh well.

  4. LA Hog on July 18th, 2008 7:28 pm

    I think the key to the upcoming season is how folks defend our offense now that we will not be running the ball as much. That being said there are some potential playmakers coming in this fall, how much they contribute who knows. BlindHog is right, we are tough in the trenches and that is where you have to be in the SEC. I think we are going to see some freshman on both sides ot the ball.

  5. HogBald on July 20th, 2008 12:03 pm

    The linemen at the senior camp had four or five Division I prospects that looked good, besides Fayetteville tackle held out for most drills with bad shoulder(s). Big tackle (6/7″; 287lbs) from West Monroe was a quality suprise for the Razorbacks. Really big and agile, and I’m told young and still growing.