All I see out my office window this morning is white.
A big thank you to the snowstorm that blew through Northwest Arkansas this weekend.
But you know what nine or 10 inches of snow mean, right? …. Spring football?
OK, it’s not really natural to connect the two, but Arkansas will be kicking off spring football soon. The university is closed for spring break, but the Razorbacks will get going when they hold their first of 15 spring practices on March 30. We met with Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino and a few players last week, gathering plenty of information regarding the Razorbacks as they gear up for spring drills. We’ll use some of that down the road later this week.
But today, we’ll start previewing positions here on the blog.
First up is wide receivers and we’ll wrap up with quarterbacks next Tuesday.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Arkansas’ wide receivers proved to be one of the most improved and impressive bunches in the Southeastern Conference, playing a big role in an offense that took a significant jump in 2009.
The good news for Arkansas is that every key component is back at the position. Juniors Greg Childs, Joe Adams and Jarius Wright return to lead the Razorbacks this spring. Sophomore Cobi Hamilton showed potential as a freshman, too, and should be much improved. Together, the top four pass catchers are expecting big things this spring.
The Razorbacks did lose position coach and offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, who took the offensive coordinator job at Illinois in the offseason. But new coach Kris Cinkovich (who played at and coached for Carroll College) will bring a few different ideas to the position after leaving UNLV for a spot on Petrino’s staff.
Clearly, Arkansas is thrilled the juniors are older and wiser, but Petrino said there is room for improvement for each returning wideout.
“It will be fun,” Petrino said about the prospects of watching Arkansas’ wideouts this spring. “The best thing about the receiver position right now is they are all trying to out-compete each other.”
Key Returners:
• Greg Childs (48 catches, 894 yards, 7 TDs)
• Jarius Wright (41 catches, 681 yards, 5 TDs)
• Joe Adams (29 catches, 568 yards, 7 TDs)
• Cobi Hamilton (19 catches, 347 yards, 3 TDs)
Key Departures:
• London Crawford (14 catches, 184 yards)
• Lucas Miller (7 catches, 83 yards, TD)
• Reggie Fish (4 catches, 57 yards)
Spring Depth Chart
• W — Joe Adams, Carlton Salters, De’Anthony Curtis
• X — Greg Childs, Lance Ray, Price Holmes
• Z — Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton
Watch Out For … De’Anthony Curtis:
Arkansas took a long look at Curtis — the former running back — at cornerback during bowl practices. But after the season ended, the junior met with Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino and wanted to give wide receiver a shot during spring practice.
Petrino believes Curtis could be a good fit after catching 4 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown in 2009. There is no room for Curtis in the backfield, but how well he performs at receiver this spring could determine whether he has a role with the offense next season.
“In high school he caught the ball a bunch,” Petrino said. “They lined him up at receiver a bunch. He has great hands, can adjust to the ball in the air and that is something he really wanted to give a shot over the corner position. We don’t have a lot of depth at receiver. … It’s a good fit for him and we’ll see how spring goes.
Bobby Petrino On … Junior Joe Adams:
“We all know Joe Adams is capable of having huge games, making plays after the catch. We need to get more consistency out of Joe and his get off and running the routes so we can get him the ball more. The more he touches the ball, the better we’re going to be because he’s so dynamic when he has it in his hands. Some of that is one him. He’s got to get open more and get open in a more consistent fashion.”
Coming Tuesday: A look at Arkansas’ defensive line
Make sure to follow me on Twitter (@NWARobbie) and here on the Hog Blog for all kinds of news and notes from spring football when practice begins on March 30. I’ll also have daily stories from spring practice that will appear on the Arkansas News Bureau Web site at ArkansasNews.com
