Arkansas’ offensive line looks promising in the projected starting lineup, but are the Razorbacks deep enough to make the necessary improvements to turn things around in the rugged SEC?
The depth has already been tested with returning guard Patrick Kutas sidelined with a back injury for much of fall camp, and OL coach Eric Mateos is confident he has plenty of capable options in the well.
“There’s a notion that you can only play five O-linemen,” Mateos said. “I’ve had a couple times in my career where I’ve had 6-7 starters in my brain and we’re rotating.
“You want to play the guys that deserve to play, especially in the day and age where a guy can transfer just like that. I don’t want to ruin my own O-line depth that we worked really hard to create just because I never played a guy on Saturday.
“We’ve got seven, eight, nine guys that are playing at a really high level and it’s been really fun to watch.”
Kutas and Joshua Braun are the lone returning starters from a season ago and are expected to be flanked by transfer trio Addison Nichols, Keyshawn Blackstock and Fernando Carmona.
Here’s a look at what Mateos had to say about four other Razorback O-linemen pushing for reps in camp:
Joe More | 6-5, 311, R-Sr (Syracuse)
More was a post-spring pickup out of the portal for the Razorbacks, who was a three-year starter at Richmond before transferring to Syracuse for an injury-riddled 2023 campaign.
“He’s got over 2,500 career snaps under his belt,” Mateos said. “He’s done that at a lot at right tackle when he was at Richmond. Syracuse moved him inside at guard. We’ve been playing him a ton at tackle because I want to give him his confidence back that he had maybe two years ago at Richmond.
“You’ve seen him come on. He’s done a really great job against some really good D-ends. The last few practices we’ve been rotating him in at guard.
“Joe has been a pleasant surprise. We didn’t have to recruit him against the world. He was an efficient, well-coached, good player that played a lot of football, and he wanted to be a part of this group. He’s fit in seamlessly.
Amaury Wiggins | 6-3, 306, R-Jr
Wiggins was a first-team Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference selection at Coffeyville in 2022 and appeared in two games for the Razorbacks last season.
“He’s short, and he’s got some short legs, but he’s got some twitch and smoothness to him,” Mateos said. “Sometimes those short guys that are short-legged aren’t able to open their hips as well as you’d like.
“But, he’s a short-legged guy that can play with leverage but can also set his hip angles for different run schemes really well. He has really strong hands, really good grip. He’s 305-310 weight-wise, but he plays with great leverage.”
Ty’Kieast Crawford | 6-5, 324, Sr
Crawford has been the odd man out in position battles since he set foot on campus at Arkansas in 2021, but he does have 32 games of experience under his belt with the Hogs and started four games at right tackle last season.
“He’s right there,” Mateos said. “He missed a little bit of time with an ankle deal, so he missed a little time in practice. That set him back a little bit. He’s still dealing with that. But Ty’Kieast is right there in the mix with that 8-9 number I’m talking about.
“Ty’Kieast is right there. He’s doing a great job. He’s really improved his leadership. He’s really improved his football IQ. It’s coming. I feel really confident in him. He’s on the right direction.”
E’Marion Harris | 6-7, 300, R-So
Harris was a consensus 4-star prospect coming out of Joe T. Robinson and has had a couple brief flashes in his two season on the Hill with run in the Liberty Bowl in 2022 and snaps in six games last season.
“By far the most improved player on this team, really in my room,” Mateos said. “His level of play right now is extremely high. He had the best scrimmage of probably anyone in our room.
“I’m really proud of him. I think you see it in how he moves. He’s got shoulders back, chest up, chin up. He’s got confidence. He’s got his weight back up where he wants it. He’s feeling strong.
“Just seeing the maturity of him being a third-year guy. It’s usually that third year when guys you know what or get off the pot. You can see how he’s taking that step. I’m really, really proud of him.”