Arkansas’ football team opened spring practice Thursday afternoon inside Walker Pavilion.
Reporters were invited inside to view the workout for roughly an hour. Here are some takeaways and observations:
• Defensive backs Quincey McAdoo, Al Walcott and LaDarrius Bishop were among a group of players who were not involved in the on-field activities. Running back Dominique Johnson and freshman offensive lineman Luke Brown were sidelined as well.
Many of the players spent time on stationary bikes and did a variety of exercises with team personnel. McAdoo watched a good bit of the practice from the sideline, too.
• During a period in which wide receivers and defensive backs went 1-on-1, cornerback Lorando Johnson broke up a KJ Jefferson pass intended for Sam Mbake. I came away impressed with a few reps from receivers Andrew Armstrong and Tyrone Broden.
Armstrong caught a deep ball for a score in 1-on-1s and Broden made a nice grab along the right sideline after breaking on an out route. Chris Harris made several catches and showed good speed. He has impressed in spring drills and preseason workouts for years it seems.
• Here is how Arkansas was aligned defensively during some team work:
First team
DE: Landon Jackson
DT: Eric Gregory
DT: Cam Ball
DE: Jashaud Stewart
LB: Chris Paul
LB: Jordan Crook
CB: Lorando Johnson
CB: Dwight McGlothern
S: Hudson Clark
S: Jayden Johnson
Nickel: Jaylen Lewis
Second team
DE: Nico Davillier
DT: Marcus Miller
DT: Taurean Carter
DE: Zach Williams
LB: Antonio Grier
LB: Mani Powell
CB: Landon Phipps
CB: Jaylon Braxton
S: Malik Chavis
S: TJ Metcalf
Nickel: Courtney Snelling
Third team
DE: John Morgan
DT: Kyle Thompson
DT: JJ Hollingsworth
DE: Trajan Jeffcoat
LB: Kaden Henley
LB: Carson Dean
CB: Landon Phipps
CB: Jaylon Braxton
S: Dylan Hasz
S: RJ Johnson
Nickel: Dallas Young
• Here is a look at the Razorbacks’ top two offensive line groups:
LT: Devon Manuel / Terry Wells
LG: Brady Latham / Patrick Kutas
C: Beaux Limmer / Josh Street
RG: E’Marion Harris / Josh Braun
RT: Ty’Kieast Crawford / Andrew Chamblee
• I walked to the far end of the indoor facility to take a look at the linebackers. It’s a group with a lot of impressive size and bodies.
Grier and Powell in particular impressed when going through a drill in which players were tasked with pushing a small sled with a 35- or 45-pound plate attached on the bottom then attacking a tackling dummy. Grier turned the sled on its side after one rep, and I believe Powell flipped it over completely.