HawgBeat - Arkansas football 2023 projected depth chart: Defense
HawgBeat provides an in-depth projection for Arkansas football's defensive depth chart.
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The Arkansas football team has plenty of new faces for the 2023 season and the depth chart will look much different than it did during the 7-6 campaign in 2022 that was capped off with a Liberty Bowl win over Kansas.
To be fair, some of the impact players entering the season will be familiar names. KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders are the stars of the show for first year offensive coordinator Dan Enos.
On the defensive side of the ball, there are a lot of new additions via the transfer portal and the 2023 recruiting class. While some contributors from last year — Dwight McGlothern, Chris Paul Jr., Landon Jackson, etc. — are back, the new players will be relied on early and often.
With new defensive coordinator Travis Williams running the show, the Razorbacks are set to have a new-look defense when Week 1 rolls around.
"I imagine we'll see more aggressive but I don't want to be that aggressive," head coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday at SEC Media Days. "Man, they were Cover 0 a lot. I'm watching it and so when I interviewed him, I said, 'Hey, man, I want to go after people but every now and then, can you leave a guy in the middle of the field back there, you know.'
"Those type things have turnovers that come. Sometimes you think about, well, what about if your corner gets beat and they go score. His corners -- well, what happens if we hit the quarterback and the ball goes up in the air and we get it and go score a touchdown, too. I like that. I have a lot of confidence in him and we will certainly be more aggressive. That's just his nature and his style."
With fall camp quickly approaching, it's time for HawgBeat to list its pre-fall camp defensive depth chart. Listed below are the top names for each position on defense with explanation for why I made each choice and why some names might've been left off.
Defensive End
1. Landon Jackson - Junior, 6'7", 280 pounds2. Trajan Jeffcoat - Super senior, 6'4", 280 pounds
3. John Morgan III - Super senior, 6'2", 273 pounds
4. Zach Williams - Super senior, 6'4", 256 pounds
5. Jashaud Stewart - Senior, 6'2", 249 pounds
6. Nico Davillier - Sophomore, 6'4", 273 pounds
The top name to watch at defensive end is junior Landon Jackson. The former LSU Tiger has added 45 pounds and he seems primed to break out in 2023.
Jeffcoat is a former First-Team All-SEC selection from Missouri and Morgan is an experienced edge rusher from Pittsburgh. You only have to go back to last season to see the most recent time an experienced transfer made an impact at defensive end for Arkansas as former Hog Jordan Domineck led all Razorback defensive linemen with 7.5 sacks in 2022.
Williams (super senior) and Stewart (senior) have been around for a while and both played at least 300 snaps for Arkansas in 2022.
While other young names aren't out of the picture, Davillier is the most intriguing going into his sophomore season. Pittman alluded to Davillier potentially playing a hybrid-type role as a weakside edge rusher.
Pittman wants to rush four — something the Razorbacks didn't do very much under former defensive coordinator Barry Odom. That opens the door for multiple defensive ends to really make an impact if they step up.
Defensive Tackle
1. Taurean Carter - Redshirt senior, 6'3", 295 pounds
2. Anthony "Tank" Booker - Redshirt senior, 6'4", 320 pounds
3. Keivie Rose - Redshirt senior, 6'3", 303 pounds
4. Cam Ball - Redshirt sophomore, 6'5", 311 pounds
5. Eric Gregory - Redshirt senior, 6'4", 307 pounds
6. Marcus Miller - Redshirt senior, 6'5", 306 pounds
A position the Razorbacks really needed to add some playmakers at was defensive tackle following the losses of Isaiah Nichols (transferred to Purdue) and Terry Hampton (out of eligibility).
Carter is back after tearing his ACL in the 2021 Spring Showcase. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound redshirt senior was on an encouraging trajectory prior to the injury and he could be set to have a big year in 2023.
Booker was a transfer addition from Maryland and Rose came over from Louisiana Tech. Both have played a lot of Division I football and Rose was a First-Team All-Conference USA performer in 2022.
Entering his redshirt sophomore season, Ball is one of the more interesting young prospects on the Arkansas defense. He stepped up late in the 2022 season and showed plenty of potential for the future. Even with the transfer additions, Ball should still see plenty of play time.
Both redshirt seniors, Gregory and Miller likely won't be relied on as impact players on the defensive line. They will each play integral roles on the interior of the defensive front, though, and they will need to make plays happen when given the opportunity.
Gregory played 379 snaps for the Razorbacks in 2022, but he was primarily a defensive end when on the field. With the depth growing on the edge, Gregory can shift inside more at 6-foot-5, 303 pounds.
Redshirt freshman JJ Hollingsworth and freshman Ian Geffrard are other names to know at defensive tackle.
Linebacker
1. Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr. - Junior, 6'1", 230 pounds2. Antonio Grier - Super senior, 6'1", 228 pounds
3. Jaheim Thomas - Redshirt junior, 6'4", 245 pounds
4. Jordan Crook - Sophomore, 6'0", 223 pounds
5. Mani Powell - Sophomore, 6'3", 230 pounds
6. Carson Dean - Freshman, 6'4", 232 pounds
Linebacker is a position that has featured a wealth of talent in recent years for Arkansas and that is no different entering the 2023 season. Gone are Drew Sanders and Bumper Pool, but Travis Williams reloaded with transfer additions Antonio Grier (USF) and Jaheim Thomas (Cincinnati).
The top name at linebacker is redshirt sophomore Chris "Pooh" Paul Jr., though. The Cordele, Georgia, native came on very strong as a redshirt freshman in 2022 and he started the final two games of the season after Pool went down with hip surgery. Paul is a hard hitter who has immense talent and a high ceiling.
Grier is an impressive athlete with five years of college football experience. He suffered a season-ending hand injury after just three games in 2022, but he was a Second-Team All- AAC performer for South Florida in 2021. Grier led USF in tackles during his junior and senior seasons and he could easily do the same for Arkansas this fall.
We didn't get to see Thomas in spring practice, but he is a very interesting addition. As a redshirt sophomore in 2022, Thomas was third on the Bearcats with 70 total tackles and second with 6.5 tackles for loss to go along with two sacks. He played 443 snaps and earned a 74.7 grade from Pro Football Focus on the year.
Crook started alongside Paul in the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas for the Razorbacks last season. The Duncanville, Texas, native has a very bright future and he will be able to step in and give the top three guys a breather with very little drop off in talent.
Sophomore Mani Powell and freshman Carson Dean round out the projected top six at the linebacker position. Powell is a native of Fayetteville and as strong as they come. Dean is a former four-star out of Hebron High School in Frisco, Texas.
Other names to know at linebacker include freshman Alex Sanford, freshman Brad Spence and redshirt freshman Kaden Henley.
