The NBA regular season is winding down to a close and the playoffs are about to begin, and the Arkansas Razorbacks have been well-represented in the Association this season.

In total, there are 11 former Razorbacks who are on NBA rosters this season. Some are earlier on in their careers, while there are a few that have been mainstays in their respective lineups over several years.

One name missing from this list is Patrick Beverley, who spent seven seasons in the NBA. He's now playing professional basketball in Israel after stints with the Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Rockets, 76ers and Bulls since 2017.

There are just three games left in the NBA regular season, and nine of the 11 former Razorbacks are on teams vying for a spot in the playoffs. With the playoffs set to potentially run all the way through June 22, HawgBeat takes a look at each Pro Hogs' respective seasons...

Ricky Council IV - Philadelphia 76ers​

Arkansas career stats: 36 GP, 34.1 MIN, 16.1 PTS, 3.6 REB, 2.3 AST, 1.1 STL, 2.1 TO, 43.3% FG, 27.0% 3PT, 79.4% FT.
NBA stats (2024-25): 70 GP, 16.7MIN, 7.2 PTS, 2.8 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.4 STL, 0.7 TO, 38.8% FG, 26.3% 3PT, 79.7% FT.

Ricky Council IV went undrafted after he spent one year at Arkansas, where he came after spending two seasons at Wichita State. He's probably most known for his high-flying and ferocious dunks.

The Durham, North Carolina, native got picked up by the Philadelphia 76ers and quickly worked his way through the G League and onto the big stage. He's mainly come off the bench in Philadelphia and has averaged 7.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season.

Daniel Gafford - Dallas Mavericks​

Arkansas career stats: 67 GP, 25.5 MIN, 14.3 PTS, 7.4 REB, 0.7 AST, 0.7 STL, 2.1 TO, 63.5% FG, 0.0% 3PT, 56.2% FT.
NBA stats (2024-25): 54 GP, 21.7 MIN, 12.2 PTS, 6.8 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.4 STL, 1.2 TO, 69.7% FG, 0.0% 3PT, 68.3% FT.

Daniel Gafford played for the Razorbacks in the 2018-19 season, and was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He's now with the Dallas Mavericks and has battled injury as of late, but is averaging 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds this season.

Gafford, an El Dorado native, played for the Razorbacks in former head coach Mike Anderson's last two seasons in Fayetteville. He was named to the SEC All-Defensive First Team and was named First Team All-SEC in 2019; He was just the second Razorback to be named to both in the same season.

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The No. 1 Arkansas Razorbacks (32-3, 12-1 SEC) scored 13 unanswered runs to power past the No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs (30-6, 8-5 SEC) for a series-opening 13-3 win Friday night at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia.

It wasn't until a three-run top of the fourth inning that the Razorbacks got on the board. Despite the game being tied entering the seventh inning, Arkansas added 10 more runs across the seventh, eighth and ninth innings — including seven in the ninth — for a late surge to earn what ended up being an easy victory by the time it was over.

Freshman Gabe Fraser's RBI triple in the top of the seventh inning was a clutch swing that was the first of many run-scoring knocks for the Hogs. Shortstop Wehiwa Aloy reached base four times, scored three times and drove in three runs, including one on a solo homer. His brother Kuhio Aloy, the Razorbacks' designated hitter, drove in three of runs and logged three of Arkansas' 12 hits in the game.

Arkansas starting pitcher Zach Root tossed 5.2 innings and allowed three earned runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Right-handed reliever Aiden Jimenez added 2.1 innings of scoreless, hitless relief and Dylan Carter closed things down with a scoreless bottom of the ninth inning.

Georgia starting pitcher Brian Curley began his outing with two straight strikeouts in a 1-2-3 top of the first, which was followed by a scoreless bottom half from Root.

After Curley once again retired the Hogs in order in the top of the second inning, Root issued a one out walk and then allowed the game's first hit — a double to Bulldogs' catcher Daniel Jackson — to put two runners in scoring position. Georgia centerfielder Devin Obee hit an RBI groundout to score the first run of the game before nine-hole hitter Kolby Branch drove a two-run home run to center that made it a 3-0 deficit for the Hogs.

The Razorbacks finally found life on offense in the top of the fourth inning. Wehiwa Aloy drew a hit by pitch to become the team's first baserunner of the game, and he was promptly driven in on an RBI double from Logan Maxwell. Brent Iredale added an RBI single right after, and Kuhio Aloy tied the game with a run-scoring single but then ended the frame by sliding too far past second base in the same sequence.

Curley avoided trouble in the top of the fifth, as Hogs' second baseman Nolan Souza drove a one out double to left field but he was thrown out at third not long after and his day was ended after he suffered a shoulder injury on the play (freshman Gabe Fraser replaced Souza).

In the bottom half of the fifth inning, Root struck out the side but he did it while working around a leadoff single and a one out double that put pressure on with a pair of runners in scoring position.

Despite the Bulldogs turning to reliever JT Quinn in the top of the sixth, the Hogs couldn't capitalize on a leadoff walk from Wehiwa Aloy, who was thrown out trying to steal third base in a scoreless frame.

Root ran into a pair of two out base runners and he was relieved Jimenez, who left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning to keep the game tied.

After Kuhio Aloy drew a walk to leadoff the top of the seventh, Fraser drove him home with a one out RBI triple to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 lead. Jimenez tossed a three up, three down bottom half to keep the Bulldogs' lineup quiet.

Georgia turned to right-hander Eric Hammond in the top of the eighth inning, and he allowed just his second homer of the game to Wehiwa Aloy to leadoff the frame and make it a 5-3 lead for Arkansas. Jimenez tossed a second-straight perfect inning in the bottom of the eighth.

Freshman righty Paul Farley relieved Stephens in the top of the ninth and he allowed a two-run double to Wehiwa Aloy and then issued a wild pitch that scored Charles Davalan to make it a 9-3 lead for the Razorbacks. Kuhio Aloy and catcher Ryder Helfrick added back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to nine runs before another pitching change.

The Hogs plated their 13th run of the game courtesy of a wild pitch to make it 13-3 before the Bulldogs finally got out of the seven-run top of the ninth inning. Veteran right-hander Dylan Carter tossed a flawless bottom of the ninth with two strikeouts to close things down.

Up next, Arkansas and Georgia will meet again Saturday at Foley Field in Athens for Game 2 of the series. First pitch for Saturday's matchup is set for 3 p.m. CT and it will stream on SEC Network+.

Box Score

The Associated Press released its final Top 25 poll of the college basketball season Tuesday, and the Arkansas Razorbacks ranked No. 20.

Arkansas received 321 votes and finished just behind Texas A&M at No. 19 and just ahead of Louisville at No. 21.

Tuesday's AP Top 25 was the first time Arkansas had been ranked since Dec. 30, when it was slotted at No. 23. The Hogs fell out of the poll on Jan. 6 after they were blown out by then-No. 1 Tennessee, 76-52, in the first game of the Southeastern Conference slate.

Arkansas finished the season with an overall record of 22-14, which included an 8-10 mark in SEC play in the regular season. The Razorbacks went 1-1 in the SEC Tournament with a win over South Carolina in the first round and a loss to Ole Miss in the second.

The Hogs were given a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to their fourth Sweet 16 in five seasons. They dispatched 7-seed Kansas, 79-7,2 in the first round and then beat 2-seed St. John's in the Round of 32, 75-66.

In the Sweet 16 matchup against 3-seed Texas Tech in San Francisco, the Razorbacks seemed to be well on their way to an Elite Eight appearance, as they held a 16-point lead in the second half over the Red Raiders. But the Hogs folded down the stretch and ended their season with an 85-83 overtime loss.

Now, head coach John Calipari and his coaching staff are working in the transfer portal to build the roster for next season. Be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest news and updates surrounding Arkansas basketball.

Final AP Top 25​

1. Florida (61)
2. Houston
3. Duke
4. Auburn
5. Tennessee
6. Alabama
7. Michigan State
8. Texas Tech
9. Maryland
10. Michigan
11. St. John's
12. Kentucky
13. BYU
14. Purdue
15. Arizona
16. Wisconsin
17. Iowa State
18. Ole Miss
19. Texas A&M
20. Arkansas
21. Louisville
22. Clemson
23. Gonzaga
24. St. Mary's
25. Memphis

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From @RileyMcFerran

Roughly four months removed from signing with the Arkansas football team, freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava is already receiving exciting comparisons from offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.

Known as a play-caller guru and quarterback savant, Petrino has coached his fair share of talented signal-callers during his career. The most notable name is former Louisville Heisman winner and current NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson, who Iamaleava has a similar trait to as a freshman, according to Petrino.

"You know, Madden’s a special talent now," Petrino said Tuesday. "He can really get the ball out of his hands. He sees stuff and has a great, quick release. I know there’s times he drops back and he doesn’t know what the play is. But somebody pops open and he can stick it and put it right on their hands. The last guy that I coached that did that a lot as a true freshman was Lamar Jackson."

ALSO READ: Arkansas Spring Practice Notebook No. 10

A Top-250 four-star quarterback in the class of 2025, Iamaleava was a highly-regarded prospect out of Long Beach, California. The 6-foot-3, 191-pounder didn't fully play his senior season due to eligibility issues, but he completed 196-of-311 passes for 3,626 yards, 43 touchdowns and just four interceptions as a junior in 2023 for Warren High School.

"You know where you don’t see anything but all of a sudden they throw a post for a touchdown and everyone’s going, ‘Damn, how did he see that?’ That wasn’t even in his progression," Petrino said. "Now we do need to get him to know the plays. There’s no question about that. But that ability is something that is hard to coach. And his vision is just something that’s really good."

The younger brother of Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Madden is stuck behind veteran returner Taylen Green on the depth chart, but don't rule the youngster out from making a push at the second team role with redshirt freshman KJ Jackson.

"I would say (Madden is) ahead of a lot of young guys that I have coached," Petrino said. "He works extremely hard at understanding the offense. He works hard at calling the play in the huddle. He takes a lot of pride in it. He gets mad at himself if he makes an error calling the play, or calling the motion or setting things in. He’s got a lot of internal pride in himself. His natural delivery makes coaching all about the X’s and the O’s.

RELATED - WATCH: Video from Arkansas' 10th spring practice

"You’re not having to change anything in his footwork or his release. That makes it a lot easier coaching him, I can tell you that, because now it’s all about executing the offense and seeing things and knowing what’s going on. I think he has a chance to be a really special player."

The Razorbacks have seven total spring practices remaining, including the April 19 Red-White Spring Game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. Stay tuned to our homepage for the latest news and notes.

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Just submitted a FutureCast for Nate Ament to Duke. Was told by a Duke insider that the announcement should be Friday and that he will be a Blue Devil.

Now that the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament is over, several Razorbacks have stay-or-go decisions to make before next season.

Two players from last year's Arkansas squad have already made up their minds, as freshman point guard Boogie Fland and junior forward Adou Thiero have declared for the NBA Draft.

Fland was a projected lottery pick before the season started and Thiero worked his way onto draft boards with a strong season in which he led the Razorbacks in scoring (15.1 points per game) and rebounds (5.8 per game).

Numerous NBA Draft mocks have Fland and Thiero projected to hear their names called, but two other Razorbacks have also found their way onto NBA Draft boards, as well.

NBADraft.net updated its Top 100 prospects list Wednesday, and it lists four players from last year's squad. Both Fland and Thiero are listed, as are freshman forward Karter Knox and sophomore point guard D.J. Wagner.

Fland is listed as the No. 16 player on the Top 100 and Thiero is listed at No. 54. Interestingly, Knox is listed at No. 47, while Wagner is listed at No. 86.

Knox and Wagner are more likely to return to college basketball next year than enter the NBA Draft, but here's a look at where Fland and Thiero are showing up on draft boards...

*It's worth noting with the volatility of the transfer portal, and college players being able to declare for the draft while maintaining their college eligibility, these mocks will likely change a lot throughout the offseason.*

Boogie Fland​

Season Stats: 21 GP, 13.5 PTS, 3.2 REB, 5.1 AST, 1.5 STL, 1.4 TO; 37.9 FG%, 34.0% 3PT, 83.3 FT%

Despite missing 15 games because of thumb surgery, Fland is the least surprising Razorback to enter his name in the draft. The former five-star had excellent numbers in the non-conference slate and put up solid point production (albeit on poor efficiency) early in SEC play. He came back for the NCAA Tournament in a reserve role and helped the Razorbacks to a Sweet 16 appearance.

Where Fland excelled the most on the court was his passing ability. Before the injury, he led the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio and was second in the league in assists at 5.7 per game. He's also more than capable of scoring at all three levels, whether that be putting the ball on the floor and beating his defender to the rim, a midrange jumper or connecting from deep.

When Fland was really cooking, most draft projections had him as a potential lottery pick. His draft stock fell as the season wore on and he missed games, but with a good showing at the combine and in individual workouts, he could see his stock jump again.

NBA Draft projections:

NBA.com: Round 1, Pick 27 (Brooklyn Nets)

NBADraft.net: Round 1, Pick 19 (Memphis Grizzlies)

ESPN: Not Listed

Bleacher Report: Round 2, Pick 44 (Utah Jazz)

CBS: Not Listed

Adou Thiero​

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Season Stats: 27 GP, 15.1 PTS, 5.8 REB, 1.9 AST, 1.6 STL, 1.47 TO; 54.5 FG%, 25.6% 3PT, 68.6 FT%

Another player whose season took a hit because of an injury, Thiero missed eight games with a knee injury he sustained against Missouri on Feb. 22. He returned for the Razobacks' Sweet 16 loss to Texas Tech, but he only played five minutes and racked up one point and one rebound against the Red Raiders. It was pretty clear he wasn't 100% in game shape, which makes sense given the knee issues.

On the season, though, Thiero proved he was one of the best in the country. His three-point shot left a lot to be desired, but his physicality and ability to get to the rim won the Razorbacks a lot of games.

One thing that's interesting about Thiero is his free throw percentage. The 68.6% from the charity stripe is somewhat deceiving. He attempted (175) more free throws and made more (120) than any other player on the team. In fact, he made 23 more free throws than Johnell Davis, who was second on the team in free throw attempts.

Like Fland, Thiero's injury put a damper on his draft stock, but with a strong showing in the combine and individual workouts, that stock could rise again.

NBA Draft projections:

NBA.com: Round 2, Pick 40 (Toronto Raptors)

NBADraft.net: Not Listed

ESPN: Round 1, Pick 26 (Brooklyn Nets)

Bleacher Report: Round 2, Pick 39 (Toronto Raptors)

CBS: Round 1, Pick 25 (Atlanta Hawks)

Our very own @RileyMcFerran claims he would take a Sonic or Braums burger over an In-N-Out burger.

I find that take to be laughable.

Thoughts?

Here ya go

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What are we feeling here?

This feels like our first big time ultra mega series even though we were still able to win at Ole Miss and Vandy in impressive fashion. Those series wins have aged very gracefully. I'm not of the belief that "we will find out a lot about us" after this series. We have seen our hogs for a little more than half a season and we are numero uno after four SEC series. We know we are damn good and have a real shot at it this season once again. If we lose this series we shouldn't think any less of the team we have. I would worry a bit if we got drilled all three games. Don't think that's happening though.

This will be a very challenging series but its still one I think we can get. Georgia can bash it but I think we have more punch in the pen than they do by far. It'll come down to our starting pitching not getting shelled early. If we just stay in it, I think we will get those big time clutch hits to push us over the top in two of these games. Georgia is too good to get swept at home but I didn't think we would sweep the Vanderbilt series either.

Friday: 8-6 W
Saturday: 10-7 W
Sunday: 9-11 L


Let's get the top ranking for a few more weeks! Can't wait for this one.

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The Rundown

Practice officially began at approximately 3:50 p.m. CT and we walked out around 5:10 p.m. CT. We watched individual drills, fastball, one-on-ones, seven-on-seven, red zone work, blitz drills and two-minute drills.

More experimentation up front

We keep seeing them try new things with the first team offensive line, and today that featured E'Marion Harris as the first team left tackle and Shaq McRoy at right tackle during the fastball period at the beginning of practice. Generally, it's been Harris as right tackle and Corey Robinson II at left tackle, but they tried something new today.

I think most of the movement can probably be attributed to some injuries and it might help in the long run with allowing them to try different things to see what works best. They aren't sure if they like Harris at tackle or guard the best, so it was interesting to see him move out to the other tackle spot, but I don't know who else you'd move up to first team tackle at this point.

Transfer corner gets first team reps

For the first time I've seen this spring, Oklahoma transfer Kani Walker got some reps with the first team defense during a few team periods. He didn't participate with the team in practices prior to spring break due to injury, but he's slowly worked his way into the rotation and he was really thrown into the fire Thursday.

Walker started nine games and appeared in 11 as a redshirt junior for Oklahoma last year. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound Atlanta native tallied 24 tackles with one interception and a career-best six pass breakups.

Secondary had a solid day

I spent more time looking at Arkansas' secondary during Thursday's practice, both in individual work and in the 11-on-11 portions. Defensive backs coach Nick Perry was coaching them hard during individual drills, and they seemed to respond well to that.

As we mentioned above, Kani Walker got first-team reps Thursday, and he seemed to make the most of it. He did a good job of staying with the receivers and didn't get beat as far as I could tell.

I only actually saw one interception on the day, which came after Blake Boda overthrew his receiver and the ball landed right in the hands of redshirt freshman Ahkhari Johnson. There were several pass breakups throughout the day, and most of those came on well-thrown balls from the quarterbacks.

There's still some questions as to how much depth the Hogs have there, but the guys they do have stuck out in a good way.

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​

Notable plays​

- Taylen Green hit Rohan Jones for a 35-yard gain.

- Linebacker Cade Fields hit Cam Settles in the backfield for a tackle for loss.

- Madden Iamaleava found O’Mega Blake over the middle for a 25-ish yard gain.

- Green also completed a pass over the middle to Blake for 20 yards.

- Iamaleava completed a pass to Monte Harrison for a 20-yard gain.

- Green threw a nice pass to Kam Shanks down the seam for a touchdown.

- During red zone work, Ahkhari Johnson intercepted a pass from Blake Boda intended for Rykar Acebo.

- During third-down drills, Larry Worth broke up a pass from Green intended for Rohan Jones.

- Harrison got behind the defense and caught a nice pass from Green for 25-ish yards.

- Jaden Allen broke up a pass from KJ Jackson intended for C.J. Brown.

- Anton Pierce made a nice play on the ball and broke up a pass from Iamaleava intended for Krosse Johnson.
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Depth Chart​

These depth charts are unofficial and just a general list based on the fastball drills ran. They go with different personnel and different formations often.

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB: Taylen Green
RB: Mike Washington
TE: Rohan Jones
WR: O'Mega Blake, Ismael Cisse, Raylen Sharpe
LT: E'Marion Harris
LG: Fernando Carmona Jr.
C: Caden Kitler
RG: Keyshawn Blackstock
RT: Shaq McRoy

Defense

DE: Quincy Rhodes Jr.
DT: Ian Geffrard
DT: Danny Saili
LB: Brad Shaw
LB: Xavian Sorey Jr.
LB: Stephen Dix Jr.
NB: Caleb Wooden
CB: Jaheim Singletary
CB: Selman Bridges
S: Larry Worth III
S: Miguel Mitchell

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB: KJ Jackson
RB: Tyrell Reed Jr.
TE: Andreas Paaske, Jeremiah Beck
WR: CJ Brown, Monte Harrison
LT: Kavion Broussard
LG: Bubba Craig
C: Kash Courtney
RG: Blake Cherry
RT: Marcus Dumervil

Defense

DE: Justus Boone
DT: Kevin Oatis
DT: David Oke
LB: Tavion Wallace
LB: Wyatt Simmons
NB: JJ Shelton
CB: Jaden Allen
CB: Keshawn Davila
S: Anton Pierce
S: Quentavius Scandrett
S: Ahkhari Johnson

THIRD TEAM

Offense

QB: Madden Iamaleava
RB: Cam Settles
TE: Jaden Platt
WR: Courtney Crutchfield, Shamar Easter, Krosse Johnson
LT: Aaron Smith
LG: Alex Johnson
C: Tim Dawn
RG: Payton Parks-Smith
RT: Jonas Nantze

Defense

DE: Donovan Whitten
DT: JJ Hollingsworth
DT: Caleb Bell
DE: Charlie Collins
LB: Preston Davis
LB: Mason Schueck
NB: Cade Fields
CB: Aidan McCowan
CB: Landon Phipps
S: Braylon Watson
S: Anton Pierce

The Arkansas football team has lost its first player of the spring to the transfer portal, as running back Isaiah Augustave announced his decision to find greener pastures on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

A sophomore for the Razorbacks, Augustave showed big-time potential during his freshman campaign in Fayetteville. He carried the ball 35 times for 202 yards and a touchdown in four games, which included a 101-yard performance against FIU and an 80-yard outing against No. 9 Missouri.

"First and foremost I want to thank Coach Pittman and the rest of the coaching staff for blessing me with the opportunity to play the game I love," Augustave wrote in his post. "Thank you to all my teammates, I'm very grateful for the time I've spent with you all."

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A former three-star prospect in the 2023 class according to Rivals, Augustave received second-team snaps for the Hogs during their annual Red-White spring game on Saturday afternoon to the tune of seven carries for 10 yards.

"After long conversations with my family, I would like to announce that I am officially entering my name into the transfer portal with three years of eligibility left," Augustave said. "It's time to do what's best for me. Thank you Hog nation!"

According to Pro Football Focus, Augustave finished the 2023-24 season with an overall grade of 74.7. Following his departure, Arkansas now has six scholarships open to use in the transfer portal, which opens up officially on Tuesday.

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We'll have Arkansas DC Travis Williams here shortly to talk spring practice. Updates ITT.

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Arkansas

Game 1: Jr. LHP Zach Root (5-1, 3.48 ERA)
Game 2: So. RHP Gabe Gaeckle (2-0, 5.77 ERA)
Game 3: Jr. LHP Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 3.82 ERA)

Georgia

Game 1: Jr. RHP Brian Curley (2-0, 3.45 ERA)
Game 2: Jr. RHP Kolten Smith (2-1, 4.34 ERA)
Game 3: Jr. RHP Leighton Finley (2-0, 6.44 ERA)

Series schedule this weekend at Foley Field in Athens:

Friday at 5 p.m. CT (Watch on SECN+)
Saturday at 3 p.m. CT (Watch on SECN+)
Sunday at 12 p.m. CT (Watch on SECN+)

We'll have updates ITT from DVH

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Arkansas baseball head coach Dave Van Horn met with members of the media Monday following his Swatter's Club luncheon with Diamond Hog fans at the Fayetteville Public Library.

Van Horn spoke for a little less than an hour at the podium before taking questions from reporters (video above) to provide more in-depth updates for the Razorbacks, who are now the No. 1 team in the nation with a 30-3 overall record and an 11-1 mark in SEC play.

HawgBeat has a notebook below with the latest news and notes regarding Arkansas baseball, including injury updates for pitchers Gage Wood and Hunter Dietz, Van Horn's thoughts on his team so far, fun stories and more...

Gage Wood update​

Arkansas junior right-hander Gage Wood has been sidelined from action since suffering a shoulder injury during the Feb. 23 game against Michigan. Van Horn said Feb. 25 that if everything went well, Wood's timeline to return would be five-to-six weeks. Tuesday (April 8) will mark six weeks from when Van Horn said that.

"He's coming along," Van Horn said. "I don't want to say anything too much, but everything I've seen, it looks good. He's not having any problems, just now we're building him up. You might see him on the roster this weekend or the next one hopefully, so we'll see how that goes."

Wood pitched five innings in his season debut against Washington State on Feb. 15, when he gave up two runs on two hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. He was up to six strikeouts with no walks and one unearned run allowed on two hits in two innings against Michigan before the injury occured.

Van Horn said Monday that the rehab has been really good for Wood.

"Gage is an extremely hard worker and he’s very serious," Van Horn said. "Sometimes I’ll try to keep it light when I see him and he’s not really having it. He’s like, working. He threw a pen a couple days ago. I was actually up in the weight room and I watched through the windows and it looked really good.

"Yeah, I think that he’s getting there. I think pain-free and what I saw the other day, he’s throwing the ball 90 mph with ease. If he makes it the next bullpen and next bullpen and he’s still good, I think you get over the hump and that’s what we’re hoping."

As for the role Wood will have when he returns, that is still to be determined.

"He is a strike thrower," Van Horn said. "His bullpen the other day everything was right around the dish. I think what we do is we try to throw him an inning, whether it’s leverage or not. He may be better than what we’ve got available that day. But bring him along until he gets built up and then once he does get in there, is he going to start or close or do whatever? He’ll do whatever.

"But I don’t know how we’ll bring him back. We do have some midweeks the next couple weeks and maybe we give him a start and say, ‘Hey, you got 30 pitches,’ then we get the next guy, or we bring him in second. I don’t know. But it’d just be nice to have him standing on that mound."

Charles Davalan's big change​

Florida Gulf Coast transfer outfielder Charles Davalan has been on an offensive tear as of late, and part of that can be credited to him changing part of his approach at the plate. He's no longer using a high leg kick before his swing, and Van Horn said he thinks that's made a positive change.

"Yeah that was something that had been being discussed, that he’s a good hitter and he hit with it," Van Horn said. "I mean, he hit all fall with it and we were like ‘Wow, this guy’s really good.’ He’s got really good hand-eye coordination. Doesn’t swing and miss very much.

"You look at his stats right now, he’s struck out like eight or nine times and walked like 19. That’s a good stat, now. But yeah, I would say you’re right. I really like his stance now (and) his approach. He’s still powerful, using the whole field with power, been a tough out with two strikes. That was probably, what, about 10 days, two weeks into the seasons and kind of flipped that. Obviously I think it’s helped."

Davalan ranks second on the team behind Cam Kozeal (.417 avg) with a .400 batting average and he paces the Razorbacks — and the SEC — with 54 hits, 11 home runs and 51 runs scored.

Kozeal named SEC Player of the Week​

The revolving door of batting average leader on the team has now resulted in Vanderbilt transfer Cam Kozeal being on the top of the mountain with a .417 batting average, which is an even better .532 in SEC play.

Kozeal was awarded SEC Player of the Week after he led the SEC in nearly every major offensive category, including hits (9), doubles (3), RBI (13), total bases (18), on-base percentage (.706) and slugging percentage (1.385) last week. He accounted for 13 RBI in the series sweep of Missouri, which was more than the Tigers scored as a team all weekend.

"I’ll tell you this, when Cam came in I thought he was really uptight because I think he’s a really loyal person," Van Horn said. "I think that’s the way he’s been raised. Parents are unbelievable. He’s a big brother to all those brothers and sister and it didn’t go good. And then he’s thinking, ‘These guys, they went and got me. I don’t know if I’m going to get to play.’ You could just see his head spinning.

"And he talked with Coach Thompson, Coach brought him in and talked to him after fall ball and he just kept working. Then the season starts and he doesn’t start. Then we could see him getting better. January, February, it was like, ‘That’s the guy. That’s what we were thinking.’ So then it was like, ‘Hey Cam, what would you think about playing first base?’ I called him. I already had the glove sitting at my desk. It was already broke in. Somebody else probably used it. I think I told that story.

"I was out of the office for a couple hours and when I got back, it was off my desk. It was gone. He got it. He just wanted to play, not DH. You only have one DH. And the rest is history. He worked really hard. But his makeup is what you want as a coach. He’s tough. He doesn’t feel entitled. He wants to earn it and he’s stayed strong and just kept working. He made me play him and now it’s like, ‘Why didn’t I play him earlier?’ It had to evolve and it did. I think it’s made him stronger because of what he went through."

Will Hunter Dietz pitch this year?​

The real Arkansas baseball fans know how much the coaching staff loves redshirt freshman left-handed pitcher Hunter Dietz, who hasn't been able to escape injuries since he arrived on campus. Dietz was one of the best pitchers on the team during his freshman fall in 2023, but he's pitched in live action just twice — both times as a freshman — since then.

According to Van Horn, Dietz is healthy right now but his velocity is not where it needs to be. It sounds like another redshirt could be on the table for Dietz.

"He redshirted last year so this year would be a medical, or we could have medical last year," Van Horn said. "Either way, he still would have four years of eligibility. If he can pitch, he’s going to pitch. We need another left-hander. If he got back to real close to what he was before he hurt the arm for the second time, which it was hurt in high school, it could really be a boost for us."

Arkansas State coming to town​

The Red Wolves from Jonesboro will travel across the state Tuesday to face the Razorbacks on national television (SEC Network) at 6 p.m. CT at Baum-Walker Stadium. While Arkansas State owns a 14-17 overall record, it is fresh off a win at No. 21 Coastal Carolina on Sunday.

"I'm sure they're talking about that (win) right now," Van Horn said. "I think they flew straight into here from over there (in Conway, South Carolina) instead of going from there to Jonesboro and bussing over. I may be wrong. I think they're going to work out today at our park, so they're probably talking about 'Hey, let's get us another ranked team and knock them off too.'"

Van Horn did reveal that the Hogs will start sophomore right-hander Tate McGuire on the mound against the Red Wolves. It'll mark his second consecutive start and second start of his career, as he tossed four innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and two walks last Tuesday against Grambling.

In the polls​

D1Baseball: 1

Baseball America: 1

Perfect Game: 1

USA Today Coaches: 1

NCBWA: 1

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Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has a new-look tight end room to work with this season, and it features a transfer from a school in his home state of Montana.

The Razorbacks lost two scholarship tight ends to the transfer portal after last year and they had two more kicked off the team during the season. One of the new replacements is Montana State transfer Rohan Jones, who has turned heads with elevated play in recent spring practices.

“He’s got great speed,” said Petrino, a native of Lewiston, Montana. “I think if we lined up and raced the receivers, he might end up three or four in the race, so he’s very very explosive. He had a good start, really good start. Doing a good job.

“And then the first time where he’s out there by himself and the coaches are over here, we came a little bit big and fast to him and he didn’t play as well as we like him to. But he came back from it very very strong, and that’s a key to his pride. I think he’s very prideful and a great competitor. I think he’ll be really good for us.”

Jones is originally from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The 6-foot-3, 236-pounder was a First-Team FCS Football Central All-American as a true junior last year after he played in 14 games and logged 30 receptions for 470 yards and nine touchdowns. Jones had at least one reception in 13 of his 14 games played for Montana State last season and he totaled 10 multi-catch performances during the season. He began his college football career at Maine, where he saw action in all 11 games and recorded 22 receptions for 240 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023.

“When you watch Rohan, obviously he played at Montana State and did a great job playing there, and then go back and see where he was before he even went there, he improved tremendously,” Petrino said Tuesday. “And then we really liked his personality and his attitude and his toughness. We’ve coached a number of kids from Canada before, and he had more understanding of football than some of the other ones that I’ve coached. He really knew the game. And was fun talking to him and him being able to picture what you’re saying and him know it. So I think you’re going to see him excel and do really well for us.”

The Razorbacks also added other newcomers at tight end, such as Texas A&M transfer Jaden Platt, JUCO transfer Jeremiah Beck and freshman Gavin Garretson.

It has been Jones who’s seen the majority of the reps with the first team offense, though. He didn’t catch a lot of passes early in the spring, but quarterbacks continue to target his No. 88 jersey at a higher pace.

“A guy who's not catching a lot of balls bit is doing a lot of good things, is Rohan Jones,” head coach Sam Pittman said April 3. “You know, he caught one the other day in our kill the clock two minute drill. But I anticipate him catching a lot of balls. He's very, very talented.”

Former Hog Luke Hasz, who transferred to SEC rival Ole Miss, led Arkansas tight ends with 26 catches for 324 yards and four touchdowns last year during Petrino’s first season as play caller. If a guy like Jones can stay healthier than Hasz did, he could potentially surpass those totals and be a solid option for veteran starting quarterback Taylen Green.

“When it comes to his route running, man, you can tell he's really good at what he does,” linebacker Stephen Dix Jr. said March 13 of Jones. “I can't wait to see what he does in pads today, man. I love having that competition when you see a guy that's like, okay, like I got to kind of scheme up against him a little bit because he has some moves or whatever. I think he's a great get for us. I'm really glad we got him, man. He meshes well with the team, like as a person, a player, everything. He's what we look for when we want to bring guys in out the portal. I think he has that mentality, like he has something to prove.”

The Razorbacks are in the midst of spring practices leading up to the April 19 Red-White spring game at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. Visit The Trough premium message board for the latest intel from the practice fields.

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The Rundown

Practice officially began at approximately 3:50 p.m. CT and we walked out around 5:50 p.m. CT. We watched individual drills, fastball, one-on-ones, seven-on-seven, red zone work, blitz drills and two-minute drills.

Running back room looked solid

We've seen what Braylen Russell is capable of after last season, but the running back room as a whole looked good on Tuesday. New Mexico State transfer Mike Washington Jr. runs hard and is really good at weaving through traffic.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino gave a lot of good nuggets on the offense during his press conference today. He spoke highly of the running back room and it sounds like there's a good battle for the top spot between Washington and Russell.

"I really like Mike Washington," Petrino said. "He’s got great size, he sees things and he’s explosive. I think we have a chance to make big plays. He also catches the ball real well, as does Braylen, out of the backfield. Braylen, I remember him in high school, they ran tight end routes with him and his ability to jump and turn and he’s been showing that this spring for us, too."

Another running back who caught my eye is freshman Cam Settles. The Little Rock Parkview product isn't huge, just 5-foot-11 and 204 pounds, but he's not afraid of contact and has really good vision when he gets the ball in space.

New look on defense

For the first time this spring, we saw them deploy a defensive look with three down linemen and three linebackers (3-3-5) and it was with the first team defense during the fastball period at the beginning of the viewing portion.

The usual two starters were Xavian Sorey Jr. and Stephen Dix Jr. with Brad Shaw added as the third linebacker. They ran with Quincy Rhodes Jr. as the only defensive end with Ian Geffrard and Danny Saili as the other two defensive linemen.

I have to say, I'm worried about the depth on the defensive line and the secondary. They've made it clear that those are two spots they'll prioritize in the post-spring portal, so it's a little early to panic, but there's too many walk-ons in the two deep.

National Championship-winning coach in attendance

Harding University football head coach Paul Simmons, whose son Wyatt is a linebacker for the Razorbacks, was in attendance for Tuesday's practice. His Harding Bison won the Division II National Championship in 2023.

Random thoughts

One player who has made a noticeable improvement of late is tight end Jaden Platt. The Texas A&M transfer has some work to do in order to make his way up the depth chart, especially with the recent surge from Rohan Jones, but I've seen his play improve and he's been making some tough catches after dropping passes in earlier practices. Bobby Petrino said Tuesday that Platt hasn't been fully healthy, so I'm sure that's played a role.

"He can be the big run blocker and also running catch," Petrino said. "He's a real talented guy."

There seems to be a little big of an injury bug going on in the offensive line room. We aren't allowed to write about injuries, per UA policy, but you can piece things together when looking at the very unofficial depth charts from the past two practices.

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Notable plays​

— During the fastball portion of the practice, Taylen Green rolled out left on a play-action pass and found Ismael Cisse wide open for a touchdown.

— In the 11-on-11 portion of practice, Selman Bridges broke up a pass from Madden Iamaleava. Had he not broken it up, Caleb Wooden would have had a really good chance to pick it off.

— In the redzone portion of practice, KJ Jackson found Shamar Easter in the back of the endzone for a touchdown. Easter made a really nice play and caught it while he was smothered by Landon Phipps. The referee said he was out of bounds, but it didn't look like it to me.

— Jackson also had a touchdown pass to Monte Harrison during 11-on-11 work.

— Also during redzone work, Green hit O'Mega Blake for a touchdown. Blake made the catch over two defenders.

— During 7-on-7, Green connected with Raylen Sharpe and had really nice touch on the ball to get it over the defense, and dropped it right into the breadbasket for Sharpe.

— Blake Boda found C.J. Brown twice in a row for nice gains, and on the second catch Brown outran the defense to get into the endzone.

— Tight end Jeremiah Beck caught a pass from Blake Boda one-handed while he was running a crossing route.

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​

Depth Chart​

These depth charts are unofficial and just a general list based on the fastball drills ran. They go with different personnel and different formations often.

FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB: Taylen Green
RB: Braylen Russell
TE: Rohan Jones
WR: O'Mega Blake, Ismael Cisse, Raylen Sharpe
LT: Corey Robinson II
LG: Fernando Carmona Jr.
C: Caden Kitler
RG: Keyshawn Blackstock
RT: E'Marion Harris

Defense

DE: Quincy Rhodes Jr.
DT: Ian Geffrard
DT: Danny Saili
LB: Brad Shaw
LB: Xavian Sorey Jr.
LB: Stephen Dix Jr.
NB: Caleb Wooden
CB: Jaheim Singletary
CB: Selman Bridges
S: Larry Worth III
S: Miguel Mitchell

SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB: KJ Jackson
RB: Mike Washington
TE: Andreas Paaske, Jeremiah Beck
WR: CJ Brown, Monte Harrison
LT: Kavion Broussard
LG: Bubba Craig
C: Kash Courtney
RG: Blake Cherry
RT: Marcus Dumervil

Defense

DE: Justus Boone
DT: Kevin Oatis
DT: Kaleb James
DE: Donovan Whitten
LB: Tavion Wallace
LB: Wyatt Simmons
NB: JJ Shelton
CB: Jaden Allen
CB: Keshawn Davila
S: Quentavius Scandrett
S: Ahkhari Johnson

THIRD TEAM

Offense

QB: Madden Iamaleava
RB: AJ Green
TE: Jaden PLatt
WR: Courtney Crutchfield, Shamar Easter, Kam Shanks
LT: Aaron Smith
LG: Alex Johnson
C: Tim Dawn
RG: Payton Parks-Smith
RT: Jonas Nantze

Defense

DE: Donovan Whitten
DT: JJ Hollingsworth
DT: Caleb Bell
DE: Charlie Collins
LB: Joseph Whitt
LB: Justin Logan
NB: Cade Fields
CB: Aidan McCowan
CB: Landon Phipps
S: Braylon Watson
S: Anton Pierce

We'll have Bobby Petrino here around 1:30 to talk spring football. Updates ITT.

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Florida is at the bottom of the pack in the SEC. Kentucky isn't much better, and is close to taking down #14 Louisville. What a brutal conference this is! Although, Alabama dropped one to Southern Miss.... so, not perfect.

Alright, let's do this. We have a HawgBeat exclusive bracket group for this year's NCAA Tournament.

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We'll have DVH and players here to recap the win over Arkansas State. Updates ITT.

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