Tight end is an underrated position of versatility on the offensive side of the football and the Arkansas Razorbacks have plenty of tight ends with different skill sets.
Some are threats in the passing game and others are used primarily for blocking purposes. Louisville transfer tight end Francis Sherman falls into the latter category for the Razorbacks.
"I’m pretty sure Coach Pittman has said they brought me here to block and kind of do what I’ve done a lot of in the past and kind of help these guys and show them how to kind of get nasty down there in the trenches," Sherman said.
Now a senior for the Razorbacks, Sherman only caught four passes for 32 yards and one touchdown in three seasons with the Cardinals. Despite that, Sherman's level of experience has paid off and is a big reason why he's performed well for the Razorbacks up to this point in fall camp.
"He probably played a lot more than people might think," Turner said. "He does a nice job in-line in the run game understanding things. He's an older guy going into his fifth year playing football, so he's seen a lot and played a lot, and you really see that paying off."
However, experience can only get you so far when you're moving into a new offensive scheme. That adjustment to first-year offensive coordinator Dan Enos' offense was difficult for Sherman.
"My adjustment has been a little different because I had Coach Sowders all last summer, so I kind of knew what to expect there," Sherman said. "But other than that, it was a little bit frustrating, kind of being a fifth-year guy and having known the offense for the last four years and going into summer just focusing on the physical side of it. And this summer has been very mentally challenging trying to learn this offense."
New tight ends coach Morgan Turner has helped Sherman in his transition process, specifically with the Xs and Os part of the game.
"Honestly, I don’t know how Coach Turner did it," Sherman said. "I think it’s just the way that he teaches. He goes from like such small details to the point where it clicks and the light bulb goes off and you see the whole picture for gap scheme, zone scheme, whatever it is. I’ve kind of just fallen in love with it."
Checking in at 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, Sherman possesses the size necessary to block at the tight end position. While he's a larger guy, Sherman said it was strange seeing his quarterback — KJ Jefferson, who is also 6-foot-3, 247 pounds — as big as him.
"You can just tell he knows what he’s doing," Sherman said. "Early on in the summer, I didn’t really know what I was doing, and every time I asked him, he told me, easily, what to do. He knew exactly what to do, and he wasn’t demeaning about it.
"He understood that I’ve been here for a week and a half and I don’t really know anybody, but he was always very eager to help and take that extra mile."
It takes a certain type of mentality to want to willingly battle in the trenches of an SEC football game. That mindset is fueled by the people who have doubted Sherman in the past.
"Probably my junior and senior year sitting on my bed crying that nobody wanted to give me an opportunity," Sherman said. "So I mean, I think I go out there every time with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder and, kind of like he said, I’ve got some stuff I want to be able to cross off on the list and make people regret the decisions they made. I’m in the SEC West now. There’s no better place to do it."
Even though Sherman understands his role will likely be centered on blocking, he believes his talent as a receiving threat is an underrated one.
"I do think I’m a lot more athletic than what I've showcased in the past," Sherman said. "I think that these coaches have been kind of surprised a little bit by what I can do in the passing game, because there’s not much on film. I do look forward to, if they call for it, me getting the ball in my hands, but I mean I’m going to do whatever they ask me to."
Sherman will get his first opportunity to showcase his offensive talent with the Razorbacks in the season opener against Western Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 2 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
