HawgBeat - Freshmen linebackers could help Arkansas this fall
Arkansas has three freshmen linebackers who could contribute this fall.
arkansas.rivals.com
After losing starting linebackers Bumper Pool and Drew Sanders to the NFL, the Arkansas Razorbacks brought in a pair of veteran transfers to help out at linebacker this fall.
Cincinnati transfer Jaheim Thomas and South Florida transfer Antonio Grier were brought in to play right away and be significant contributors. While both Thomas and Grier are expected to play a lot for the Razorbacks, there are also three other newcomers making some noise in fall camp.
Arkansas brought in a trio of three-star linebackers in the class of 2023 and each of them are performing well through the first 13 practices of camp. Defensive coordinator Travis Williams said Carson Dean, Brad Spence and Alex Sanford have bright futures in Fayetteville.
"All of them have a great pace of being able to help us at some point this year on special teams and maybe on the defense," Williams said. "All of those guys have a skillset and you can see they are SEC players."
Williams went on to single out Spence, a product of Klein Forest High School in Houston. Spence had 85 tackles with 12.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks as a senior in 2022 and he's a guy who can play different positions for the Razorbacks.
"He has a physical presence," Williams said. "He comes in and you can see him, he looks like he’s a sophomore or junior in college. He has heavy hands and does a really good job striking. Has really good change of direction. And he has really good speed, he’s learning the system. So, the sky is the limit for him."
Along with Spence, Dean also enrolled in the spring coming out of Hebron High School in Frisco, Texas. Dean had 21 tackles for loss as a senior in high school and he's picked things up quickly in Fayetteville.
"The thing I like, especially like with Brad Spence and Carson Dean and guys like that, is those guys, it didn’t take no time for it to translate over," redshirt sophomore Chris Paul Jr. said. "Like Brad Spence, he’s a big dude, kind of a big dude but the thing I like about him is his physicality and the way that he gets to the ball.
"Like he has that means to get to the ball and things like that, and that nature. But those guys, they’re going to provide depth for us but it’s also helpful for the team because they know just as much as we do."
Sanfrod was a summer arrival who seems to be catching up quickly. He is a product of Oxford High School in Oxford, Mississippi, where he totaled 18 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a senior.
"Alex didn’t go through spring ball and you can just see right now he’s just running to the ball as fast as he can go," Williams said. "He likes to play physical and he’s learning the system. He’s just 12 days into practice, but you can see the skillset in all three of those guys."
As the freshmen continue to learn from the veterans and pick up install, they will be sprinkled into the game plan whether it be on defense or special teams.
Each of them will have the chance to stand out during Saturday's second and final scrimmage of fall camp. The scrimmage will be closed, but HawgBeat will have updates following on The Trough premium message board.
