HawgBeat - Looking back at Sam Pittman's last comments on Jaheim Thomas
Arkansas linebacker Jaheim Thomas has hit the transfer portal, and it might not be as surprising as some think.
arkansas.rivals.com
The Arkansas football team had its fourth scholarship linebacker hit the transfer portal Saturday, and this time it was the team's leading tackler from the 2023 season.
Cincinnati transfer Jaheim Thomas decided one season in Fayetteville was enough, as he elected to hit the portal for the second time in as many seasons. During a 4-8 campaign, Thomas led the Razorbacks with 90 total tackles and he also added 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two pass deflections.
Thomas had five double-digit tackle performances across the first seven games of the season, but his numbers really dropped off in the second half of the year.
Tackling became an issue, primarily starting with the Mississippi State game on Oct. 21. Thomas was given a season-low 29.5 tackle grade from Pro Football Focus during the 7-3 loss to the Bulldogs and he then logged two sub-55.0 tackle grades over the next two games against Florida and Auburn.
As a result, Thomas played just 12 snaps during the 44-20 win over Florida International on Nov. 18 and he logged just 19 snaps and three tackles in the season finale against Missouri, which resulted in a 48-14 home loss for the Hogs.
The FIU game could've been a fluke, but when Thomas — the team's leading tackler all year — played limited snaps the next week against Missouri, head coach Sam Pittman was asked what was going on with his 6-foot-4, 240-pound linebacker.
"Well, Jaheim’s done a nice job," Pittman said Nov. 24 after the Missouri game. "He obviously had some tackling problems, things of that nature. Not (un)like anybody else, but to be perfectly honest with you, I think (Antonio) Grier just played a little bit better when he was in there and he played better in practice when he was there."
A transfer from South Florida, Grier's season was kind of opposite of Thomas' campaign. After a slow start hampered by injuries, Grier really came on late in the year and ended up playing 49 snaps against FIU and 48 snaps against Missouri.
Maybe it really was Grier making a strong push in the final two games of his college career — as he's now out of eligibility. According to Pittman, it was solely based on performance.
"Jaheim’s got a strong future here," Pittman said after the Missouri game. "It wasn’t injuries or anything like that. It was just I think we felt like Grier was playing a little bit better."
Interestingly enough, Pittman gave a pretty similar comment when asked if Thomas was banged up after playing just 12 snaps against FIU.
"He played some, I think," Pittman said. "Well, he may not have. He may not have, but he was out there. If he didn't play, he ran off. He was out there - no, we just thought Grier had a good week. Unless someone says that -- but they never came and told me he was hurt or anything. Grier just played, we thought he earned the right to start. Jaheim is a good player for us and hopefully he'll get back next week and help us."
It was odd to see Pittman's opinion of Thomas change late in the season, as the Head Hog said multiple times during fall camp and early in the season that Thomas was playing the best of any Arkansas linebacker.
"He’s pretty much mistake-free," Pittman said Sept. 11. "Right now, he’s our most consistent tackler. Not jumping out of gaps. Pretty much gap sound in there. He’s just a guy that, for those reasons, been playing pretty well."
Either way, the Razorbacks have now lost Thomas, Chris Paul Jr., Jordan Crook and Mani Powell to the portal. Paul has landed at Ole Miss and Crook committed to Arizona State.
As it stands, Arkansas currently has seven projected scholarship linebackers for the 2024 roster, including Georgia transfer Xavian Sorey Jr. and four-star signee Bradley Shaw. It's worth noting that Shaw will not be enrolling early for spring practice.
For a full roster outlook, click here. For up-to-date intel regarding the Razorbacks and the transfer portal, check out The Trough premium message board.
