HawgBeat - Pair of veteran defensive players could miss Western Carolina game
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman provided a health update for a pair of veteran defensive players.
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Arkansas football head coach Sam Pittman revealed Wednesday that his team could be without a pair of veteran defensive players for Saturday's season opener against Western Carolina.
While speaking on the SEC Teleconference, the Head Hog mentioned that redshirt senior safety Malik Chavis and senior defensive end Jashaud Stewart might both be unavailable Saturday.
"I don’t know about Stew," Pittman said. "I don’t know if he’ll be able to play. Malik Chavis might be in that same boat with a finger issue, with a hand issue."
Stewart has missed a big chunk of preseason practices seemingly due to a heel injury that he suffered on August 10. Pittman said the day that the injury occured that he expected Stewart back at practice the next day, but he hasn't been seen participating during a media viewing portion of practice since that day.
He was listed as a third team defensive end on the Week 1 depth chart Monday, but Stewart did start six games last season. He tallied a career-best 14 tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-2, 257-pound edge rusher from Jonesboro is one of the many veteran defensive linemen that makes that group one of the deepest on the team.
Chavis' injury is a new one, as Tuesday marked the first time he wasn't participating in practice while the media was there. A second team safety on the Week 1 depth chart, Chavis was seen off to the side with his right hand wrapped up, which lines up with Pittman's comments about it being a finger/hand issue.
A 6-foot-2, 194-pound native of Rison, Chavis started six games for Arkansas in 2022. He recorded 15 tackles across 12 total games. Chavis has 32 total tackles across his four full seasons as a Hog and he also has one interception that came in the 2021 season against UAPB.
"Malik is having a really good camp — communication, getting to the ball, tackling, covering," secondary coach Deron Wilson said Aug. 7.
On the bright side, Pittman said he expects South Florida transfer linebacker Antonio Grier to be able to play after he missed a significant amount of practices with a quad injury. Grier was participating both Monday and Tuesday during the media viewing periods.
Grier was left off the Week 1 depth chart likely due to the injury, but he is expected to be a key part of the Razorback linebacker room. A hand injury ended Griers 2022 season, but he led USF with 92 total tackles and added two interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2021.
Kickoff between Arkansas and Western Carolina is set for noon CT at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The game will be streamed on the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
