Redshirt senior second-year Arkansas linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. is the leader of an experienced and deep Razorback linebacker unit heading into the 2025 spring practice session.
The 6-foot-3, 231-pound native of Campbellton, Florida, was named Arkansas' Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the 2024 Liberty Bowl after racking up 10 total tackles, and the former Georgia transfer finished the season with 99 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception and two defended passes.
One of five scholarship linebackers returning from last year's team, Sorey identified what he's been working on over the offseason.
"It’s been a lot of lifting and running and stuff," Sorey said Monday. "Personally for me, I wanted to put on a little more weight and get a little stronger. That’s what I’ve been focusing on this offseason. Just to get back with everybody in the group and stuff, team-wise, and just play football. That’s what I'm happy about. Playing football."
Headlined by two redshirt seniors in Sorey and Stephen Dix Jr., plus talented returners like sophomore Bradley Shaw and redshirt freshmen Wyatt Simmons and Justin Logan, the Razorbacks will be leaning on the linebacker unit in a big way in 2025.
"Me, Stephen Dix, Bradley Shaw, Wyatt Simmons, those guys, they were all here last year," Sorey said. "And then we got freshmen that came in too. So I think our room, I think we're going to be good. I think we're going to be good. We got Coach (Travis Williams) leading it."
Besides the returning names, Arkansas also added freshman JJ Shelton and big-time prospect Tavion Wallace, who was ranked as a Top-250 four-star by Rivals in the class of 2024.
Wallace follows in the footsteps of Shaw, who was also a highly-touted four-star prospect before joining the Razorbacks last season and showed flashes of excellence in his debut year. Unlike Shaw as a freshman, Wallace will be participating in spring practice — pushing his development even further along before the 2025 campaign.
"Tavion, he's athletic," Sorey said. "He's big, and I think when he got here, he said he was like 220 (pounds) and it's only been a couple weeks, and he's already like 230-235. So, he's been taking it serious in the weight room and training and stuff like that. And then he’s willing to grow and learn, ask a lot of questions.
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"Even with the older guys on the defense, he'll come up to us ask us questions and stuff. So, he's not just asking coaches questions. He's trying to learn from other players as well. That's one of the big things I’ve taken away from him."
Sorey and the Arkansas Razorbacks will start spring practice Monday at 4:10 p.m CT. Be sure to tune in to HawgBeat for football coverage leading in to the 2025 season.
