Sam Pittman explains how Arkansas' defensive responsibilities will be handled

Earlier this offseason, the Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman named Travis Williams as the team’s new defensive coordinator. But that was not the only move he made for the defense’s leadership. Pittman also announced that Marcus Woodson would become Williams’ co-defensive coordinator.

In a recent interview, the question was brought up of the hierarchy for Arkansas defense as we advance into 2023. And Pittman made it clear where both Williams and Woodson stand.

“Well, Travis Williams is the defensive coordinator, and Marcus is the Co,” said Pitman. “In other words, Marcus is going to handle everything in the back end. He’s the man back there. And certainly, he’s going to have the help of Deron, but he’s the main secondary guy. And when they meet together, I’m certain his voice will be heard quite a little bit.

“But Travis Williams is our coordinator. Marcus certainly deserved the co-defensive coordinator title because of his experience and what he’s going to bring to us. And to be honest with you, there’s no way I could hire him just as a secondary coach. Because he’s earned that right to be a coordinator.”

2024 LB Zavier Hamilton announces top 10 schools

Gulf Breeze (Fla.) Navarre three-star linebacker Zavier Hamilton announced his top 10 schools Friday afternoon. The list includes Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Kansas, LSU, Michigan State, Notre Dame, South Carolina and UCF.

Hamilton is the No. 425 overall prospect and No. 39 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 64 player in Florida.

Hamilton currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $26K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.