Sam Pittman gives overview of key areas where Arkansas has grown, breakout players

With Arkansas right in the middle of spring football, coach Sam Pittman recently had a chance to go back and evaluate the first five practices and identify some breakout players.

He highlighted them in a session with local reporters.

The player who seemed to get the most praise was freshman linebacker Carson Dean, who might be able to get onto the field in 2023.

“I think the rise of Carson Dean would be something else that stood out as I reviewed the first five,” Pittman said. “Carson Dean I think will be able to play for us this year.”

Listed as a 6-foot-4, 232-pound prospect from Frisco, Texas, Dean has done everything he can turn his head coach’s head. And it sure seems to be working.

“He’s smart and he can run. He’s faster than what I thought he was when he came in, and he’s really picked it up,” Pittman said. “He’s played with the ones some and certainly he’s a guy that, like you said, has the size. That’s usually what keeps, either they don’t know the defense or they’re not strong enough or big enough to play early in their career. And none of those is necessarily a detriment to him because he can do all those things. I just feel like if he continues to improve I feel like he’ll be in that rotation of guys.”

But Dean is far from the only freshman that Pittman listed as a breakout player.

Luke Hasz proving his mettle at tight end

Pittman highlighted another player that has done a really good job so far this spring, a 6-foot-3, 226-pound tight end.

“The one guy that stood out the most in all of them is Luke Hasz,” Pittman said. “Really good football player, a guy that’s catching the ball extremely well, can run, can get open.

“That’s probably the guy of the young guys that has stood out the most even though I’ve been really happy with (Jaylon) Braxton and (TJ) Metcalf and RJ Johnson and Dallas (Young). I’ve been happy with the young guys in the secondary, but I think Luke Hasz is probably the guy that’s stood out the most in the freshman class.”

A handful of other veteran additions have also earned their keep early in spring football practice.

Transfers among Arkansas breakout players

Arkansas was not shy in the transfer portal this offseason, taking a number of players that Pittman thinks can help the team come fall. A handful of them are beginning to emerge.

Pittman listed a position group that has done well, then dove into some individual standouts.

“I think the thing that stuck out the most was our defensive end play,” Pittman said. “I think we have guys that can, we can be in a four-down rush and they can get to the quarterback. We’ve got a little bit more size there, which adding (Trajan) Jeffcoat there it really has been a big addition for the D-line. And certainly John Morgan is a pass-rushing guy that has made a lot of plays. I think that would be the No. 1 thing.

“Antonio Grier is going to be a good linebacker for us. These are just new guys that kind of stood out to me. We’ve talked about the secondary. We’ve talked about (Joshua) Braun, who certainly has picked up the offense and looked really well. Devon Manuel is a guy that I think he had a good first five practices. I haven’t seen today’s. And Ty’Kieast Crawford is a guy that can play either position for us. We’re certainly trying to give him an opportunity to start for us, which he’s doing a good job.”

So there you have it, several individual standouts and breakout players this spring from the head man himself.