Sam Pittman offers high praise for Jadon Haselwood after Arkansas debut

Jadon Haselwood was the big addition for the Arkansas Razorbacks this offseason in the transfer portal. The former Oklahoma Sooner is now the biggest name in the Razorback receiving corps after the departure of Treylon Burks. After his first game in Fayetteville, Sam Pittman was more than pleased with Haselwood’s all-around performance.

Pittman broke down Haselwood’s debut during his press conference on Wednesday. He said his overall growth from the spring to now is already visible and was on full display with his game this weekend.

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“(Haselwood’s) having fun. He seems to be playing much faster now than he was in the spring,” said Pittman. “He was a very good blocker on Saturday. The little quick pitch we ran to him to sweep around the edge was a big play in the game. You can tell KJ (Jefferson) believes in him. He kind of threw it up in a crowd and it was a great pass only he could catch. KJ has great confidence in him and he went and got it.”

Haselwood finished his debut with three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. That’s an average of 14 yards a catch for a player who’s expected to be a big play threat for the Hogs. Trey Knox was Jefferson’s favorite target against No. 23 Cincinnati, but Haselwood will continue to make his mark as he and Jefferson’s rapport build.

Sam Pittman expects that continued growth as well from Haselwood. As he gets more comfortable during the season, he could really break out for Arkansas. Based on his multifaceted performance in a Top-25 matchup Saturday, he looks as if he’s well on his way to that.

“I anticipate him just getting better and better as his confidence and his knowledge of exactly where to be at what time on the field increases,” Pittman said. “I think he’s going to have a really, really good year as I felt like he played a good game with blocking, running, and receiving on Saturday.”

Haselwood will get to make his conference debut this weekend against South Carolina. This time he’ll be on the opposite side of his former Sooner QB Spencer Rattler. With KJ Jefferson throwing him the rock, he’ll be raring to go against some players he has a connection with. For Sam Pittman, though, it’s Haselwood’s next opportunity to learn what he can be in the Arkansas offense.