Sam Pittman reveals best leaders on offense, defense

Sam Pittman’s Arkansas Razorbacks are riding high off a very successful second season under the current regime. Success they’ll hope to roll over into an equally as big year this coming fall, though they rank seventh out of seven in the SEC West, at 29th in the country (not bad, eh?) but still behind all of their other divisional rivals.

So, in such a loaded SEC West once again, Pittman will need his veteran leaders to step up and maintain a tough mentality throughout a grueling schedule this fall. The Arkansas coach recently met with media for a press conference ahead of the preseason, which is creeping up on us. As part of his media appearance, Pittman lauded the leaders he believes are stepping up as summer workouts progress.

Here was how he assessed the leadership situation for Arkansas as the moment:

“Offensively, I think the offensive line has a really good veteran group, where they can kind of control those five, you know, with Ricky [Stromberg] and Dalton [Wagner] and really Brady [Latham] and Beaux [Limmer] and those guys. And I’m high on Ty’Kieast [Crawford]. But at the same time, KJ [Jefferson] has to be that leader. I think Rocket Sanders is a guy that can be a leader for us. I do wanna say Dominique Johnson really looks good. He really looks good. He’s ahead of schedule. And then in your wide receiver group I think we’re still searching, trying to find who is going to be the leader in that group. But I think we have a lot of good candidates in that group.

D-line wise, obviously, Isaiah Nichols would be the guy that they turn to. Linebackers would be, of course, [Bumper Pool], and then in the back end you have several. But you’d have Simeon [Blair] and those are the older guys. I think we have plenty of leadership on the team. I think we’re a hungry team. And I think we’re working extremely hard even though it’s just been a couple days.”

Just a few months into having his roster, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman like the leadership he’s seen. At positions across the field, too. Pittman lauded his quarterback, KJ Jefferson, who returns as a senior this season. Also Bumper Pool on defense, an All-SEC performer in the past. He also singled out five different offensive linemen. Sure, the Hogs may be picked in the back of the SEC West, but they’re laden with veterans ready to prove the prognosticators wrong. Just as they did a year ago.