It’s no secret that the Hogs need to improve their offensive line this offseason, and Sam Pittman has already started to envision what that could entail.
With the Arkansas Razorbacks having a 3-7 start to the season, the offensive line has been heavily criticized. The bright side for the Hogs has been the experience that their youthful players up front have garnered, and as the season comes to an end, head coach Sam Pittman recently spoke about the position group’s future.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Chamblee started at left tackle for the most of the season while sophomore Patrick Kutas started at right tackle for the Hogs. It’s possible that Pittman will see the two younger tackles in different spots come springtime since redshirt sophomore Devon Manuel is back and fully functional at left tackle.
Pittman remarked, “I think Kutas is the only one you could move inside.” “We have definitely talked about that. Kutas would be the one to shift inside, though, in order to get all three on the field at the same moment. To do that, I believe you’ll need a spring ball. That would be the best course of action, to get them all onto the field.
“I believe Devon would be better sticking on the left side, while Chamblee would be better on the right. We’ve previously done it with Chamblee in practice, so I’m not positive, but he seems content with his dual skills.
The Hogs will keep an eye on the development of their young offensive lineman, but Pittman also intends to address the position group in the winter, particularly because two of the team’s starters, seniors Brady Latham and Beaux Limmer, are expected to graduate. The Hogs have allowed 4.1 sacks per game through 10 games, which is more than any other SEC club and ranks sixth overall.
Pittman stated, “There’s no doubt we need to address the offensive line.” Then, since you are familiar with the program and follow it, you can look at each position that we have and probably have a pretty decent idea. You presumably have a decent idea of where we could go in junior college or the portal to improve our football team. I’d prefer not to say explicitly. Everyone, I believe, is aware that we need to get some offensive lineman.
This weekend, the Razorbacks will host the Florida International Panthers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in their first game back. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and be broadcast on ESPNU.
