Arkansas heads into Saturday’s opener with North Alabama expecting to lean on experience under first-year coach Ryan Silverfield, but a few freshmen have forced their way into the conversation.
That matters because the Razorbacks are starting the season the same way they have for the fourth straight year: against an FCS opponent. In those games, young players often get real snaps, and if everything goes as planned at 3:15 p.m.
CDT, several first-year Razorbacks should see the field. Three names stand out most: safety Tay Lockett, defensive lineman Danny Beale and cornerback Brandon Ford.
Lockett has gone from an early third-team look in spring to a spot near the top of the safety depth chart. The 6-0, 185-pound freshman is listed as the No. 2 free safety behind Christian Harrison, and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts said Tuesday that Lockett will be one of the four safeties expected to play on Saturday. That rise has been driven by how quickly he’s absorbed the defense and how consistently he’s made plays in practice.
Harrison said during camp, "What's surprised me the most I'd probably say his intelligence on the field," Harrison said during camp. "It's a defense that isn't really that easy to learn.
He's come in and he's done everything he's supposed to. He learned everything like he should.
Honestly, he's far ahead as far as that goes. That's probably the biggest surprise is just how he's able to take everything in as far as just learning the whole defense."
Lockett may also have a path onto the field on special teams. Chad Lunsford mentioned him as a punt return option and praised the way he’s handled that job in camp.
"Lockett is doing a really good job," Lunsford said. "He's very natural at catching them. ...
I wanted to see his ball security improve. He's been very intentional about that over the summer and into fall camp.
So I think he's putting himself into the mix just because he is putting a little bit more pride into the ball security part of it."
Beale brings a different kind of attention. At 6-5 and 347 pounds, the Cross County product has the kind of frame that jumps off the page, and he arrived in Fayetteville with plenty of buzz as a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 1 in-state prospect in the class. He hasn’t quite cracked the main rotation yet, but he’s been right on the edge of it throughout camp.
Veteran lineman Hunter Osborne pointed to Beale’s approach as much as his talent.
"He wants to be able to help us this year," Osborne said. "That's the thing with Danny that sticks out the most as a young guy.
He's always asking me questions, always asking the coaches questions. He always wants to get better."
Osborne also described how the line’s pairing system has given him a close look at Beale’s work habits.
"Me and [Beale] got paired up and he was ecstatic," Osborne said. "Even last night, it's like 9 o'clock and he's asking me questions for the install getting ready for today. He always wants to get better, one day at a time.
"Sometimes he can get hard on himself, but he's a young guy and I try to tell him it's all part of the process. Just got to stay grounded, don't get too overwhelmed with everything going on because you're still young, but you can definitely help us this year."
If Ford keeps building on what he showed late in camp, he could be another freshman who sneaks into the mix. The Crowley, Texas, cornerback made the biggest jump from spring to fall of the three, then put together what Silverfield called a "coming out party" on Day 12 of preseason practices. In one stretch of team periods, Ford stacked a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and an interception on three straight plays.
"Brandon Ford is a guy that is a young man that keeps catching your eyes," Silverfield said Arkansas' first scrimmage of camp. "So often you're like, 'Who's that?
Oh, that's that freshman.' I've been pleased with him and what he's been able to do."
Ford didn’t crack the official Week 1 two-deep, but Roberts singled him out, along with Braydon Lee, as a freshman worth watching. Roberts said the final call still depends on how those players perform leading into Saturday.
"The other guys, we have a couple that can play. Brandon Ford and [Braydon Lee], both showed the ability to play," Roberts said.
"We're just going to see as this week goes, and we'll make the final decision at that time. It's all based off how well they're playing.
"It's an interview ... You go out there and get your job done every snap and every drive we take that field. We're going to try to get guys in the race, but at the end of the day it's about winning and putting the best product on the field."
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