Arkansas’ first SEC injury report of the season arrived Wednesday evening, and it gives a clearer picture of where the Razorbacks stand as they get ready for Saturday’s trip to College Station.
The Hogs head to Texas A&M for a 6 p.m. CDT kickoff on ESPN2, and the initial report includes a mix of season-ending absences and a few current game-status concerns. Arkansas is 2-2 overall and 0-1 in SEC play, while the Aggies are 2-0 and 0-0 in conference action.
Among the names already lost for the year is senior tight end Maddox Lassiter, who underwent season-ending surgery after an upper-body injury. Freshman punter Connor Smith and junior defensive lineman J’Lynn Allen also had their seasons cut short in fall camp.
“Maddox has been absolutely phenomenal,” Arkansas head coach Ryan Silverfield said. “We actually thought he was going to have a very, very significant role for us.
Was playing at an extremely high level and it's just tough. Tough young man that got hurt during a practice and he had surgery, is out for the remainder of the year.”
Arkansas was also short-handed in Saturday’s 34-6 win over Tulsa, when junior linebackers Bradley Shaw and Wyatt Simmons, along with junior jack Charlie Collins, were unavailable. Silverfield said Monday that none of those injuries are considered long-term, and all three are not listed on the latest report.
“We had the meeting this morning with our athletic training staff and the doctors are going to follow up with those guys today,” Arkansas head coach Ryan Silverfield said on Monday. “We'll get a better feel, it's just like anything.
“It feels good in a 72-degree athletic training room on a Sunday night, maybe even a Monday AM, but what's that look like when we've got to ask you let's see you try to put the pads on and see what you can run full speed and lean and push on yourself.
The Wednesday report also lists fifth year defensive back John Howse IV and junior linebacker Jamonta Waller as out, while junior jack Steven Soles Jr. is questionable.
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Steven Soles is still the bigger name to watch on the report, though, since the starting linebacker is listed as questionable. Arkansas also has several other players marked out, a reminder that the early-season grind is already testing depth on both sides of the ball. The leagues injury reporting policy is designed to bring more transparency and better protect student-athletes, but for Arkansas the immediate concern is simply how complete the defense will be when the Aggies come to town. [Read more 🡒]