Razorback report: WR Armstrong drawing routine praise

FAYETTEVILLE — Transfer wide receiver Andrew Armstrong continued to make plays and garner praise through practice No. 4 of training camp for Arkansas on Monday.
The Razorbacks worked inside Walker Pavilion on a second overcast day in a row with very mild temperatures and Armstrong continued to flash, along with Isaac TeSlaa, Isaiah Sategna, Sam Mbake and others for the Hogs quarterbacks.
Armstrong made a good hands catch on an in cut from KJ Jefferson on the first snap of 2 on 2 slot coverage drills, then added more grabs as the period moved on.
“One of the guys that’s doing well, I think Armstrong,” defensive backs coach Deron Wilson said Monday. “He’s a good player.”
Armstrong got some advice from offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Enos after a flag route from the 6-4, 201-pound senior took him well out of bounds on a throw from Jacolby Criswell.
Enos suggested Armstrong lean more into the defensive back on his jab step before breaking out to give the quarterback more room to keep his pass in bounds.
The quarterbacks completed 18 of 32 passes in the red zone drill work, including multiple touchdowns.
The top plays came on Criswell’s perfectly delivered fade to Bryce Stephens in the right corner versus Jaylen Lewis, Jefferson’s strike to Mbake on a skinny post for a score, Chris Rhodes’ touchdown fade against Kee’yon Stewart and Mbake’s score from Malachi Singleton over Jabrae Shaw.
Freshman TJ Metcalf continued to impress with a breakup on Rykar Acebo’s end zone pass for Davion Dozier, and he was in strong position on another incomplete pass in the end zone for Dozier from Jefferson.
The defensive backs did not have an interception after recording three on Sunday, but they did force a pair of no throws due to tight coverage.
At one point, co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson called out, “The main thing we’ve got to correct is our eyes. The ball’s coming; it’s one on one.”
The Razorbacks dressed in shoulder pads and shorts on Monday and did not go through fastball starts during the media viewing portion of the workout.
Tough stretch
Arkansas’ first four SEC games are all away from home against teams ranked in USA Today’s Top 25 coaches poll released on Monday.
The Razorbacks’ conference opener is at No. 5 LSU on Sept. 23. Then Arkansas plays No. 25 Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas, at No. 22 Ole Miss and at No. 3 Alabama.
The Razorbacks were the 10th team in the “receiving votes” category, technically making them No. 35 in the poll.
Georgia earned 61 first-place votes and the No. 1 spot and Tennessee came in at No. 10 to give the SEC six teams among the top 25.
Among the 66 coaches who vote in the poll are six from the SEC: Alabama’s Nick Saban, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Florida’s Billy Napier, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, who grew up in Alma.
Arkansas State University Coach Butch Jones is also a voter along with UNLV’s Barry Odom (UA’s defensive coordinator from 2020-22), Central Florida’s Gus Malzahn (UA’s offensive coordinator in 2006 and a long-time Arkansas high school coach), SMU’s Rhett Lashlee (a Springdale native and former UA player and graduate assistant) and Texas-San Antonio’s Jeff Traylor (UA’s running backs coach 2018-19).
Freeze and Malzahn also are former Arkansas State coaches.
KJ’s way
Count cornerback Dwight McGlothern among the admirers of senior quarterback KJ Jefferson.
“KJ’s been making throws and putting the ball in places that I feel like I’ve been playing good coverage and he’ll put it right there and I’m like ‘Dang,’ ” McGlothern said Monday. “He’s leading the guys and they’re catching it too.”
Rocket launcher
Tailback Raheim “Rocket” Sanders made use of his 242-pound frame for an eye-opening play during swing-pass drills on Monday.
The half-line drills encourage physicality between receivers, running backs, defensive backs and linebackers on the edge. On Sanders’ head-turning play, freshman tight end Luke Hasz engaged with his twin brother, defensive back Dylan Hasz, to give Sanders a seam. Freshman linebacker Carson Dean tracked the play to the edge, where Sanders bowled over the 234-pounder and kept trucking.
On Sunday, Dean blasted a wideout on a bubble screen play on the edge.
Back and forth
The first four practices have featured spirited play between the receivers and defensive backs with plenty of catches and touchdown passes in drills, but also a fair share of interceptions and breakups.
“It’s competition every day,” said defensive backs coach Deron Wilson. “They’re making plays, we’re making plays, and that happens.
“We want to get to a point hopefully where we’re making all the plays, but at the end of the day we’re still a team. We’re all together.”
Among the top receivers in camp have been Andrew Armstrong, Isaac TeSlaa, Bryce Stephens, Isaiah Sategna, Tyrone Broden, Davion Dozier and Chris Rhodes.
Standouts in the secondary include cornerbacks Dwight McGlothern, Lorando Johnson, Jaylon Braxton, LaDarrius Bishop and Jaheim Singletary, safeties Hudson Clark, Jayden Johnson, Malik Chavis, Al Walcott, TJ Metcalf and RJ Johnson, and nickel backs Jaylen Lewis and AJ Brathwaite.
“I think we’re making great strides as a team,” Clark said. “Going against each other, if they beat us, we’re wanting another rep against them. I think that’s been good for us to get our competitive nature up.
“I think going into SEC play and any other game, we’re going to be competitive in every single rep and not take anything off.”
Tasty melon
Among the snacks offered during breaks are fresh watermelon slices.
Managers have called out, “Get your delicious watermelon!” as if they’re vendors at a farmers market.
“That’s one of the new things that we’ve gotten this year,” safety Hudson Clark said. “I think it’s been helpful for us during that little break just to replenish.”
Cornerback Dwight McGlothern said getting fruit during practice takes him back to playing sports at a younger age.
“It reminds me of Little League,” McGlothern said.
Thoughtful gesture
During passing drills earlier this week, receiver Kamron Bibby noticed on the way back to the sideline he was about to run in front of an employee from a television station who was filming practice.
Rather than run in front of the videographer, Bibby contorted his body below the camera angle so as not to interrupt his filming. Bibby is a redshirt freshman from El Dorado.