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Jul 11, 2023

Razorback receivers look sharp on opening day of fall camp

With a vast majority of last season's production no longer on the roster, Arkansas football has questions to answer in the pass-catching department in 2023. The revamped wide receiver room for the

With a vast majority of last season's production no longer on the roster, Arkansas football has questions to answer in the pass-catching department in 2023. The revamped wide receiver room for the Razorbacks opened fall camp in style and made a strong impression in the first practice of fall camp.

Starting quarterback KJ Jefferson has been working on building chemistry and connections with his new targets throughout the spring and summer and felt the work put in carried over to a solid start on the practice field.

"It was a really good day," Jefferson said. "A good first day just to be able to get out there with the coaches around, and the coaches coaching the guys up and players being coachable. Getting out there with the receivers, it was a great connection today, just being able to have a summer with those transfers that came in. Building a bond and getting the chemistry down pat.

"Coming in on our off days and doing the same thing. Just making sure we can feel each other out. They know how I’m going to throw the ball, where I’m going to throw the ball and stuff like that. Today was just a great positive day for the whole receiver corps and the quarterbacks."

Two of the transfers Jefferson was referring to are 6-4 wideouts Andrew Armstrong and Isaac TeSlaa, who put up monster numbers at lower levels but will be counted on to be reliable weapons in the SEC this season. Both had highlights during media viewing at practice on Friday on balls delivered by Jefferson.

"Armstrong is fast, and he's big," Sam Pittman said. "I was an old D2 player. Well, I was NAIA but they're D2 now. It's neat to bring a couple guys from Division 2 ball. Both I think had about 1,000 yards. They developed late. Here comes Armstrong, and he's fast and big. We were talking about it on the golf cart ride on the way over here because he had made a catch from KJ in the two-minute drill. KJ really believes in him and those things, but you've got him and TeSlaa."

Arkansas has another intriguing transfer in former Bowling Green receiver Tyrone Broden, who stands an impressive 6-7 and used his length to make a nice grab at practice Friday. Broden is working to get back up to speed after missing some time during spring ball.

"Broden was the one who doesn't understand our system, doesn't understand the offensive system that I felt like got hurt in spring because of that," Pittman said. "As far as I know without watching the tape he made some good catches today and did some good things."

Of course, not all newcomers are transfers. In fact, one of the more impressive players on the field Friday was freshman wideout Davion Dozier, who looks the part of an SEC receiver at 6-4, 205, and was the recipient of a deep ball from Jefferson as well as the winner of a 50-50 ball with a nice grab later in drills.

Jefferson has come away impressed with Dozier's approach thus far and believes he has a chance to make an early impact for the Razorbacks.

"Davion is a great guy, a great teammate to have," Jefferson said. "He’s young, he’s maturing in some areas quickly. Coming in on our off days, he’s the first one in the building. He’s excited to work, he’s ready to work, and he’s eager to learn.

"So having a guy like that as a freshman that’s coming in that’s excited to come in and eager to work … And also just bringing the other guys along with him and showing them that, ‘Hey, we have a chance to do some big things here.’ …. Bringing in a guy like Davion is a great asset."

While the new additions will certainly need to contribute to the cause, Arkansas will also look for its returners to take the next step in 2023. On Friday, Pittman made note of Isaiah Sategna, Jaedon Wilson and Sam Mbake.

"I was excited about Sategna. He did some good things today," Pittman said. "Part of it was his blocking and his ability to get in there and mix it up. With Wilson and Mbake and those guys I just feel like we're going to have a nice receiving corp. We will certainly have the size we need out there."

The Arkansas Razorbacks will open the regular season against the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday, Sept. 2 inside War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. (CT) and will be streamed on ESPN+.