It’s year three of the Reggie Herring regime for the Arkansas defense. Whether it proves to be the best of the bunch for Herring and the Hogs remains to be seen. Major losses defensively from a year ago include DE Jamaal Anderson, CB Chris Houston, LB Sam Olajabutu along with DT Keith Jackson and S Randy Kelly. That’s a lot of personnel to replace in one offseason, but the talk so far is that Arkansas has done just that. Below we'll run through the three key groups defensively.
Much like the offense, it all starts up front with the defensive line. This year’s starting defensive ends will be Antowain Robinson and Malcolm Sheppard. Robinson was a bull at times last year, teaming with Jamaal Anderson to give Arkansas a fearsome pairing off the edges. Offseason shoplifiting troubles have put his leadership abilities back up for questioning, but the fact remains that he is the only proven pass rush commodity on the entire team. On the flip, Malcolm Sheppard may be the most hyped player---improvement-wise---on the defense. All we’ve been told is how much better he’s gotten in just a single offseason, and if he’s even half as good as Anderson, the Hogs should be fine off the edges. Expect Chris Wade to share time with Malcolm Sheppard in the DE rotation. Up the gut the Hogs will rely heavily on Ernest Mitchell and Marcus Harrison. Mitchell was a tremendous surprise to those around the program last year, coming in and playing so well after injuries to linemen up front. One of those injuries was indeed to Marcus Harrison, and unfortunately, he’s hurt again. Harrison tore his ACL in spring ball, and it’s unclear how quickly he’ll be back to 100% speed, if at all. The depth behind these guys is slight, to put it nicely, with Fred Bledsoe, Cord Gray and Marcus Shavers the first guys in line.
In the middle of the field, I think Arkansas has a chance to be a lot better than many people think. There’s no doubt that LB Sam Olajubutu was the defensive leader---vocally and on the field---over the past few years, but there’s no reason to think Arkansas can’t replace his physicality. First in line is Weston Dacus. The MLB plays bigger than he looks and has a tendency to cut down opposing tailbacks who’ve busted through the first line of defense. Flanking Dacus on the edges will be a lot of depth, if not a lot of proven commodity. Freddie Fairchild had a strong freshman season before seeing his sophomore campaign sidelined by a torn ACL in game two against Utah State. He’s going to be counted on for his speed off the side and in blitz packages. Then there’s a group of guys who haven’t really fully separated themselves from another. Chip Gregory, Ryan Powers and Wendal Davis are all expected to contribute, but I think it’s a true freshman who may make the biggest impact of them all. Texas native Jermaine Love is a frosh who looks like a junior. Physically, he is good to go in the SEC right now, but the question is going to be whether or not is able to grasp Herring’s schemes quickly enough. It’s my guess he’ll be starting by the Kentucky game.
Back it up to the secondary and things again don’t look nearly so bleak for the Hogs. FS Michael Grant has made what seems to be a complete recovery from a nasty knee injury suffered against South Carolina last year. He’ll be asked to help cut down on the big play again, and he should be able to take some chances, playing alongside physical SS Matt Hewitt. The corners are slated to be incumbent starter Materral Richardson and senior Jerrell Norton. How well JUCO safety transfer Walner Leandre plays in August could affect all of that.
Throw it all together, and upon further inspection, there is room for optimism about this year’s defense. Coordinator Reggie Herring has shown a tendency to have his teams improve as the seasons go on, and with no USC on the schedule this year, the Hogs may be able to skip an early season embarrassment in the points allowed department. Arkansas’ defense will be good this year, but will it be great? Therein may lie the answer to whether or not Arkansas gets itself back to Atlanta.
D-Line: B+
Linebackers: B-
Secondary: B+
Overall: B
-JAB
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