2018 Arkansas football preview

Despite Arkansas returning 17 of 22 starters, the Razorbacks were picked to finish last in the SEC Western Division in the preseason poll at SEC Media Days.

Chad Morris, previously at SMU from 2015-2017 as the head coach and at Clemson as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2011-2014, is known for his fast-paced offense. The new Arkansas coach has produced four offenses ranked in the top 25, three of them at Clemson along with last year’s SMU attack, which ranked as 16th-best in the nation for total offense while scoring 37.8 points per game.

Morris believes in his offense, even though he will be without two of last year’s offensive who were selected in the NFL draft – center Frank Ragnow and running back David Williams – along with quarterback Austin Allen.

“Offensively, we’ll be fast-paced, up-tempo,” Morris said in July at SEC Media Days. “We want to be a two-back, run-oriented first football team taking play action shots down the field. But I also know this, sometimes you have to adapt to what you have.”

Cole Kelley, who filled in for an injured Allen last year, started four games, completing 57.6 percent of his passes for 1038 yards and eight touchdowns. Kelley entered fall camp as the favorite to win the starting job, but junior Ty Story and redshirt freshman Daulton Hyatt were in the mix.

Whoever wins the job will inherit all three of last year’s top receivers as well as four returning starting lineman.

2018 schedule
Sept. 1 – Eastern Illinois
Sept. 8 – at Colorado State
Sept. 15 – North Texas
Sept. 22 – at Auburn
Sept. 29 – Texas A&M (Arlington, Texas)
Oct. 6 – Alabama
Oct. 13 – Ole Miss
Oct. 20 – Tulsa
Oct. 27 – Vanderbilt
Nov. 10 – LSU
Nov. 17 – at Mississippi State
Nov. 23 – at Missouri

2017 record: 4-8 (1-7 conf./7th in SEC West)
All-Time SEC championships: 0
All-time bowl appearances: 42 (15-24-3)

2017 results
Aug. 31 – Florida A&M – W 49-7
Sept. 9 – TCU – L 28-7
Sept. 23 – Texas A&M* – L 50-43 (OT)
Sept. 30 – New Mexico State – W 42-24
Oct. 7 – at South Carolina – L 38-22
Oct. 14 – at Alabama – L 41-9
Oct. 21 – Auburn – L 52-20
Oct. 28 – at Ole Miss – W 38-37
Nov. 4 – Coastal Carolina – W 39-38
Nov. 11 – at LSU – L 33-10
Nov. 18 – Mississippi State – L 28-21
Nov. 24 – Missouri – L 48-45
*Arlington, Texas

Returning statistical leaders

Rushing – Att – Yards – Avg – TD
Devwah Whaley – 127 – 559 – 4.4 – 7
Passing – Comp-Att – Int – TD – Yards
Cole Kelley – 87-151 – 4 – 8 – 1038
Receiving – Rec – Yards – Avg – TD
Jonathan Nance – 37 – 539 – 14.5 – 5
Tackles – Total – Int – Sacks – TFL
De’Jon Harris – 115 – 0 – 3.5 – 8.5

Starters returning: 19
Offense: 9
Defense: 8
Specialty: 2

Starters lost: 5
Offense: 2
Defense: 3
Specialty: 0

Returning offensive starters: Hjalte Froholdt (OL,Sr.), Johnny Gibson Jr. (OL, Sr.), Colton Jackson (OL, Jr.), Brian Wallace (OL, Sr.), Austin Cantrell (TE, Jr.) Jordan Jones (WR, So.), Jonathan Nance (WR, Sr.), Deon Stewart (WR, Jr.), Devwah Whaley (RB, Jr.)
Returning defensive starters: McTelvin Agim (DL, Jr.), T.J. Smith (DL, Jr.), Randy Ramsey (DL, Sr.) Kamren Curl (DB, So.), Santos Ramirez (DB, Sr.), Kevin Richardson II (DB, Sr.), Dre Greenlaw (LB, Sr.), De’Jon Harris (LB, Jr.)