Arkansas football, under the direction of new head coach Chad Morris, will take their first steps out of the cellar of the SEC West in 2018. How far can they go?
Arkansas football had a dismal time with their SEC slate in 2017, despite a surprising victory coming over the Ole Miss Rebels in a comeback effort. That was the only conference win for the Razorbacks last year, who managed a four win season and enter 2018 with tempered expectations. First-year head football coach Chad Morris is looking to turn things around in an SEC West that could look a lot different this year.
This program is not the only one in the conference, let alone their own division, that has a new head coach at the helm. The Texas A&M Aggies have Jimbo Fisher, Mississippi State Bulldogs have Joe Moorhead, and even Ole Miss has a newly tenured coach in Matt Luke. That’s a lot of change that gives the Hogs the opportunity to get back to a hire level of competitiveness this fall compared to last.
With a decent amount of returning starters coming back on both sides of the ball, the pieces are in place for Arkansas to show significant improvement. Rising junior running back Devwah Whaley is looking for a resurgent effort in 2018 in a new look Arkansas offense. It will either be rising sophomore Cole Kelley or Ty Storey that gets the nod under center for Morris to start the regular season.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Hogs bring back skilled players like defensive end McTelvin Agim and safety Santos Ramirez. The good news is that Arkansas has at least one experienced leader coming back at each level of the defense. Same could be said for each position group on the offense too. That’s something valuable for Arkansas to have this year, that they don’t have the luxury of entering most seasons.
The biggest thing for Arkansas was just getting the shake up needed for the offense and improving an abysmal defense from last year. It seemed like Arkansas couldn’t stop anyone and it really hurt their chances of winning some close games. Getting some new faces in there couldn’t hurt either with turning a new leaf in that regard. But, the Hogs do get their heart and soul back on defense in Ramirez, which could spearhead a breakthrough with the entire defense.
Next: What's the ceiling for Arkansas Football in 2018?
Arkansas just needs two more wins to get back to postseason eligibility this season. They lost some heartbreakers to quality competition last season, and could see their fortunes change for the better. That would also result in a significant jump from the basement of the SEC West standings for 2018.