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Arkansas Football: 3 breakout candidates for 2022 season

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 6, 2021; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Trey Knox (7) runs after a catch during the fourth quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Trey Knox (7) runs after a catch during the fourth quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /
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Arkansas football broke out in a big way in 2021, going 9-4 with an Outback Bowl win over Penn State. Who’ll break out in 2022 to carry that success over?

If you’re looking to buy stock in a rising program, you should throw your money at Arkansas football.

Sam Pittman took a program in the gutter and turned it into one of the contenders in the SEC, going from winless in the conference under Chad Morris for a couple of years to 12-11 overall in the past two seasons. Pittman has done a fantastic job.

Pittman isn’t just killing it on the field, but he’s also recruiting at a high level as the talent on the roster is increasing drastically.

Let’s take a look at which talented Razorbacks could break out in 2022.

Hailing from the famous IMG Academy, Eric Gregory was targeted by a few other SEC programs in LSU, Mississippi State, and Auburn, but he settled on Arkansas despite the Razorbacks being a bottom-dweller under Chad Morris.

In his first year, Gregory played in just two games and had four total tackles as he was lightly used despite having a college-ready frame. Sam Pittman taking over in 2020 was the best thing to happen to the 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive end originally from Memphis.

After adjusting to a new coaching staff during the 2020 offseason, Gregory had a solid season with 27 tackles, three tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and an interception in eight games. The next season, he played 12 games and had 27 tackles again with four tackles for loss and a sack.

The 2022 season will be his best yet as he’s the full-time starter at end and he’ll more than make up for the loss of Tre Williams.

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