Arkansas football: 3 way-too-early breakout candidates for 2023

Sam Pittman has done a great job in a short period of time with Arkansas football. He’s turned Arkansas from an undesirable SEC program into one of the better teams in the conference. No longer is Arkansas a pushover.

With the changing times and drastic improvement come elevated expectations as well as better recruiting classes.

The Razorbacks are bringing in the No. 26 class this year and they have a number of transfers who could have an immediate impact.

If they’re going to compete in the SEC this season, these guys need to have breakout performances.

I reluctantly added Jaylon Braxton to this list. No, not because I don’t think he’s truly a breakout candidate, but because I’m a Michigan State fan and he spurned my Spartans for Arkansas. I was looking forward to seeing Braxton in a Spartan uniform, but he had other ideas.

Braxton is the top signee from the 2023 recruiting class and he should come in as a true freshman and have an impact on that defense.

In fact, I think he’ll crack the two-deep right away.

Braxton has decent size at nearly 6-foot-0 and 175 pounds and he has serious lockdown potential at cornerback. He can also spend the offseason learning from some talented veterans.

Arkansas could use him this season and I wouldn’t even be shocked if he was a starter by the end of the year. He’s going to be that good as a true freshman.