Arkansas football: Realistic post-spring expectations for 2023

Another spring under Sam Pittman is in the books and Arkansas football fans are excited about the opportunity to exceed expectations and finish better than 7-6 from last year.

I think we’re going to see KJ Jefferson take another step in the right direction and Rocket Sanders will follow him. But the program will need a new No. 1 receiver as Matt Landers and Jadon Haselwood are both gone. My pick for this breakout receiver would be Isaiah Sategna and he earned some high praise this spring.

The Razorbacks also bring in a number of talented transfers to the defensive side of the ball and that should lead to improvement from one of the worst defenses in the Power Five last year. They ranked 101st in scoring defense and gave up over 450 total yards per game.

Drew Sanders is gone which will hurt the defense a bit, but the amount of talent coming in should make up for that.

So what are the realistic post-spring expectations for this team?

Realistic post-spring expectations for Arkansas football

The Razorbacks bring back one of the most veteran quarterbacks in the country as well as a guy that is always somehow underrated. They also bring back Sanders who could be one of the best backs in the SEC next season once again. The offense won’t be the issue for this team.

I expect the defense to improve from the 100s to a top-75 group. If that’s the case, the Razorbacks should be better this season than 7-6.

Looking at the schedule, I see the sure wins being Western Carolina, Kent State, BYU, Mississippi State, Auburn, FIU, and Missouri. That’s seven wins right there that should help the Razorbacks easily match last season’s total. And the game that I lean win for Arkansas is Texas A&M.

The remainder of the games (Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, LSU) are either likely losses or 50/50 games. If the Razorbacks could steal one of them, they could finish the regular season with nine wins. A realistic finish is 8-4.

Fans would be ecstatic with an 8-4 finish.