South Bound & Down
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Arkansas Football 2019 Spring Preview

By Savannah Leigh

(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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The only way Arkansas Football can only go is up after the 2018 season. The Razorbacks look to fix a lot of its issues from last season, and it starts in spring practice.

Arkansas Football went 2-10 overall and 0-8 conference record for the 2018 season. Last year was year one for head coach Chad Morris and well it was about as bad as it could be.

Despite the horrendous first season under Morris, the head coach did a great job on the recruiting front.

The Razorbacks did well in recruiting this past cycle. According to 247Sports, the Hogs class ranked No. 23 overall and 10th in the SEC.

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Arkansas has 11 early enrollees which add some much-needed depth for spring ball.

Year two for Morris has Razorback fans optimistic.

Arkansas needs a bounce-back year and if it wants to accomplish that it all starts with spring practice.

Time to kick up the offense’s tempo a notch or two, and find your starter

Morris preached that he would kick up the offense and make it faster.

Well, that didn’t happen last season. Yes, there was a learning curve for the team as they went from a pro-style to a spread type offense.

However, that shouldn’t be an excuse this season. Morris recruited some of his guys, and the Razorbacks should be able to push down on the throttle more.

First thing on the agenda needs to be getting the team on one page and playing together. How does Arkansas begin to do that? The Hogs must find their starting quarterback.

Starter Ty Storey chose to transfer to Western Kentucky along with Cole Kelley who decided to transfer to Louisiana. These two transfers leave Arkansas with sophomore quarterback Connor Noland, who only played in four games last season.

However, Morris found a familiar face to add to the roster with SMU graduate transfer Ben Hicks. The quarterback played under Morris in 2017.

2019 quarterback pickup, KJ Jefferson is another name that will be added into the mix this offseason but won’t arrive on campus until this summer.

So for the spring, Arkansas will have Noland and Hicks fighting it out for the top spot. However, John Stephen Jones and Daulton Hyatt are two other quarterbacks on the roster who will look to make their moves.

Once the Hogs find their starter, he can begin to be the leader this team desperately needs. Until then, Arkansas will likely continue to struggle.

2019 Outlook for the Hogs

There are more things Arkansas needs to do this spring than continuing to change the offense and finding the starting quarterback. However, those are two big areas the Razorbacks need to fix.

Morris has his work cut out for him in Fayetteville and year two may end up the same. However, this spring game will give a good sense as to what these Hogs are capable of in 2019.

If the head coach can get his offense implemented, then he will be able to start developing players into playmakers. Then success should slowly begin to follow as players continue to buy in and commit to Morris and the university.

Year two officially starts on April 6, and the whole world will be able to see what Arkansas and Morris bring to the table.

The Red and White spring game will kick off on ESPNU at 4 p.m. ET.

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