Have Razorbacks fixed secondary? Right now it's all hope

Wooden, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound transfer from Auburn, has emerged as a key piece in the group’s rebuild. With three years of SEC experience, Wooden has been working with Arkansas’ first-team defense since the start of fall camp.

“Playing in the Iron Bowl, playing in the deep South’s oldest rivalry — this is the SEC and there’s competition everywhere,” Wooden said after practice this week. “Every week you have to bring your A-game, because any given week you can get beaten. So playing at Auburn, the experience I have definitely helps.”

Wooden started eight of 22 games over the last two seasons at Auburn, including six starts and 10 appearances in 2024. He finished last season with a career-high 17 tackles, including 12 solo stops, one tackle for loss, a pass breakup and an interception.

Arkansas lost safeties Christian Ford, Dallas Young, Dylan Hasz, Tevis Metcalf, TJ Metcalf and cornerback Jaylon Braxton to the transfer portal after last season. TJ Metcalf was the only consistent contributor from that group, while Braxton was a starter before his season ended with a fractured kneecap in Week 2.

“He brought a whole lot of energy to this room,” senior defensive back Larry Worth III said of Wooden. “It’s different having a younger guy in the room compared to having an older guy that has some experience that’s ready to plug and play right now. That SEC experience definitely helps for sure.”

Arkansas’ secondary will also feature Worth, senior Quentavius Scandrett, sophomore Ahkhari Johnson, redshirt senior Anton Pierce, redshirt junior Miguel Mitchell, redshirt senior Shakur Smalls, redshirt junior Landon Phipps, redshirt sophomore Jabrae Shaw, redshirt junior Braylon Watson, and freshmen JJ Shelton and Taijh Overton.

Wooden’s addition is rooted in relationships forged at Auburn, where Williams and Arkansas defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson both previously coached. Wooden’s brother, Colby, played defensive end for Auburn, making the Wooden family a familiar presence.

“When Coach T-Will and I worked at Auburn, his brother played defensive end for us,” Woodson said. “Within that process, Caleb would be on campus quite a bit, and just over time we recruited him there.

“It started there, and then it went back to his production at Auburn on video once we got a chance to go into the transfer portal. It was a no-brainer for us. He’s exceeded the expectations that we had for him as a staff since he’s been here, and he’s been a phenomenal addition to the room.”

Williams said he believes the defense has the right pieces to improve this season compared to previous years, pointing to better communication as a key area of focus.

“We’ve got so much more defense that we’re going to put in,” Williams said. “There’s a schedule to the install. So we’re going to be multiple. You’ll see more variety in our coverages. But it’s all about communication. That’s the key ingredient as we look to improve.”

After back-to-back seasons without significant progress, Pittman’s job status has drawn attention. Some projections have Arkansas finishing last in the SEC West again, making the performance of the secondary crucial for any hope of a turnaround.

The Razorbacks’ schedule will challenge the new-look secondary early, with several SEC opponents featuring experienced quarterbacks and dynamic passing attacks. Defensive improvement, particularly in pass coverage, is considered essential for Arkansas to exceed expectations and compete for a bowl bid.

Wooden’s leadership and SEC experience offer hope, but the Razorbacks’ secondary will ultimately have to answer lingering questions on the field.

“It’s just his ability to be ready to plug and play,” Worth said. “That SEC experience definitely helps for sure.”

Arkansas opens the season against Alabama A&M with hope from the fans. The coaches always think they have an idea what the players can do.

They really have no idea how they are going to handle the bright lights and big atmospheres of SEC games.

The little preseason scrimmage on Aug. 30 with fans, bands and an SEC Network television audience may provide some positive signs for a secondary that was torched at times last year. It won't provide any guidance for November.

That's when we'll know if the Hogs finally got a plan that worked.

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