One Razorbacks lineman may have developed enough to contribute

The time Ball spent sidelined gave opportunities to other tackles, including Ian Geffrard, Danny Saili, David Oke, Caleb Bell and Kaleb James. Defensive line coach Deke Adams said that rotation benefited the team’s depth.

“That’s been huge,” Adams said. “We feel better about where we are.”

Arkansas will be starting new players at both defensive end positions and at least one new defensive tackle alongside Ball. The team lost Eric Gregory, who started eight games in 2024 before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent.

Geffrard, a 6-foot-5, 387-pound redshirt sophomore, worked beside Ball with the first team during camp and has focused on slimming down to improve his stamina.

“I came in at like 397, but even then, my composition was way off the charts,” Geffrard said. “But now it’s definitely much better than what it used to be.”

Geffrard appeared in 12 games with 13 tackles last season. Hogs coach Sam Pittman said after the Aug. 9 scrimmage that Geffrard has shown an ability to push the pocket.

“Big Ian, Ian Geffrard, I-95, that’s what I call him,” Ball said. “He’s come a long way as well when it came to pressuring the quarterback. We’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of young talent. We’re going to hit on all cylinders.”

Saili, who lost more than 50 pounds since last season, is running with the second team. He appeared in seven games last year, primarily on special teams. Ball said Saili’s speed and endurance have improved.

“You’ve got to treat your body like a car, like a Ferrari,” Ball said. “Danny has made a big leap, man, and I’m so excited to see what he can do this year because I know all the things he’s capable of. He deserves his opportunity.”

Adams echoed that.

“The biggest thing with me is being able to trust when I put you on the field that you’re going to execute,” Adams said. “He made some major, major strides this spring. Becoming a guy that was more disruptive. The kind of understands what he can do and what he couldn’t.”

Oke, a senior transfer from Abilene Christian, started 13 of 14 games last season and made 64 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

Pittman said Oke is in the category of players who “has to come on,” but Oke suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for at least the first two games of the season, according to Pittman and multiple reports.

His absence has opened the door for freshman Kevin Oatis, ESPN’s No. 16 defensive tackle in the 2025 class, to take reps with the second team. Kaleb James and freshman Reginald Vaughn rounded out the third team during last week’s practices.

Ball said the freshmen have shown potential.

“Funny guys,” Ball said. “You can tell all the potential that they have and how much they’re already developing and getting adapted and getting to adjust to our system already.

“Who knows, some of them might be ready to play this year. Some of them may not, but at the end of the day, I feel like they’re going to make an impact sooner or later.”

Pittman said the team will continue to evaluate the defensive line rotation as the season opener approaches.

“We believe in our young freshmen, we do,” Pittman said. “Whether they’re ready or not right now, we’ve got to go have an honest conversation about that, which we already have. We need another ‘big’ over there and a guy that’s a veteran.”

Arkansas’ defensive line is considered one of the team’s key questions heading into the season. They have a problem with experience and now injuries are starting to enter the picture.

The Razorbacks are counting on Ball’s leadership and the development of players like Geffrard, Saili and Oatis to stabilize the unit.

“We’re big and we’re talented. We can run,” Pittman said last month. “While we’re a little thin inside, I think we’ll be all right.”

With the season opener approaching, Arkansas continues to search for stability and production alongside Ball at defensive tackle, hoping improvements in depth and conditioning will help the team meet the demands of SEC play.

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