Pittman Impressed by Saili's Emergence, DL Finds Depth With Stars Out

"He’ll be in the rotation whether he runs out there with the ones or not," Pittman said. "You know, how we rotate our line. I think he’s really good. His quickness has changed, his motor. He runs side to side to the football, which losing the weight has allowed him to that as well."

Saili signed with the Cougars as the No. 4 defensive tackle in the JUCO ranks, No. 14 prospect nationally, according to 247sports. At 6-foot-2, 355 pounds, he was very productive with 39 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks which is a testament to what type of penetration he can give opposing lines.

Down 30 pounds since his arrival 10 months ago, Saili is moving well and could be a possible game changer not as a depth piece for Arkansas in 2025.

"I’m just really really high on him right now," Pittman said. "I don’t think it’s just because I didn’t know what I thought. You know what I mean? I didn’t know, “Man, can he help us?” I don’t think it’s that because there were times I thought that as well.

Now, it’s gone from 'can he help us?' to 'I think he can help us to we can win games with this guy out there' because he's getting a lot of penetration and he runs, he loves to play. It’s changed a little bit. Yes, I definitely see him in the rotation if not running out there with the ones."

With senior tackle Cam Ball and transfer David Oke out recovering from injuries this spring, coaches have given others opportunities to shine in their absence.

Inside out, the Razorbacks line is going to look completely different without long-time contributors Landon Jackson and Eric Gregory. They are waiting on the NFL Draft this month to find out where they'll be playing next.

"Quincy Rhodes, Ian Geffrard and Saili are three guys that I think, they didn’t play a lot," Pittman said March 20. "But those three are as improved as anyone that we have on the team. They’ve done a really good job in there."

Outside of those three, other linemen such as Charlie Collins, Kavion Henderson were highly regarded out of high school and should contribute more in the fall.

Transfers Justus Boone and Ken Talley have spent most of the winter and spring getting acquainted with teammates, learning the playbook and expectations along the defensive line.

Pittman believes his 4-star freshmen tackles Reginald Vaughn and Kevin Oatis can push for playing time. Whether they can break into the two-deep or not is unknown to this point but he is pleased at how well his staff evaluated its defensive linemen.

"[Reginald Vaughn] and [Kevin Oatis] might [contribute]," Pittman said. "Certainly have the athletic ability. I like both those kids. They're doing better. They certainly might [play]. They're both good gets. I'll tell you that. They're athletic."

Don't forget about defensive end Caleb Bell who Pittman is also high on based off how disruptive he was in the Georgia high school ranks.

He chose Arkansas over offers from Texas, Mississippi State, Florida State, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky and SMU after posting 146 tackles, 40 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hurries and 20 sacks during his final two seasons for Milton High Sschool.

"Bell is a guy, that man, we hit on," Pittman said. "Just big and raw and can run from Milton, Georgia."

Bell is the son of former NFL rookie of the year and Pro Bowler Kendrell Bell, who played seven seasons in the NFL.

Having somebody on the roster with a professional pedigree should pay off even though he sat just outside of 4-star status during the latest recruiting cyle.

HOGS FEED:

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• Razorbacks' QB will determine how good Hogs can be in 2025

• Really simple way Pittman will determine Razorbacks' No. 1 receiver

• Finally, we get Pittman's take on new general manager for Razorbacks

• Pitcher's breakout season on hold; Razorbacks hoping for stretch run return