Razorbacks face major rebuild, daunting schedule for 2025 football season

Arkansas enters 2025 blending a wave of transfers and true freshmen with a cluster of returning starters, most notably defensive tackle Cameron Ball and linebackers Stephen Dix Jr. and Xavian Sorey Jr.

“Our guys have played in the spotlight and in big games and I know they will embrace this opportunity,” Pittman said in spring camp, signaling confidence in his retooled roster.

The quarterback position, a revolving door for much of the past two years, is now led by Taylen Green, the Boise State transfer with both arm talent and quickness.

Green is the clear No. 1 quarterback with projected back-up Madden Iamaleava, who transferred to UCLA alongside his brother, leaving the Hogs to re-imagine their offensive identity yet again.

“We play better with pads on, we practice better with pads on,” Pittman said, hinting at a return to physical football.

The Razorbacks’ schedule reads like a list of obstacles.

Early tests against Notre Dame and Arkansas State set the tone, but the real challenge is the SEC slate of Texas, Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn, most with playoff hopes of their own.

The pressure is on for a program that has not seen nine wins since 2021.

On offense, the focus is a “dynamic passing attack,” according to several preseason analyses.

The wide receiver group remains in flux, losing speedster Jordan Anthony, one of 2024’s breakout targets, going pro to track and field.

That leaves young talent and transfers to step up, including Ja’Kayden Ferguson and Jace Brown, who enter with high expectations, but little SEC experience.

Defensively, the Razorbacks hope to build around Ball and the linebacker tandem of Dix Jr. and Sorey Jr., both of whom have flashed NFL-caliber range in spring practices.

“You can work hard and not be very good,” Pittman said, “but these guys have the right habits.”

The defense will need to gel quickly against some of the nation’s top offenses.

Recruiting has provided flashes of optimism. Arkansas’ 2025 class is headlined by Tavion Wallace, a linebacker from Georgia, and Keshawn Davila, a versatile athlete from Florida.

Both are expected to contribute early, a necessity given the program’s youth movement and recent losses to the transfer portal.

“I want to give my all and be a sponge,” Wallace said on social media, echoing the urgency within the locker room.

Still, the biggest storyline is the continued tenure of Sam Pittman. Entering his sixth season, Pittman remains a beloved figure in Fayetteville, but expectations have sharpened.

“It’s about building something that lasts,” he told local reporters, referencing the importance of player development and culture.

National pundits see Arkansas as a bowl contender, with Athlon Sports predicting a finish in the lower half of the SEC West but with an outside shot at seven wins.

This Razorbacks are many things at once, young, untested, and, in some corners, quietly optimistic.

Whether this season becomes a turning point or another chapter of frustration will hinge on how quickly Arkansas’ newcomers adapt to SEC speed and whether Green can stabilize the quarterback position.

For Pittman and his players, the 2025 campaign is less about bold predictions and more about steady, visible progress.

The stakes, as always in the SEC, are unmistakable: national relevance, bowl eligibility, and the fight to climb out from the conference’s middle tier. In the words of Pittman, “There is no secret formula. You just keep working.”

In Fayetteville, the work begins anew.

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