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Three Storylines for bigger, faster, stronger Arkansas Razorbacks

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Jacob Davis | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 10:00 AM ET

We are now one day away from the Arkansas Razorbacks first game of the season and there's a few storylines left to monitor going into year six of coach Sam Pittman's tenure.

Last season was a solid rebound from a disappointing 4-8 record, winning seven games including a victory in the Liberty Bowl over new college football wonder Texas Tech.

Much of the preseason has been sent with Pittman touting his team as bigger, faster, stronger, but are they deep enough to move up a tier in the SEC? 247sports team talent rankings slots the Razorbacks at No. 13 among conference foes and No. 23 nationally.

That means there will have to be some in-season development throughout the year and some motivation for Arkansas players to play above their ranking similar to how former coach Houston Nutt could rah-rah a team into motion.

What's Blackstock doing?

One of the more notable parts of the depth chart was seeing Arkansas' newly converted defensive tackle flirting in the two-deep for Week One.

With David Oke out for the first game, Blackstock being thrusted into a second string role is likely more out of demand for bodies and not really what he's done during camp.

Starting defensive tackle Cam Ball has played role of tutor during fall camp, but made sure to mention Blackstock's willingness to do what his team needed to be better.

"Keyshawn's doing good, man. He's doing better than a lot of people have though," Ball said earlier this week. "He still has some work to do, just like we all do. He's going to shock a lot of people.

"Keyshawn, he's like a sponge, trying to soak up all the learning and techniques. It's not an easy switch, coming from offensive line to defensive line, but he's taking it well, man, and I'm excited to see how he can help us out, and I know he can this upcoming season."

Less Talk, More Action

Now it's time to put up or shut up about how fast this Arkansas team is. Whether the speed comes at wide receiver, linebacker, running back or in the secondary, the bigger, stronger, faster mantra is about to be put to the test.

Recall the last time this was said ahead of the 2023 season, returning quarterback K.J. Jefferson and star tailback Rocket Sanders were considered the best 1-2 backfield punch in the SEC and college football by some pundits.

The combination of Dan Enos and physical gains at the weight room and dinner table didn't translate to on-field success that was forecasted by so many.

With quarterback Taylen Green returning after compiling more than 3,700 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024, he was a bit lax about taking care of the football. If he is able to get that corrected, then Arkansas will be in good shape to be more explosive offensively.

On defense, the unit is poised for a breakout season, but needs to be great in both pass coverage and run defense at the same time in order record a couple more games in the win column.

"Well, we just have to be smart," Pittman said Monday while previewing Week One. "I want to see a fast, tough team. I want to see a team that plays hard. I want to see a team that if you go, ‘Who played the hardest? I don't know what the score is, but who played the hardest?’ I want it to be the Hogs.

"That's a reflection of ourteamand our coaching staff, and to be honest with you, a reflection of our state, a state of a lot of hard-working people. And that's what we want to be. We want to be smart to begin with, and then after that, we want to roll that ball out there and let's go play the hell out of the game. And that's what we've got to see. And we've got to be consistent doing that not and I believe that we will."

Opportunistic Defense

While a lot of the talk in preseason was about Arkansas limiting turnovers, defensive coordinator Travis Williams has placed an emphasis on forcing turnovers for a unit that is expected to be versatile in various looks.

Veteran linebacker Stephen Dix knows the defense needs to force more turnovers which can correlate with having a more explosive offense. Last season, Arkansas finished with a turnover margin of -8 even though it could've been much worse as the offense was a bit careless dropping the ball 30 times, losing 14 of those fumbles.

"The biggest emphasis going into this offseason, just getting our hands on the ball more, getting more takeaways, getting more possessions, getting the ball back to our offense, or even scoring on our own end," Dix said after Tuesday's practice. "I think definitely you're going to see a lot of that this upcoming season. We've been emphasizing it a lot."