Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Bielema not risking Ragnow in spring
FAYETTEVILLE — Senior center Frank Ragnow is receiving a perk this spring that hasn’t been given to previous offensive linemen who have played under Bret Bielema at Arkansas.
And that includes 2013 All-American center Travis Swanson (Detroit Lions), All-American Sebastian Tretola (Tennessee Titans), Denver Kirkland (Oakland Raiders) and Dan Skipper (recently graduated All-American heading into this NFL draft).
None were spared from the spring scrimmages like Ragnow will be during spring practice, which began Tuesday for the Razorbacks.
Bielema equates Ragnow’s situation to former Razorbacks running back Jonathan Williams (Buffalo Bills), who ended up getting injured for his final 2015 Razorbacks season during an August preseason scrimmage.
Ragnow is too talented, Bielema said, and knows the offense too well and potentially has too-promising an NFL future to risk injury during spring scrimmages.
“He will be the one player on our roster that I will probably limit time during the scrimmage situations,” Bielema said Monday while outlining his spring practice plans to media. “I think there are a covey of guys you may limit a little bit but he’s the one that kind of like going back what I did with J. Will or an Alex (Collins, Arkansas’ annual 2013-2015 1,000yard rusher now a Seattle Seahawks running back). Some of those guys that are at a certain level that you just can’t get them that much better. Frank understands everything we’ve ever done here the last three years and he understands it very well.”
Bielema’s objective is to help make Ragnow’s decision to play his senior season pay off more lucratively in the 2018 NFL Draft.
He also wants to maximize what Ragnow brings to the Razorbacks as a player, leader and example like the great linemen Bielema produced at Wisconsin and Arkansas.
“I’ve had a lot of players play really good at that position and he’s as good as I have ever had,” Bielema said. “In my opinion he could be something special not only at our level but beyond.”
Bielema from the get-go was fascinated with the speed, athleticism and potential versatility of the now 6-5, 319 but still-lean-looking lineman from Victoria, Minn.
“Frank is unusual,” Bielema said. “He could literally play all five (offensive line) positions. He could probably play tight end to be quite honest. And I’m not joking. When we were recruiting him and I first started watching him, I thought this kid could be a great defensive end. He’s 320 pounds and he looks like he weighs 280.”
He’s the standard by which Arkansas’ other current offensive linemen are measured.
“A guy like Colton Jackson,” Bielema said of the third-year sophomore offensive tackle from Conway. “I put him head to head with Frank on a (winter offseason) day with competition and Colton lost by like one point. I think it opened his eyes as well as Frank’s and everybody else about how talented and how athletic Colton could be.”