Hogs’ Cornelius rehabbing hamstring injury
FAYETTEVILLE — Apparently the hamstring injury that he suffered last week removed Jared Cornelius from practice just a couple of drills ahead of coach Bret Bielema’s limit for the senior wide receiver.
Bielema hasn’t scrimmaged senior center Frank Ragnow, a bonafide All-American candidate, this spring because the coach decided a lingering injury risk outweighed the benefits of Ragnow practicing. He won’t need sharpening, Bielema feels, until the Aug. 31 season opener against Florida A&M in Little Rock.
By far the most experienced and past productive of an Arkansas receiving corps that graduated four of its top five from 2016, Cornelius might not have scrimmaged last week even if he hadn’t “tweaked his hammy a little bit” during the April 11 practice.
“J-Red was really having a nice spring and had a good scrimmage (April 8),” Bielema said after Saturday’s scrimmage. “We’re not gonna rush him back. Obviously he was a guy I was gonna start limiting in reps anyway. He’s doing a good job being an assistant coach getting himself ready. He shouldn’t have any issues. He might be able to do something, some work maybe in week 5. But for the most part he’s out.”
With Cornelius out, some newcomers like January-enrolled junior-college transfers Brandon Martin and Jonathan Nance can really feel in.
Martin led all receivers in last week’s scrimmage with six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Nance caught one pass for seven yards.
Martin’s TD grab particularly impressed Bielema.
“Yeah, that was a big-time catch,” Bielema said. “One thing that was very apparent from the first practice on, him and Jonathan both, they’ve
got really good ball skills. They understand route concepts. They understand football, I think, fairly well. I tell you, the handful of guys we brought in in January, really what they’re doing academically and what they’re doing for us on the field, has really been a special addition to spring here. If we take those eight or nine guys out it, we can’t function near as well as we have through these first three weeks of spring ball.”
In addition to Martin and Nance, senior offensive linemen Kirby Adcock, Shane Clenin and Dalton Wagner, quarterback Daulton Hyatt, running back Maleek Williams, linebacker Kyrei Fisher and cornerback Korey Hernandez enrolled as UA freshmen in January and practice this spring after participating in the winter offseason program.
“To get those nine guys in was a pretty big deal,” Bielema said.
Fisher logged eight tackles during last weej;s scrimmage while freshman big back Williams, not to be confused with Arkansas junior running back and returning SEC leading rusher Rawleigh Williams, logged 18 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown running with the second offense against the second defense and 18 carries for 88 yards during the April 8 scrimmage.
Hernandez missed last week’s scrimmage with an injury but Bielema has seen enough to say, I think Korey Hernandez is in a position to help us.” Fisher obviously will hit. “Kyrei’s been impressive,” Bielema said after the April 8 scrimmage. “One thing you’re not gonna have to worry about, Kyrei will be physical. He’s made probably two of the bigger hits in spring ball. Enjoys contact. Enjoys to talk a little as well. I need him to be a little more disciplined where we’re asking him to go.”
It’s not stretch, or rather is very much a stretch, to think Fisher can help right away.