POSITION SWITCH
Hogs’ Morgan makes most of opportunities
FAYETTEVILLE — While starting linebacker Dre Greenlaw continues easing back into the Razorbacks preseason practices after missing spring drills with a twice broken foot, Grant Morgan has been taking the bulk of Greenlaw’s firstteam snaps.
Grant Morgan, erstwhile known as the brother of former Arkansas leading receiver and current Miami Dolphin Drew Morgan, is a redshirt freshman walk-on trying to capitalize on this surprising opportunity.
Redshirt freshman Dee Walker and true freshman Kyrie Fisher also have rotated at weakside ‘backer, inside linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said before the Razorbacks practiced Tuesday.
“Right now it’s been Grant,” Hargreaves said. “He’s going with the first bunch a little bit. Right now it’s kind of by committee with Grant taking most of them, and I’m working the other two guys.”
What are Morgan’s assets?
“He is a smart football player,” Hargreaves said. “He knows what do to. I think he’s got really good instincts. He’s tough, and he loves to play. So I think he’s going to put himself in position if he continues to improve to be able hopefully to help us this year and play a little bit. I’m excited for him.”
The coach is excited about Morgan and others but will be most excited when two-year starter Greenlaw is deemed full go as the Aug. 31 season-opener in Little Rock against Florida A&M awaits.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema has set scrimmages for the next two Saturdays, but there is nothing forthcoming yet if Greenlaw will participate in either.
Asked if Greenlaw might play the season opener without scrimmaging before it, Hargreaves did not envision that occurring.
“I don’t think that’s going to be the case,” Hargreaves said. “He’ll be able to get in some scrimmages. There’s no doubt about that.”
However since Greenlaw first broke his foot six games into the 2016 season then reinjured it upon his return in the Belk Bowl loss to Virginia Tech, the coaches aren’t going to scrimmage him prematurely, particularly with Greenlaw having a “little setback,” Hargreaves said, unrelated to his foot.
“He’s just been a little sore,” Hargreaves said. “We’re just trying to make sure that he’s 100 percent by the time we get rolling.”
Grant Morgan isn’t the only walkon brother of a former Razorback star climbing the ladder.
With first-team outside linebacker Karl Roesler out with a hamstring injury and second-team linebacker Jamario Bell undergoing surgery Monday to repair a broken foot, true freshman Hayden Henry has been practicing behind junior college transfer Gabe Richardson.
A Little Rock native and Pulaski Academy graduate, Hayden Henry is the brother of current Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry, a Mackey Award winning All-American tight end during his Razorbacks career.
If there was a staff tug of war for a single Razorbacks player, it seems sophomore T.J. Hammonds of Pulaski Robinson would be the one tugged.
A running back last year, Hammonds was moved to receiver before spring ball following Arkansas graduating four senior receivers from 2016.
When 2016 SEC regular-season leading rushing running back Rawleigh Williams suffered a career-ending neck injury on the final day of spring practice, it appeared Hammonds might move back to running back. He partially has moved under Bielema’s directives to offensive coordinator Dan Enos and running backs coach Reggie Mitchell yet mainly remains at receiver.
With senior wideout Jared Cornelius, 32 catches for 515 yards last season, out indefinitely with an ailing back, Bielema listed Hammonds, sophomore Deon Stewart and deep-ball catching redshirt freshman Jordan Jones as the current first-team receivers.
“T.J. does some nice things,” Bielema said. “He’s good with the ball in his hands, and we will continue to flip him in there at running back a couple times throughout the course of the day during practice and of course in game-like scenarios.”
Running backs coach Mitchell said, “He’s one of the more dynamic guys on our team. You put him out at receiver; he looks like a natural born receiver. You put him in the backfield doing certain things, and he’s a natural there. He is about one of the only guys on our team able to do both those things.”